Tag Archives: Environment

Fishing With Grandma

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Grandma and her two grandchildren go out on the lake for a fishing trip. She teaches them everything they need to know for a day of jigging in the ice for fish. They learn what to wear, what tools are needed, and how to use them. At the end of the day, they have caught enough Arctic char for a delicious dinner. Illustrations show Inuit fishing tools and a glossary with pronunciations explains Inuit terms. mjw

Title: Fishing With Grandma Author: Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula Illustrator: Charlene Chua Publisher: Inhabit Media Inc.  Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77227-084-6 Paperback pages: 32 Age range: 5-7 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Canada Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Nunavut Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Toronto Subjects: Canada, Grandchildren, Grandmothers, Ice fishing, Multigenerational, Polar regions

The Pruwahaha Monster

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A five-year-old boy goes with his father to swing on a swing near a farmhouse. The little boy does not know that a huge monster that likes to eat children lurks near the farmhouse. When the monster wakes up, spies the little boy on the swing, and roars “prruwwwahhahahaha,” the little boy just laughs. Two-color playful illustrations with clues never really reveal who the “monster” is. Rhythmic language and monster sounds will delight young readers. mjw

Title: The Pruwahaha Monster Author: Jean-Paul Mulders Illustrator: Jacques Maes and Lise Braekers Publisher: Kids Can Press Copyright: 2016 Original Language: Dutch Translator: English version edited by Yvette Ghione Original Title: Het prullala monster Original Publisher: Abimo Uitgeverij, Belgium Original Copyright: 2014 ISBN: 978-1-77138-566-4 Hardcover pages: 26 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Flemish Author’s residence: Belgium Illustrator’s ethnicity: Flemish Illustrator’s residence: Belgium Subjects: Fathers and sons, Monsters, Mystery, Seasons

Alive Again

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A boy wonders if the blossoms that fall from trees will ever return. When there is no rain, will it rain again? If no wheat grows, will it grow again? And if no one goes on a journey, will there be new journeys? When spring comes, the boy’s father points out new blossoms, fresh rain, and born-again wheat. And tomorrow will be a day for a new journey. Striking collage artwork enhances this simple story about trust and understanding that will leave readers asking similar questions. mjw

Title: Alive Again Author: Ahmadreza Ahmadi Illustrator: Nahid Kazemi Publisher: Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd.  England Copyright: 2015 Original Language: Persian Translator: Azita Rassi Original Publisher: Salis Publisher. Tehran, Iran Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-1-910328-05-7 Hardcover pages: 24 Age range: 4-9 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Iranian Author’s residence: Iran Illustrator’s ethnicity: Iranian Illustrator’s residence: Montreal, Canada Awards: Author was shortlisted for the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award Subjects: Blossoms, Flowers, Journeys, Questions, Rain, Trust, Understanding, Wheat

Poles Apart

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Penguins are found at the South Pole – except when they get lost on their way to a picnic. When the Pilchard-Brown penguin family find themselves at the North Pole, they meet friendly Mr. White, the polar bear, who guides them back home. They follow him over land and sea to New York, England, Italy, India, Australia, and finally the South Pole and a surprise ending. Foreign words are sprinkled throughout this whimsical introduction to different cultures across the globe. Fun, digitally created illustrations show the travelers walking along Fifth Avenue, riding a double-decker bus in London, water skiing in the Sydney harbor, and more. mjw

Title: Poles Apart Author: Jeanne Willis Illustrator: Peter Jarvis Publisher: Nosy Crow, an imprint of Candlewick Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Nosy Crow, London Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-0-7636-8944-5 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: North Pole, South Pole, U.S., England, Italy, India, Australia Author’s ethnicity: Born in the United Kingdom Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: Manchester, England Subjects: Arctic Ocean, North Pole, Penguins, Polar bears, South Pole

In Focus: Cities

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Ten different illustrators explore ten cities in this large-size, gate-folded-page book. Cultural, social, and historical information is packed onto each page. The cities are New York, Tokyo, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Istanbul, Sydney, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, and London. Each artist’s distinct color palette represents each city. mjw

Title: In Focus: Cities Author: Libby Walden Illustrator: 10 illustrators Publisher: 360 Degrees, an imprint of Tiger Tales Copyright: 2017 Original Publisher: Little Tiger Press, Great Britain Original Language: English Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-944530-08-2 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Information Book, Nonfiction Book setting: New York, Tokyo, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Istanbul, Sydney, Cairo, Rio de Janiero, London Author’s ethnicity: U.S. Author’s residence: U.S. Subjects: Atlas, Cities and towns

Little Polar Bear: Where Are You Going Lars?

