Tag Archives: Environment

Tree Of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives Of A Rainforest Tree

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Tree of WonderMore than one thousand different organisms live in the almendro tree that grows deep in the rainforests of Latin America. Count great green macaws, keel-billed toucans, howler monkeys, fruit bats, blue morpho butterflies, poison dart frogs, and many more creatures, as they multiply again and again in this lush picture book about biodiversity. Bright, compelling images rendered in acrylic and pencil bring the rainforest to life. The book concludes with more information on the almendro tree and about environmental organizations that protect the trees. Rainforest math problems and suggested resources for learning even more are also provided. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book goes to support the work of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  mjw
Title: Tree Of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives Of A Rainforest Tree
Author: Kate Messner
Illustrator: Simona Mulazzani
Publisher: Chronicle Books, San Francisco
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1248-0
Hardcover pages: 36
Age range: 5-8
Genre: Information Book, Nonfiction, Picture Book
Book setting: Latin America
Author’s ethnicity: U.S.
Author’s residence: U.S.
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Italian
Illustrator’s residence: Italy
Awards: Illustrator has received a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators
Subjects: Biodiversity, Counting, Dipteryx oleifera, Ecology, Environment, Forests, Habitat, Nature, Rainforest ecology, Trees

Tiptoe Tapirs

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Tiptoe TapirsBOOM! BAM-BAM! CAW-CAW! These are some of the sounds of the jungle. One that animal people will not hear is the tapir. Tapir and Little Tapir tiptoe around the jungle softly, so they will not disturb anything or anyone. On Little Tapir’s birthday, Tapir and Little Tapir travel to the Great Puddle  to eat mud cakes. Suddenly, “THUD, THUD, THUD…GROWL!” a leopard attacks. The tapirs run from the leopard when they are surprised by a sharp BANG! A hunter has entered the jungle. Little Tapir notices that Leopard is frightened by the noise. Together he and his mother teach him how to walk silently. From now on, Leopard and the rest of the animals tiptoe silently to avoid hunter’s attention. Exquisite pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, rhythmic text, and onomatopoeia words work perfectly in this original pourquoi story. ema
Title: Tiptoe Tapirs
Author: Hanmin Kim
Illustrator: Hanmin Kim
Publisher: Holiday House
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: Korean
Translator: Sera Lee
Original Title: Tapir’s Soft Steps
Original Publisher: BIR Publishing Co. Ltd.
Original Copyright: 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3395-7
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: South Korean
Author’s residence: Seoul
Illustrator’s ethnicity: South Korean
Illustrator’s residence: Seoul
Subjects:  Animals sounds, Fairytale/ Folk tales, Hunters, Jungle, Noise, Tapirs

Mad About Monkeys

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Mad_About_Monkeys_CoverThis nonfiction picture book colorfully and innovatively educates readers about various types of monkeys from around the world without being pedantic. Jazzy illustrations resembling a graphic arts styled poster accurately depict several species of monkeys. Readers learn about how monkeys evolved, the classification of the Primate group, the difference between Old and New World monkeys, unique characteristics of monkeys, monkey mythology, and the impact of the deforestation of the rainforest.  With helpful examples, guiding illustrations, and comical phrases like “‘But why such colorful bums?’ I hear you ask” will leave readers feeling like they are on a lively safari. ema
Title: Mad About Monkeys
Author: Owen Davey
Illustrator: Owen Davey
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-909263-57-4
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 5-10 
Genre: Picture Book, Nonfiction, Information Book
Book setting: Around the World
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: Leicester
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: Leicester
Subjects: Fact book, Monkeys, Jungles, Rainforests

The Blue Whale

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BlueWhaleReaders will feel like they are on a fantastic journey with the little boy who is also reading The Blue Whale. Illustrations are helpful in conveying  the size of a whale, and the use of images and comparisons gives the perfect visualization of the enormousness of a blue whale in relation to everyday objects. The rich and playful illustrations are well woven with fascinating facts about the “largest living creature on our planet”. ema
Title: The Blue Whale
Author: Jenni Desmond
Illustrator: Jenni Desmond
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-59270-165-0
Hardcover pages: 48
Age range: 4-8
Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: London
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English 
Illustrator’s residence: London
Subjects: Animals, Blue Whales, Ecology, Endangered Species, Facts, Nonfiction, Ocean, Pollution, Protected Species, Science, Water, Whales, Wildlife

