Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (published 1920) is told with a “once upon a time” feel, with a humorous tale told casually about a doctor who can speak with the animals. What a fun concept, but what a shame this concept was written about in such an era. While the writing is
A girl raised by squirrels: Why not? The new early chapter book The Girl in the Tree by by Ellen Potter (illustrated by Sara Cristofori; Margaret McElderry Books, June 2023) takes this ridiculous concept and makes a creative story about a girl in Central Park who has only known her adoptive squirrel father since she
Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton (Candlewick, 2020) is a gloriously illustrated book has a nice balance of illustration to detailed factual text. It teaches about the variety of life on earth, including animals, plants, fungi, and microbes. Italicized sidebars also expand upon the read-aloud text with
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
In middle grade graphic novel Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi (First Second, September 2023), twin teenagers must face the ultimate punishment this vacation: no cell phones. It’s not a permanent punishment, but it sure feels like it. They can only get them back when they can get along without fighting. While their parents attend a
In the Woods: An Adventure for Your Senses by Mariona Tolosa Sisteré (OwlKids Books, September 2023) is the in action tale of a family going on a walk in the woods. With bright paintings to show the action, parent and child dialogue tell of the smells, sights, sounds, and textures that the children and grownups
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 Imaginary Alphabet by Sylvie Daigneault (Pajama Press, September 2023) is a gorgeous addition to an alliterative abecedaria book shelf. Each spread features a letter of the alphabet with an alliterative phrase. The imaginative illustrations, done with colored pencil, bring the silly sentences to life. For example, one favorite of mine is “Quick-tempered Quails Quarrelling
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,
Riding an ostrich? It’s a long shot, but Suzy Bowles hopes that’s her key to finally leaving her small Michigan town in Long Road to the Circus by Betsy Bird (Knopf, 2021). Her story entails a one-of-a-kind summer in the 1920s in this historical fiction novel for young readers. Long Road to the Circus is
In I See a Kookaburra by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), the authors show six unique habitats with eight animals. With first a two-page spread showing animals in the habitat and then a spread introducing the unique animals, the book becomes a seek-and-find book as the reader looks for the named animals
Meerkat Moves Out of the Desert by Nikki Potts, illustrated by Maarten Lenoir (Picture Window Books, 2020), gives a specific animal a dilemma: she’s tired of her habitat and would like to try something new. With a cartoon meerkat layered on top of photographic textures and scenes, this book provides an interesting contrast between Meerkat’s
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