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Lars, the little polar bear, is so tired after going with his father on his first hunting trip. He falls asleep on the ice and sleeps so soundly that he doesn’t hear the ice crack. His ice bed breaks off, he drifts south, and he wakes up in the middle of the sea, where it is getting warmer and warmer. This is where his adventures begin. He makes new friends, including Henry the hippopotamus. Lars gets homesick and wants to find his way back home. He gets help from Marcus the eagle and Samson the whale. Lars is finally reunited with his father, who catches Samson a big fish to thank him. The soft-colored illustrations have been refreshed in this Little Polar Bear 30th Anniversary Edition. mjw

Title: Little Polar Bear: Where Are You Going Lars? Author: Hans de Beer Illustrator: Hans de Beer Publisher: NorthSouth Books, Inc. Copyright: 2016 Original Language: German Original Title: Kleiner Eisbar – Wohin fahrst du, Lars? Original Publisher: NordSud Verlag AG, Switzerland Original Copyright: 1987 ISBN: 978-0-7358-4052-2 Paperback pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: North Pole, Tropics Author’s ethnicity: Dutch Illustrator’s ethnicity: Dutch Subjects: Bears, North Pole, Polar bears

On A Magical Do-Nothing-Day

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In this magical picture book, a young child is lured away from technology to find fun in the forest. He is playing a game on his device destroying Martians until his mother takes it away from him. She hides the game, but he finds it and goes outside in a neon orange raincoat. He drops his computer console in a pond and then becomes captivated by what he finds – snails, squishy mushrooms, seeds, mud, icy rainwater, stones as clear as glass, and more. Soaked, he returns home, wanting to tell his mother what he has seen, felt, and tasted outside in the world. But he doesn’t tell her. Together they sit in the kitchen breathing in the smell of their hot chocolate. That’s all they did “on the magical do-nothing day.” The artist used gouache, oil, collage, and wax pencils to create the texture and details of nature in this breathtaking book. mjw

Title: On A Magical Do-Nothing-Day Author: Beatrice Alemagna Illustrator: Beatrice Alemagna Publisher: Harper Collins Copyright:  2017 Original Language: French Translator: Jill Davis Original Publisher: Albin Michel Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-0-06-275760-2 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Paris Illustrator’s ethnicity: Italian Illustrator’s residence: Paris Awards: A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book 2017 Subjects: Forest, Imagination and play, Parents, Rain and rainfall, Technology, Video games

The Wonderful Adventures Of Nils

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Nils teases an elf, is bewitched, and is turned into a thumb-size Thumbletot. He makes friends with a wise goose named Martin and together they travel all over the provinces of Sweden. The book was originally a commission from the Swedish National Teachers Association in 1902 to be a geography reader for the public schools. The story is still popular in Swedish culture. The text is simple and playful and the glorious illustrations incorporate intricate papercut pages. mjw

Title: The Wonderful Adventures Of Nils Author: Selma Lagerlof (1858-1940), adapted y Kochka Illustrator: Olivier Latyk Publisher: Words and Pictures, an imprint of Quarto Publishing, CA Copyright: 2016 Original Language: Swedish Original Title: Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige Original Copyright: 1906 ISBN: 978-1-91027-719-5 Hardcover pages: 64 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Fantasy Book setting: Sweden Author’s ethnicity: Swedish Adapter’s ethnicity:  born in Lebanon Adapter’s residence:  France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: Strasbourg Awards: Selma Lagerlof was the first female to win the Nobel Prize in Literature Subjects: Ducks and other waterfowl, Europe, Geese, Fantasy, Sweden