Shackleton’s Journey

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Shackleton's JourneyThis large-format picture book tells of the rewards and trials of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 landmark expedition across Antarctica on the “Endurance.” The very detailed story includes the names of the dogs and all the crew, and quotations from crew members. Inventories of supplies, maps, and plans of the anatomy of the ship help to communicate this extraordinary journey. The unique, meticulous colored-pencil drawings in mostly blacks, blues, and browns evoke the adventure and excitement of the expedition. The ample use of white captures the snow and ice of the polar region. Included are a Table of Contents, and a Glossary of bolded words that appear in the text, such as crow’s nest, glacier, and sledge. mjw
Title: Shackleton’s Journey
Author: William Grill
Illustrator: William Grill
Publisher: Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow Ltd., London, New York
Copyright: 2014
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-909263-10-9
Hardcover pages: 80
Age range: 7-11
Genre: Picture Book, Nonfiction, Information
Book setting: Antarctica
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: London
Illustrator’s ethnicity: English
Illustrator’s residence: London
Awards: 2015 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, AOI Illustration New Talent Award Winner, 2014 NY Times Best illustrated Children’s Book Award, 2015 USBBY Outstanding International Book,  Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2014.
Subjects: Antarctica; Biography; Exploration and discovery; Explorers; Polar regions; Shackleton, Ernest Henry, Sir (1874-1922); Ships

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

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Boy who harnessed the windFourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba’s village in Malawi was hit by a drought in 2001 and 2002. Everyone’s crops failed and Malawi began to starve. William went to the community library, studied old science textbooks, and taught himself English so that he could build a windmill. Those around him thought he was crazy as he turned junkyard scraps into a working windmill that brought electricity to his home and water to his village. The stunning oil paint and cut paper illustrations, which are inspired by African artisan paintings, inform and entertain in this uplifting and inspiring true story about a family banding together to overcome adversity and a young boy becoming a man of science. An author’s note provides a photograph and more information on Kamkwamba’s “Green Machine.” He is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and hopes to return to Malawi to work on renewable energy. This is the picture book edition of the original adult book and the 2015 middle grade edition of the same title. mjw
Title: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
Author: William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, New York
Copyright: 2012
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3511-8
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 6-8
Genre: Picture book, Biography
Book setting: Malawi, Africa
Author’s ethnicity: Malawi born
Author’s residence: U.S.
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Grew up on the Ivory Coast
Illustrator’s residence: U.S.
Awards: 2013 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, 2013 NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books
Subjects: Ecology, Electric power production, English language learning, Famine, Hunger, Irrigation, Libraries, Mechanical engineers, Recycling, Self-empowerment, Windmills

Sidewalk Flowers

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Sidewalk-Flowers-by-Jon-Arno-Lawson-on-BookDragonA young girl, dressed in a red hoodie, and her father walk home from the grocery store through the busy city streets of their black-and-white world in this tender wordless picture book. The digitally edited pen-and-ink and watercolor graphic novel style panels show what the girl sees – colorful weeds and wildflowers sprouting through the cracks in the sidewalks. She gathers these sidewalk flowers. Her father talks on his cellphone and doesn’t even notice. She silently gives dandelions and daffodils to a dead bird lying on the walk, lilacs to a man asleep on a bench, and at home, daisies to her mother and her two younger siblings. Slowly, her world blooms and becomes bright with color. Varying perspectives in the illustrations call attention to the child’s sense of wonder, the power of observation, and the appreciation of natural things that often go unnoticed in our busy world. mjw
Title: Sidewalk Flowers
Author: JonArno Lawson
Illustrator: Sydney Smith
Publisher: Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Books.  Toronto
Copyright: 2015
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-55498-4312
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Wordless picture book
Book setting: Toronto
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: Toronto, Canada
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Toronto, Canada
Awards: Author is a four-time winner of The Lion and The Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Children’s Poetry. Smith has won the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award.
Subjects: Cities, Fathers, Flowers, Kindness, Environment, Natural world, Parents, Stories without words, Urban

To The Top End: Our Trip Across Australia

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To the top endExplore some of the most spectacular landscapes of Australia in this exciting adventure, told in the voice of the traveling kids. Start on the island of Tasmania with Tassie Devils and wombats. Travel on the ferry across Bass Strait to the Mainland, and then romp through the High Plains to the winding Murray River of the Riverland. Bike into the Flinders Ranges and fly in a homemade aeroplane over the Great Sandy Desert. Next, see dolphins, clownfish, and turtles in the cooling waters of the Great Barrier Reef and watch Uncle Kev eat green ants in the Daintree Rainforest Wilderness. And finally, sit down to a campfire feast on the coastal marshes of the Top End. Curly text that follows the landforms and funny detailed watercolor and ink drawings are packed with Aussie flora and fauna and hilarious visual and verbal jokes. Look for a soccer ball on each page and a map that highlights the trip on the endpapers. mjw
Title: To The Top End: Our Trip Across Australia
Author: Roland Harvey
Illustrator: Roland Harvey
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, Australia
Copyright: 2009
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-74175-884-9
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 6-9
Genre: Picture book
Book setting: Australia
Author’s ethnicity: Australian
Author’s residence: Melbourne, Australia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Australian
Illustrator’s residence: Melbourne, Australia
Awards: 2010 Children’s Book Council of Australia Short List
Subjects: Australia, Birds, Culture, Families, Geography, Maps, Oceania, Sea life, Travel, Vacation

