Book Finder

Birds are everywhere — even the most urban neighborhood is a good place to look for birds and study their habits. This journal includes questions to prompt thinking and provides pages to write down observations, paste in photos, or add drawings. Also in the series: Nature Log Kids: A Kid’s Journal to Record Their Nature Experiences. 

Take an alphabetical journey through the natural world! Each letter features an object photographed in nature accompanied by a fun poem. Show your child how to become an alphabet hunter and by exploring nearby woods, parks, water, or your own backyard. 

A dazzlingly illustrated and child-friendly introduction to the complex topic of biodiversity and classification, and how all living things, from bacteria to the largest mammals, are related. The book provides detailed information about each of the “five kingdoms” and the different species that make up each kingdom. 

In this hands-on science book, kids learn how to make a barometer, record their observations in a Weather Log, use graphs and charts, read the cloud and wind direction, and look to the sunset glow to make more accurate predictions. 

Read and find out about how to track animals by finding footprints and other clues. Does a cat use her claws when she walks? How does a rabbit run? What does a skunk smell like? Find out the answers in Big Tracks, Little Tracks, a perfect first book for children with a budding interest in animals and nature.

This wordless picture book with Baker’s characteristically beautifully detailed collage illustrations conveys a subtle message about how we can bring positive change to our communities. Every double-page spread is a view through the same window, a view that changes over a generation. Children can share what they think is happening to the neighborhood based on the illustrations. 

A powerful poem and stunning, handmade-paper art encourage children to protect nature.

“Where once there was a wood,
A meadow and a creek … “

Inspired by events in her own backyard, award-winning author and illustrator Denise Fleming creates a poignant yet hopeful portrait of our disappearing natural environment. The last pages of the book teach children how to make a more “creature friendly” backyard, including information about what types of food, trees and flowers attract different kinds of animals. 

Whether in the sky, on the land, or in the sea, animals live in all sorts of fascinating environments. Discover six of the most intriguing habitats, and have fun pinpointing the camouflaged critters hiding within them in this interactive and informative picture book full of furry, feathery, and ferocious creatures.

A playful, illustrated guide to a simple meditation practices for young children experiencing stress, difficulty focusing, and difficult emotions. All you’ll need to practice it is a quiet spot and four ordinary pebbles.

Explore the meals of 12 countries in this playful approach to the world! From Australia to India to the USA, come travel around the world at dawn. Children everywhere are waking up to breakfast. In Japan, students eat soured soybeans called natto. In Brazil, even kids drink coffee — with lots of milk! With rhythm and rhymes and bold, graphic art, this picture book invites young readers to explore the world through the most important meal of the day.

A comprehensive look at heroes, heroines, and critical moments from African American history— from the slave trade to the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition to the larger chronological narrative, the book also features short biographies of famous leaders, artists, and athletes. Key issues, events, and concepts are explored succinctly. Filled with vivid illustrations that bring these figures and events to life, plus a removable historical timeline poster.

When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, “Who are your people?” and “Where are you from?” This book depicts children from the African Diaspora, and invites young readers to reflect on who they are and where their ancestors came from. The book opens on a scene of a father sharing with his children the importance of their heritage, their lineage, and how far they have come in overcoming obstacles from the time of their ancestors to the present. 

This civil rights book examines the little-known Tennessee’s Fayette County Tent City Movement in the late 1950s and reveals what is possible when people unite and fight for the right to vote. Powerfully conveyed through interconnected stories and told through the eyes of a child, this book combines poetry, prose, and rich illustrations to shine light on this forgotten history.

The story of American slavery through the voice of a teacher struggling to help her students understand its harrowing history. From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people’s struggle and strength, horror and hope. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be.

Letter by letter, this picture book celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity and joy. It’s a story of big ideas — P is for Power, S is for Science and Soul. Of significant moments — G is for Great Migration. Of iconic figure — H is for Zora Neale Hurston, X is for Malcom X. In addition to rhyming text, the book includes back matter with information on the events, places, and people mentioned in the poem, from Mae Jemison to W. E. B. Du Bois, Fannie Lou Hamer to Sam Cooke, and the Little Rock Nine to DJ Kool Herc.

Meet an exploding ant, the flamboyant cuttlefish, and the star-nosed mole in this lighthearted look at animals. The real but unusual creatures are illustrated with humor while providing a glimpse at their distinguishing features. The author’s first volume, The World’s Most Pointless Wonderful Animals(opens in a new window), is equally engaging.

Dramatic photographs combine with facts to amaze and delight with their “acrobatic moves, their ability to dodge enemies deftly, [and] their skill at disappearing using camouflage.” Together with a similarly formatted companion book, Superpowers of Nature: Wild Wonders of the World(opens in a new window), readers will surely want to protect nature’s heroes.

This handsome presentation for sophisticated readers about the Northern Mockingbird combines history and science along with traditional beliefs about the birds and their role with humans. Readable and fully sourced, this is sure to intrigue budding naturalists and historians. 

Throughout history, artists have influenced other artists. From Michelangelo to Basquiat, the author/illustrator suggests how each artist might have uniquely presented an everyday subject — a donut. Open this informative book for a tasty look at different styles, techniques, and artists.

Emmett Till was only 14 years old when he was murdered in 1955 in the South. His mother demanded her son be sent home to Chicago. “It was the braver thing that changed everything.”  Mamie became an activist for social justice that helped launch the Civil Rights Movement. Lyrical text and expressive cut-paper illustrations convey the haunting story made accessible to sophisticated younger readers.

Where is the black cat? The cat starts and ends under the wobbly table as the reader follows the cat from the specific to the truly universal. Uncluttered, simple illustrations provide visual information to the expanding scenes. A brilliant way to initiate discussions about our place in the world.

Marcel Duchamp was full of surprises. In fact, some would consider him irreverent or even a crackpot. Through collage illustrations and informal text scattered on full pages, readers and budding artists are asked to consider what makes art.  Slightly irreverent and quite delightful.

Their cattle were being killed by lions, but Richard Turere’s inspired invention solved a problem that had plagued the Maasai people — with only limited resources but much creativity. Illustrations vividly portray the African landscape near Nairobi National Park where the lions live. Additional information about the inventor and his invention is included.

Humans don’t have a lot in common with a tin can, but maybe a little bit with a swimming pool. People do have a lot in common with other people — in fact we’re more alike than not. Comparisons in this book are both unexpected and humorous, illustrated in bold shapes and bright forms provide a surprisingly sophisticated look at what being human is like.