Water’s Children: Celebrating The Resource That Unites Us All

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Twelve young people from different countries around the world describe what water means to them. It is a burst of laughter for children playing in a lake in Quebec. It is a perfect crystal of snow to the Inuktitut child. It is the opening flower of springtime to a girl in Germany. And it is a bowl of rice to Chinese children. All the children convey the universal truth that water is life. The poetic text is accompanied by expressive artwork that examines the importance of water throughout the world. On the final page, a guide identifies the languages in which the phrase “water is life” appears in watermarks embedded in the illustrations. mjw

Title: Water’s Children: Celebrating The Resource That United Us All Author: Angele Delaunois Illustrator: Gerard Frischeteau Publisher: Pajama Press.  Toronto, Canada Copyright: 2017 Original Language: French Translator: Erin Woods Original Title: Les Enfants de l’eau Original Publisher: Editiions de L;lsatis Original Copyright: 2016 ISBN: 978-1-77278-015-4 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: Canada Illustrator’s ethnicity: French  Illustrator’s residence: Canada Subjects: Earth science, Oceans and seas, Water, Water supply

The Warli People

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The Warli people lived in ancient India around 2500 BCE. They hunted, fished, and harvested salt from the sea. The women were artists who painted scenes of day-to-day activities on the walls of their mud-brick houses. The artwork in the book , in the Warli style, depicts seasons, the forest, animals, trees, food, a festival, and a wedding day. It is interesting that no mythological characters or deities are shown. The Warli people celebrated life’s joyous moments. Back matter includes a note on the people and their artwork, a timeline of events, key terms and concepts, and information on the rise of civilization. mjw

Title: The Warli People Author: Hye-eun Shin Illustrator: Su-bi Jeong Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, MI Copyright: 2017 Original Language: Korean Editor: Joy Cowley Original Publisher: Yeowon Media Co. Ltd. Original Copyright: 2014 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5476-6 Paperback pages: 36 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Picture Book, Information Book Book setting: India Author’s ethnicity: Korean Illustrator’s ethnicity: Korean Subjects: Agriculture, Community, Harvest, Indic people, Monsoon, Wedding

Leaf

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A polar bear arrived unexpectedly in the forest. He was unlike anything the animals had seen before. He collected leaves everyday. The animals were afraid of him, and they called him Leaf, not only after his habit, but because they wanted him to leave. One day Leaf burst through the forest covered in beautiful leaves. A meeting was called to decide what to do about him, but nothing was decided. Finally they let Leaf speak and they listened as he told them that he only wanted to go back home to his family. The crows then determined that they would fly him home. The gorgeous watercolor and pencil illustrations in blues, teal, gray, and black with brightly colored leaves tell of the plight of polar bears in today’s climate change. mjw

Title: Leaf Author: Sandra Dieckman Illustrator: Sandra Dieckman Publisher: Flying Eye Books Copyright: 2017 Original Language: English :  ISBN: 978-1-911171-31-7 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-5 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: U.K. Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: U.K. Subjects: Bears, Climate change, Fear, Helping behavior, Loneliness, Polar bears

Father’s Road

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Wong Chung joins his father’s caravan on a journey on the Silk Road from China to Constantinople. The trip is full of dangers – rough terrain and weather and bandits. He learns to ration water, care for the camels, and endure a sandstorm. He even takes care of the bandit leader’s son. Sand colored illustrations vividly depict travel on the Silk Road. Included are a map of the long desert road, information about the Silk Road and global trade, a timeline, and a list of key terms and concepts. The book is part of the Tradewinds series that presents historical information in a fun, accessible way. mjw

Title: Father’s Road Author: Ji-yun Jang Illustrator: Tan Jun Publisher: Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers.  Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2017 Original Language: Korean Editor: Joy Cowley Original Publisher: Yeomon Media Co. Ltd. Original Copyright: 2014 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5472-8 Paperback pages: 36 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Picture Book, Historical Fiction Book setting: Asia Illustrator’s ethnicity: Chinese Subjects: Asia, China, Commerce, Fathers and sons, Silk Road, Travel