Book Finder

Children tease “crazy old Birdman” who feeds the pigeons in the park. That is, until he helps Rose discover beauty in the city and the color of flowers from simple seeds on her windowsill. Suddenly Rose finds a “singing garden” to brighten the gray city. Luminous illustrations swirl across the page to enliven the staccato free verse.

Colorful sea creatures — from a sea snail and a sea horse, to coral and seaweed — are presented in this small, sturdy book. Single words accompany dark-lined, boldly colored illustrations with glittery paper cleverly incorporated with die-cuts.

Good news: rabbit has a picnic to share with his friend mouse; bad news: it starts to rain. So it goes — good and bad events — until mouse is overwhelmed by the bad news, hurting rabbit’s feelings. The duo reconciles, which is “very good news.” Understated text and simple illustrations enliven the series of improbable events for a comical picnic.

Outdoor adventures await adults and children throughout the year. Illustrated, easy to follow instructions and a can-do approach are sure to inspire readers of all ages to learn as they choose from a range of games and activities with background information included.

Many different types of frogs, frog lifecycles, etc. are presented through brief but illuminating information and highly realistic watercolors. A concluding note about the impact of humans on frogs, insight into the author’s interest and additional resources conclude this handsome and engrossing look at this animal.

A child and her family plan and plant a garden and observe it as it grows. Her narration includes information about the process while conversations between two hens add humor and information. The appealing, light-lined, cartoon-like illustrations vary format while adding information and wit.

Two children start to plan their community garden while snow is still on the ground. Come spring they “plant a little seed or two…or more” and wait. They work and wait until the harvest and enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) with neighbors. Illustrations in vivid color and strong line paint the garden, its visitors, and the dedicated gardeners.

The prairie is home to lush and unique plants and animals. Here they are introduced in the cadence of a familiar rhyme (“Over in the Meadow”) which is followed by brief factual information. All is accompanied by eye-catching, textured mixed media illustrations that inform and engage.

A rhyming text and soft, idealized illustrations present a young child’s pleasure in summer activities — from shooting “straight down the slide” to a picnic in the shade with her parents. The small size of the book makes it ideal for sharing one-to-one.

A family leaves their city for an overnight camping trip. Up the mountain they travel, make camp, hike, and enjoy each other and the beautiful scenery. The straightforward story highlights prepositions in natural language, made meaningful in verdant, textured illustration.

A young boy digs a garden, plants seeds, waters and waits but forgets — until sprouts and ultimately plants emerge! Simple staccato, rhythmic language combines with realistic illustrations in a small format just right for introducing gardens to young children.

What happens when you plant a kiss? After “Doubt./Pout./Sprout!/SHOUT! SHOUT!” comes the sharing — and ultimately “endless bliss!” Simple, lined cartoon illustrations highlighted by sparkly kisses on open pages combine with brief rhythmic language to create a joy-filled book just right to share.

During his first spring, the narrator was shorter than the grasses but grew into a fine but small evergreen tree. When people with saws came, they took the little evergreen by its roots where it was decorated with sparkles then planted. Lush, realistic illustrations show the passage of time and how the no longer small evergreen provided a home to other creatures.

Translucent watercolors and short, varied poems take readers on a trip to the sea. There they meet sea birds, fish, coral, and more in each short verse. Evocative language creates memorable images of the sea and its often hidden treasures.

In this version of a familiar tune, Jo MacDonald (the old farmer’s granddaughter) and her cousin plant a Spring garden, watch it grow, observe what visits it, gather its bounty before the cycle ends only to begin again. Engaging illustrations suggest ways to dramatize the yearly cycle, and suggested activities conclude the book.

Textured illustrations cleverly incorporate die-cuts exploring the many shades of green. Language is as inspired as the textured paintings, subtly suggesting an environmental note. The book concludes with “forever green” in which a man and a child admire a large, lush tree, presumably from a seedling planted earlier.

The sky is as changeable as the weather — from blue sky to rain sky to dark sky and ultimately to sleep sky. A poetic depiction of the sky introduces weather and a child’s day in simple, repeating language and richly colored illustrations that may inspire writing “list poems.”

A young gardener plants seeds and waits for the transformation from late Winter’s mud brown to the lush green of Springtime. Evocative, lyrical text and delicate, expressive illustrations follow the evolution and depict the gradual change — all with understated humor.

Rich, rhythmic language combines with lush illustration to poetically describe the water cycle and more. This memorable volume will be read aloud — and perhaps discussed as: “Thirsty air/licks it [water] from lakes/sips it from ponds/guzzles it from oceans…”

Rachel Carson was a shy child, always drawn to nature. She grew up to become a professional biologist and enter a field with few women and write a book that changed the way people looked at the environment. Soft, cartoon-like illustrations and straightforward narrative present an overview of Carson’s life; sources are included at the end.

The author/illustrator’s enthusiasm for the birds he observes is contagious in this artful and informative look at various birds of prey. Several pages fold out to showcase the splendor of these amazing flyers.

To many Native Americans, the 13 cycles of the moon represent the changing seasons and the passage of time. Each moon has its own special name that, while varying among the tribal nations, is consistent with the legend that the 13 scales on Old Turtle’s back hold the key to these moons. The authors present 13 poems that take readers through the year, from the “Moon of Popping Trees” — when the “cottonwoods crack with frost” — to the “Big Moon” of the Abenakis. — Publishers Weekly

Bruchac frames 11 legends of Native American sacred places with a conversation between Little Turtle and his uncle, Old Bear, who says, “There are sacred places all around us…They are found in the East and in the North, in the South and in the West, as well as Above, Below, and the place Within.”…The text is printed in stanzas, enhancing the image of prose poems.

The narrator surveys the garden, counting from one to twelve what grows and lives there. Interesting words combine with stylized illustrations to present an abundant garden.