Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
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.
With a natural poetic rhythm, the nonfiction picture book Zap! Clap! Boom!: The Story of a Thunderstorm by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Ellie MacKay (Bloomsbury, February 2023) skillfully depicts the development and impact of a thunderstorm. The text takes readers on a journey from a calm day to the formation of clouds and
It must be difficult to write a nonfiction book for young children that will both instruct and keep a child engaged in continuing to read. Germs by John Devolle (Pushkin Press, June 2023) is a nonfiction picture book that nicely balances facts with humor and amusing bright geometric illustrations. I was amazed at the amount
Antarctica: A Continent of Wonder by Mario Cuesta Hernando and Raquel Martin (Prestel Publishing, English 2021; originally published in Spanish, 2020 Mosquito Books) is a gorgeous large format upper elementary nonfiction picture book about the frozen continent and the animals to be found there. With a first person narration about a trip to the continent,
The picture book Tree Whispers: A Forest of Poems by Mandy Ross and illustrated by Juliana Oakley (Child’s Play May 2023) collects brief poems about trees which encourage children to get outside to enjoy nature. Most of the poems are conversational, and some don’t read like poems to me at all. The deceptively simple child-like
I’m always on the hunt for fantastic read-aloud science books for science lessons. Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up by Rebecca E. Hirsch and illustrated by Mia Posada (Millbrook, April 2023) is not just an children’s informational book about trees. It is also a nice read aloud and a gorgeously
Ecomazes by Roxie Munro (Sterling, 2010) lets us learn about ecosystems while doing mazes! In her “12 Earth Adventures,” she illustrated 12 unique habitats with their own landscapes. Each page has a subtle story of trying to get from here to there and also a list of the flora and fauna to look for on
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