Two young children and their parents go for a summer nighttime walk through the darkness. The world is quiet and shadowy. They walk out of their village and through the forest until they come to a lake where they stop to play with the moon. They lie down in the grass to watch the glittering sky. Finally, they climb a hillside just in time to see the dawn of a new day. The rich illustrations were hand-drawn using graphite pencils and watercolors and finished digitally. The only lights in the evocative darkness are lamps, porch lights, lights in windows, a flashlight, and the moon, until the sun rises on a double-page spread of the sun and its bright yellow light. mjw |
| Title: The Night Walk Author: Marie Dorleans Illustrator: Marie Dorleans Publisher: Floris Books Copyright: 2020 Original Language: French Translator: Polly Lawson Original Title: Nous Avons Rendez-Vous Original Publisher: Editions du Seuil Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-178250-639-3 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Awards: Prix Landerneau Subjects: Forest, Natural world, Night, Lakes, Moon, Sunrise, Village |
Tag Archives: Nature
Beyond Me
This novel-in-verse examines the aftershocks of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and damaged a nuclear power plant in March, 2011, through the eyes of eleven-year-old Maya. Maya and her family were lucky. They didn’t lose their Tokyo home or the lives of family members, but Maya is still terrified. She feels helpless and hopeless. What can she do to help? She chronicles the 24 days after the quake, sometimes minute by minute. Maya and her friend Yuka fold paper cranes and ask for sunflower seeds to plant. She continues writing her journal for 113 days with interesting formatting and timelines. An author’s note tells more about the Great Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011. mjw
| Title: Beyond Me Author: Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2020 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-48143-789-9 Hardcover pages: 304 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Verse Book setting: Japan Author’s ethnicity: U.S. Author’s residence: Tokyo, Japan Subjects: Earthquakes, Family life, Japan, Novels in verse, Paper cranes, Sunflowers, Survival, Tsunamis |
The Last Tiger
Plasticus Maritimus: An Invasive Species
Lemon Butterfly
The Bear And The Duck
Sandcastle
The Little Wolves
Everest: The Remarkable Story Of Edmund Hilary And Tenzing Norgay
Under My Tree
When Susanne, who lives in the city, visits her grandmother, she discovers a special tree in the forest. She observes unique things about her tree, such as a family of owls, the rough bark of the tree, the fruit growing on the tree, hundreds of insects, and more. She brings her friend Max to visit her tree. She won’t see her tree much in the winter, but she knows that her tree hibernates and that it will be there when she visits next year. Integrated into the text are facts about trees and activities that will encourage readers to learn more about trees. The warm illustrations will teach children to appreciate and respect nature. mjw |
| Title: Under My Tree Author: Muriel Tallandier Illustrator: Mizuho Fujisawa Publisher: Blue Dot Kids Press, San Francisco, CA Copyright: 2020 Original Language: French Translator: Sarah Klinger Original Title: Sous Mon Arbre Original Publisher: Editions Grund Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-7331212-3-1 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-8 Genre: Picture Book, Information book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Biodiversity, Country life, Environment, Forests, Multigenerational, Trees |

Two young children and their parents go for a summer nighttime walk through the darkness. The world is quiet and shadowy. They walk out of their village and through the forest until they come to a lake where they stop to play with the moon. They lie down in the grass to watch the glittering sky. Finally, they climb a hillside just in time to see the dawn of a new day. The rich illustrations were hand-drawn using graphite pencils and watercolors and finished digitally. The only lights in the evocative darkness are lamps, porch lights, lights in windows, a flashlight, and the moon, until the sun rises on a double-page spread of the sun and its bright yellow light. mjw







When Susanne, who lives in the city, visits her grandmother, she discovers a special tree in the forest. She observes unique things about her tree, such as a family of owls, the rough bark of the tree, the fruit growing on the tree, hundreds of insects, and more. She brings her friend Max to visit her tree. She won’t see her tree much in the winter, but she knows that her tree hibernates and that it will be there when she visits next year. Integrated into the text are facts about trees and activities that will encourage readers to learn more about trees. The warm illustrations will teach children to appreciate and respect nature
