Crisp, clear, full color photographs are carefully placed with text to present an overview of life in an Amazon rainforest. The book provides a map of the South American rainforest, and concludes with doable actions to preserve it.
Life in the Amazon Rainforest
Pete Seeger was a musician, an activist, an environmentalist and more. An overview of his life and work is presented as though a ballad-like narrative almost ready to be sung. Strong, clean lines in black and white with a “golden thread” running through are created by cut paper illustrations for a powerful introduction to Seeger’s life and times.
The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger
A black bird explores the outdoors, seeing many colors. Simple text is accompanied by brilliant, textured illustrations for a glimpse into what one bird may observe in a day.
Black Bird Yellow Sun
The natural world is presented in gorgeous photographs combined with lyrical language to present this “love letter to our planet.” Included at the end are tangible ways for young readers to actively engage and learn about the world in which they live.
Thank You, Earth
Warmer, longer days signal a change in season: spring has arrived! Animals and insects become active again, plants and flowers grow. Spring also holds April Fools’ Day and Earth Day among other celebrations. Crisp photographs and short, sprightly text, and easy activities combine to engage readers.
Spectacular Spring
Descriptive language enhanced by handsome, boldly shaped illustrations present a range of rainforest dwellers. Additional information concludes this attractive book which may inspire art in addition to animal studies.
Rainforest
Two small cats gather all that is needed to plant a garden. In addition to vegetables, they plant flowers just right for other visitors like birds and bees. The gentle text and soft illustrations are likely to inspire young gardeners to create their own garden and celebrate its success at the end of the season.
A Peaceful Garden
Earth’s oceans hide giants, colorful creatures, critters that play hide-&-seek and other wonders. Headings on sturdy double-page spreads introduce each category; readers lift flaps to discover additional information. This playful introduction is sure to encourage further interest in the ocean and its hidden worlds.
Hidden World: Ocean
Sophisticated haiku and illustrations done with colored pencil explore the Earth inside and out. The limited colors used in impressionistic illustrations complement the poetry’s brevity. The intriguing collection concludes with factual narrative and further resources.
Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up
“What are these?/Trees. And those?/Shadows.” Short, poetic, rhythmic questions and answers and textured illustrations progress from a frozen winter woods to the coming of spring and all of its changes.
Snow Scene
Animal characteristics provide clues as different animals ask the reader to guess who they are. Each clue is clearly pictured on a white page; then turn the page to view the entire animal on a double-page spread. Crisp collage illustrates each
creature. The accessible volume ends with additional information (including size comparisons).
Who Am I? An Animal Guessing Game
Have you ever thought what’s underneath you in your house? Beneath the garden? Or under a city street? There is a great deal underground, exposed here in short, often humorous, sometimes sophisticated poems, and deeply colored illustrations.
Thunder Underground
From one child to many creatures in different locations, life on earth is very diverse but delicate. This important message is gently delivered in lyrical text and highly detailed line and wash illustrations.
Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth
Join the young koala’s search for a safe place to live and eat when he outgrows his mother’s pouch. A dramatic text on realistically illustrated pages is accompanied by additional factual information in a different font to both engage and inform.
Koala
Two children walk across an autumn landscape greeting birds, animals, leaves and more. Gradually, the season changes and the now-bundled up kids greet the signs of winter. Soft illustrations and lyrical text gracefully evoke the evolution of seasons.
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter
A child and his mother see the moon peek in and between the buildings as they take a nighttime walk. Though it appears in different places, it is the same moon that watches over the sleeping child when he returns to go to bed. Dark pages with uncluttered forms are punctuated by light to delight.
City Moon
When a whale becomes caught in fishing net, the father is concerned about how he will provide for his family. His son, however, is determined to set the huge mammal free. Against his father’s wishes, he returns to the entrapped whale and successfully frees it. Shimmering illustrations present a compelling story of compassion and courage.
The Boy and the Whale
Even the worst bad seed can become better. Just ask the sunflower seed who became a seriously BAAAAD seed when the petals fell and he was almost eaten by a giant! Now he again says thank you and at least tries to be better. Readers will appreciate the broad humor in overstated text and illustration and just might see part of themselves in the bad seed.
The Bad Seed
Fox realizes that winter is coming as the first snowflakes fall on its nose. Forest dwellers from the smallest to the largest offer advice, but when the fox meets its companion, they do what foxes do in winter: dance! Textured illustrations accompany the well-paced narration to suggest animal behavior and simple delight.
Winter Dance
Large pages are used to present animals from around the world. Lyrical language and lush mixed media illustrations generate wonder and appreciation for a host of animals from habitats in the sea, land, and air.
Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals
Updated information about tigers, leopards, and other big cats is presented in a readable text and full-color photographs. Where to find additional information is included at the end of this large formatted, handsome book.
Big Cats
Calpurnia Tate and her grandfather, both naturalists, travel on the San Marco River to observe nature in and around the river. When they rescue a sick owl from the water Callie and her grandfather must figure out what’s wrong with the owl before it’s too late to save it. This is a worthy addition to the Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet series.
Who Gives a Hoot?
Eleven-year old Fern lives near an old-growth forest which her family relies on to forage for food. The forest, however, is threatened by a company that wants to use hydraulic fracturing that will require a wastewater pond. How Fern finds friendship, family, and a resolution within a splintered town is plausible and heartwarming.
The End of the Wild
Whose bones are pictured in white on black pages? Turn the page to see the fleshed out creature in full color and learn more about it, where it lives, and its size. Comparisons are clever and familiar (e.g., the skeleton of a particular shrew is the size of a paperclip) for a fun and informative examination of animals and their structures.