Flood

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Flood Book CoverRain turns into a torrential downpour and the river’s banks begin to overflow. Water rises and slashes through neighborhoods, swallowing everything around it. People’s ability to band together in times of need after a devastating flood in Queensland is at the heart of Flood. Strangers help strangers by providing food and shelter. This emotional story is paired with equally compelling acrylic wash illustration done with the illustrator’s left hand. The running paint enhances the feeling of “wetness” and perfectly aligns with the text. cc
Title: Flood
Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Bruce Whatley
Publisher: Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Australia
Copyright: 2011
Original language: English
ISBN: 978-1742830728
Paperback pages: 32
Age range: 3-9
Genre: Picture book
Book setting: Queensland, Australia
Author’s ethnicity: Australian
Author’s residence: Australia
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Australian
Illustrator’s residence: Australia
Awards: 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Award Shortlist
Subjects: Australia, Floods, Heroes, Queensland

The Big Woods Orchestra

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The Big Woods Orchestra Book CoverThe big woods orchestra’s birds welcome a new spring day. The thrush sings a cheerful song, the woodpecker taps away, the wood pigeon practices coo-cooing, and the robin warms up his vocal chords. Others join the beautiful concert and greet rabbits and more forest animals in a bright gatefold finale. This simple story is beautifully illustrated with realistic bird paintings and individually colored and sized bird calls. mjw
Title: The Big Woods Orchestra
Author: Guido Van Genechten
Illustrator: Guido Van Genechten
Publisher: New York: Clavis Publishing Company
Copyright: 2012
Original language: Dutch
Original title: Het Grote bosorkest
Original publisher: Clavis Uitgeverij, Haselt- Amsterdam
Original copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60537-113-9
Hardcover pages: 24
Age range: 3-5
Genre: Picture book
Author’s ethnicity: Belgian
Author’s residence: Belgium
Subjects: Animals, Birds, Birdsongs, Nature, Western Europe

Once Upon A Northern Night

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Once Upon A Northern Night Book CoverIn this enchanting, poetic lullaby, an unnamed narrator paints a picture of a northern winter night. It begins with one tiny snowflake. Soon the night sky is filled with “sparkling specks of white” and a mother deer and her dawn discover some frozen apples. A great gray owl, two snowshoe hares, an auburn fox, and a scurrying mouse all join the peaceful panorama. Bursts of color are added throughout the mostly sepia mixed-media illustrations until the final lavender and white shimmering double-page masterpiece- “And then I had the moon gently kiss you and the wind whisper…I love you.” This is a perfect bed-time read-aloud. mjw
Title: Once Upon A Northern Night
Author: Jean Pendziwol
Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault
Publisher: Groundwood Books, Canada
Copyright: 2013
Original language: English
ISBN: 978-1-55498-138-0
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture book
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: Canada
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Canada
Awards: 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award Shortlist
Subjects: Animals, Canada, Night, North America, Snow, Winter

Sophie Scott Goes South

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Sophie Scott Goes South Book CoverNine-year-old Sophie accompanies her dad, the captain of an ice breaker, on a month-long journey to Mawson Station in Antarctica.  Her diary is packed with facts about the South Pole’s early explorers, Antarctic animals, and life in an Antarctic research station.  Endpapers with detailed maps; photographs of icebergs and sunsets; diagrams of the ship; and student paintings from Kids Antarctic Art, a traveling exhibition of children’s interpretations of the continent, reveal the wonder of Antarctica through a little girls eyes.  A glossary is included.  This book is based on the author’s own six-week excursion on the Aurora Australis. mjw
Title: Sophie Scott Goes South
Author: Alison Lester
Illustrator: Alison Lester
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Copyright: 2013
Original language: English
Original publisher: Penguin Group (Australia)
Original copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-544-08895-5
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 6-9
Genre: Picture book
Book setting: Antarctica
Author’s residence: Australia
Awards: 2013 APA Book Design Award
Subjects: Adventure, Antarctica, Australia, Oceania, Travel