Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Jason Chin’s illustrations in Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic World Full of Wonder (Square Fish, 2016) create an imaginative story of a girl reading this same book and being swept away in an actual coral reef ecosystem. I love the creative illustrations and the details shown in the text. It is a gorgeous
With a wordless story frame illustrating a family going for a walk in the park with their dock, A Mammal is an Animal by Lizzy Rockwell (Holiday House, January 2018) explains the differences between mammals, birds, and other animals. In the picture book, the illustrated family explores the unique creatures around them and learn about
The reader learns about the inner workings of a piano as well as watches a child’s successful piano recital in the sweet picture book My Piano by Jen Fier Jasinski, illustrated by Rita Bagdi (Gnome Road Publishing, September 2023). With a natural rhyme, the book begins with a progressive “This is the house that Jack built”
It is hard to find a solid science picture book for read-aloud that has photographs as illustrations. Nature Is a Sculptor: Weathering and Erosion by Heather Ferranti Kinser (Milbrook Press, September 2023) is such a book. It features photography of geological wonders from around the world, paired with soft poetry that is nice to read-aloud.
A year in the life of a two-year-old beaver is the story frame in the nonfiction picture book What Goes On Inside a Beaver Pond? by Becky Cushing Gop, illustrated by Carrie Shryock (Storey Publishing, September 2023). She leaves her childhood lodge in the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary along the Yokun River (a real place
The nonfiction picture book Rooting for Plants by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III (Calkins Creek, August 2023) tells the story of, as the subtitle states, “The Unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist and Collector.” This unknown-to-me Black scientist provided many insights into plants and fungi over the course of his lifetime,
We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines and Kids, illustrated by Julianna Swaney (Tommy Nelson 2019) takes a reader step-by-step through the process of building up a family garden by starting small. The four children narrate their process toward creating their beautiful garden, with an emphasis that making a garden requires lots of trying, failing,
With a comic-book feel to the illustrations, The Invention Hunters Discover How Electricity Works by Korwin Briggs (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019) hilariously tells the story of discovers who appear suddenly in a girl’s backyard and storm in the house, hoping to find inventions. As they try to guess the purpose of unknown
Nature Recycles, How about You? by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Cathy Morrison (Arbordale, 2013), is a realistically illustrated picture book that brings awareness to how plants and animals reuse things in nature to survive. This includes a wide variety of examples, including a hermit using old shells and nature recycling water through the water cycle.
It’s not your typical alphabet book, nor is it a common recipe book, but Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals and illustrated by Ashley Wolf (Tricycle Press, 2010) gives a fun twist to both types of concept books. Rhyming text lists a number of items that can
In Taco Falls Apart by Brenda S. Miles and Monika Filipina (Magination Press, August 2023) young readers are introduced to a friendly taco who grapples with overwhelming expectations and eventually experiences a breakdown. This cleverly crafted picture book employs the “Think-Feel-Do” method to teach children how to manage overwhelming situations. With the support of Nacho
The nonfiction picture book We Are Starlings by Robert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Marc Martin (Random House, May 2023), invites readers into the mesmerizing world of a starling murmuration. Watercolor, pencil, and digital collage illustrations give a delicate balance between misty-edged watercolor plants and animals and the defined edges of closer birds.
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