Book Finder

Intended for young readers, adults will likely be as intrigued at the graphical presentation of information which can be consumed in large bites or small chunks.

The title says it all!  Brief but accessible information about a range of topics is ideal to dip into or spend hours poring over.  

An abandoned puppy helps 11-year-old Laura move forward after the 911 call she made to save her parents from an overdose. Now in the care of her Titi Silvia, they ultimately find a way to heal themselves in this novel in verse that explores family, communication, and friendship. 

Brother and sister Zara and Zeeshan, accompany their parents to Key West where their pediatrician mother will be honored. Their bickering ends when they discover a loggerhead turtle in distress that they name Sunshine. Together the siblings figure out how to help Sunshine return to the sea while gaining a new respect for each other. 

Two books from a Little Free Library hold the secret of a town’s long hidden mystery. Told from different points of view, a boy named Evan, Al (a ghost librarian), and a handsome orange cat called Mortimer reveal the secret behind the town’s puzzling history in this twisty, satisfying tale.

Wrap-around stories are used to present fascinating information in an inviting, accessible but authoritative way. Frogs: Awesome Amphibians (Science Comics series) provides information about commonplace creatures now at risk. World War II: Fight on the Home Front (opens in a new window) (History Comics series) provides a look at the impact of the last century’s war at those not engaged on the frontline.  

Are the creatures in this lighthearted look at dangerous animals out to get humans or are they just doing what they need to survive and thrive? Common names as well as Latin names are presented alongside a humorous illustration and an invented name for the critter’s survival mechanism. 

Short stories, ideal for reading aloud or independently, are presented followed by information about the animal and region in the narrative, subtly presenting issues in climate change. Handsome illustrations throughout both illuminate and engage.

Bear and Moose, two dogs who don’t look like their names, are adopted by Kathy. The dogs soon find a lost and lonely kitten named Tiger. This sweetly told and gently illustrated story with a very happy ending is the beginning of a new series just right for young animal lovers.

An expert invites the reader to join him as he explains how animals communicate. From insect stridulation (chirping, really) to underwater clicks and cracks, each sound is presented and then explained (translated, really). Well-organized and illustrated in full-color comics to engage as well as inform.

A girl and her mother find and adopt a lone polar bear cub. Together they thrive until the bear is no longer a cub, who leaves the humans to find his own community. One day, the bear returns with his mother. This adaptation of an Inuit tale is simply but touchingly illustrated. 

On its long migration to Antarctica, an Arctic tern sees whales, geese, and more on its journey. Luminous illustrations show what the tern sees from above sometimes in panels, sometimes on full-page spreads. Backmatter provides a bit of information about the animals seen on the tern’s journey.

When snow starts falling, the perfectly normal animals on Farmer Pumpernickel’s farm start acting strangely; they catch snowflakes on their tongues! Eventually, even the farmer himself gets with the rhythm. Rhyming text accompanied by comical illustrations will make a joyful read aloud.

A boy, his dog, and elephant set out to find Dinosaur in the big city. One must be very observant! Readers will quickly see Dinosaur long before the boy on every page. The gentle watercolor illustrations are filled with humorous details of ubiquitous dinos and onlookers surprised to see and elephant with the boy and dog.  This is a clever follow-up to Barrow’s equally engaging, Have You Seen Elephant? (opens in a new window).

When Doris, a performing horse, steps out of her comfort zone to find what the twinkling beyond. She feels the “moonness” and soon is joined by a brown pony and together they dance off: “Whoa!” Swirling illustrations combine with limited text that whirls across the pages in this joyful celebration.

A young scientist explains to a caterpillar what it will be when it grows out of this stage of its life. With clear illustrations, accessible language, and lots of humor, science comes to life in the hands of the creator who wrote the informative and equally engaging The Real Poop on Pigeons and Snails Are Just My Speed.

Will the runaway pea become a snack for one of the animals it rolls by? Illustrations call to mind folk art in this rollicking translation from the French. The tale is likely to hold up to multiple readings and may inspire young gardeners!

A small dog and tiny cat are best of friends, playing all day, until one day Tao is hurt. George misses Tao very much until the friends are reunited, one with a bandage and gentler play. Simple but evocative illustrations complement the effective, brief narrative.

Tired of the same Old MacDonald’s farm? Add donuts and a greedy crocodile alongside a take-charge rooster and it’s a new tune! Silliness is the word (and picture) on this farm as children will sing along with the rousing E-I-E-I-O!

Following each rhyming clues is the animal that inspired various inventions such as snowshoes and water fins. More familiar inventions are followed by lift-the-flaps to intrigue or confound more sophisticated readers.

How many people actually know where chocolate comes from? How it’s made? Or that monkeys do their part to help this delicious sweet exist? Kids will learn that chocolate comes from cocoa beans, which grow on cocoa trees in tropical rain forests. But those trees couldn’t survive without the help of a menagerie of rain forest critters: a pollen-sucking midge, an aphid-munching anole lizard, brain-eating coffin fly maggots — they all pitch in to help the cocoa tree survive. Two wise-cracking bookworms appear on every page, adding humor and further commentary, making this book accessible to readers of different ages and reading levels.

In Manu National Park in Peru, an amazing fourteen different species of monkeys live together. That’s more than in any other rainforest in the world! How can they coexist so well? Find out in this lyrical, rhyming picture book that explores each monkey’s habits, diet, and home, illustrating how this delicate ecosystem and its creatures live together in harmony. From howler monkeys to spider monkeys to night monkeys, young readers will love getting to know these incredible primates and seeing the amazing ways they share their forest.

With the soothing rhythm of a bedtime story and the scientific wonder of a nature documentary, comes a celebration of the moon and all the creatures who rely on its light to find their way home. Under the glow of a shimmering moon, creatures great and small creep out of their dens, using its light to hunt, fend off predators, build their nests or build families. As the moon changes phases these animals adapt their behavior to match its waxing and waning — while human animals look on in wonder.

Maggie’s stutter complicates her relationship with her father who wants to send her for “treatment.” Instead, Maggie will spend some time with her grandfather near Wildoak forest where she comes across a snow leopard abandoned by a wealthy Londoner. It is there she finds self-acceptance and a way to communicate for herself and the animal. Inspired by an era when exotic animals could be purchased from a London department store, this moving novel is unforgettable.