Nature
We are branches
Joyce Sidman
jE Sidman
Picture Books, Nonfiction, Nature
Branches are all around us: in butterfly wings, on gecko toes, in flowers, frost, and mud. Whether as electricity moving across the sky or rivers flowing to the sea, branches are nature's most efficient way to spread and to connect. They are even found inside our own bodies, helping us reach and grow with each breath and heartbeat. Branches--strong, hopeful, beautiful--are the shape of life. How many can you find?
Mother of sharks
Melissa Cristina Márquez
At la Playita del Condado in Puerto Rico, Meli meets a crab, Jaiba, who takes her on a dreamlike underwater adventure, teaches her about the importance of shark conservation, and reveals Meli's ultimate destiny--to become the Mother of Sharks.
I cannot wait to see this book! Just look at that gorgeous cover... -Casey
The moon tonight : our moon's journey around earth
Chang-hoon Jung
j523.3 Jung
Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science, Nature
"Astronomer Jung Chang-hoon provides easy-to-follow scientific explanations of first- and last-quarter Moons, ebb and flow tides, where the new Moon goes, and more."--
Another new picture book nonfiction title! "The Moon Tonight" is gorgeously illustrated, and the breadth of information is perfect for sharing with younger elementary students. I'm excited to try the included science experiment at home as well! Don't miss this title if you like creative nonfiction or have a little one interested in celestial bodies. -Casey
Lodge : an indoorsy tour of America's national parks
Max Humphrey
917.352 /Humphrey
Travel, Nature, History
Max Humphrey shines a light on 10 rustic National Park lodges in all their airy, timeworn splendor. No historic photos here; the images of the architecture and interiors are as they look today, highlighting these storied places in a fresh, alluring way. Sure, the lobbies are the main stage, but Humphrey touches on grand dining rooms, guest rooms, and rustic canteens alike. He writes about the buildings themselves in terms of the historical goings-on at the time, why they were built, and the players involved, highlighting notable architectural moments and period-specific furnishings. A smattering of pop culture history adds extra bursts of levity throughout.
I have caught the travel-planning bug and am fantasizing about all the places to go. Surely I'm not the only one who dreams of staying in cozy lodging in one of our nation's majestic national parks? If you're like me in that sense, do take a look at this book. "Lodge" had me at plaid, the buffalo pattern unmistakingly a siren call to join the great outdoors. Really that's all I want in a vacation: the woods, the sweat, and the constant tiny insect bites reminding me I'm alive. (Just kidding. I slather myself in DEET the second I see my first mosquito. Just say No to itchy skin, kids!) -Melody
The tree and the river
Aaron Becker
jE Becker
Picture Books, Nature, History
"In an alternate past--or possible future--a mighty tree stands on the banks of a winding river, bearing silent witness to the flow of time and change..."--
Aaron Becker is back with another fabulous wordless title--don't miss it! -Casey
Tree, wildflower, and mushroom spotting
Mary Kay Carson
j582.13 Carson
Nonfiction, Nature, Science
"With 448 full-color, highly illustrated pages, Outdoor School is your indispensable tool for the outdoors. This interactive field guide to plant and mushroom spotting includes: immersive activities to get you exploring, write-in sections to journal about experiences, next-level adventures to challenge even seasoned nature lovers. No experience is required--only curiosity and courage. Inside you'll find easy-to-follow instructions on how to: grow mushrooms with cardboard, compare bark types, count tree rings, survey leaf patterns, create fern spore prints, press and preserve wildflowers--and so much more!"--
It's spring! Get out there and look at some flowers! I recommend Turkey Creek Nature Preserve (Bur Oak Land Trust) for bluebells. There's a whole series of these Outdoor School books that are worth your time. -Anne W
Beneath
Cori Doerrfeld
jE Doerrfel
Picture Books, Kids, Nature
Finn is in a bad mood, so his grandfather takes him on a walk in the forest, and tells him about all the things that are beneath the surface of plants and animals--and even people.
Beneath this cover is a touching story about recognizing what we cannot see in our world and in one another. Cori Doerrfeld's illustrations and prose make for an emotional yet healing read. Readers will be rewarded by spending some time with the endsheets and exploring what lies beneath the dust jacket as well. -Casey
The flamingo
1983- author Guojing
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Guojing
Graphic Novels, Animals, Nature
From a highly acclaimed illustrator comes a stunning graphic novel filled with adventure and wonder about an imaginative girl and her obsession with flamingoes. A little girl arrives, excited for a beachy vacation with her Lao Lao. The girl and her grandmother search for shells, chase crabs, and play in the sea, but when the girl finds an exquisite flamingo feather in her grandmother's living room, her vacation turns into something fantastical.
This mostly wordless graphic novel is a stunner! Guojing's use of texture, color, pacing, and framing are all lovely in this touching intergenerational story. Guojing's art and storytelling just keep getting better! -Casey
Front country
Sara St. Antoine
jFICTION Stantoin Sara
Kids, Travel, Nature
Eighth grader Ginny Shepard attempts to ground herself after realizing that the world is apathetic to the very real, very urgent realities of climate change, and reckoning with her own feelings of guilt and impotence.
This is a slow-burn but powerful coming-of-age novel about a girl who goes to the wilderness to find herself. Ginny is doing all the "right things" - getting straight A's, playing competitive tennis, pleasing her parents, etc. But when she finds out how urgent climate change is and what might be lost if the adults in charge don't act immediately, she can't understand why no one else seems to feel as upset as she does about it. She ends up attending a wilderness camp that is sort of a therapeutic program for "troubled" youth, where she is the only girl among some strange boys and exhaustingly upbeat yet nitpicky counselors. But as she gets to know what motivates her fellow campers and experiences the Montana mountain setting, she begins to find her way and figures some stuff out. This is a sophisticated, nuanced, slow-paced book best for upper-elementary-readers. It has a great message without being preachy or on-the-nose. The dialogue and Ginny's struggles are rendered realistically and empathetically. -Anne W
A leopard diary : my journey into the hidden world of a mother and her cubs
Suzi Eszterhas
j599.75/Eszterhas
Animals, Nature, Travel
"Leopards are known for being shy and elusive, and leopard mothers are even more so. Imagine, then, having the rare opportunity to follow and photograph a mother leopard and her cubs. When world-renowned nature photographer Suzi Eszterhas was given the chance to do so, she jumped on a plane to Botswana. And through this collection of informative diary entries and stunning photos, readers are able to share this rare privilege. This compelling chronical of Suzi’s time following a female leopard spans roughly a year and a half, but between the informative first-person observations and the photos of rarely seen moments in the wild, the time flies by. The story begins with Suzi arriving at the Jao Reserve in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and meeting Kambango, the local tracker and guide who would become her close friend and whose knowledge and expertise she relies on throughout. They go immediately to the mother leopard’s den where, after waiting patiently for a number of hours, Suzi catches her first glimpse of the newborn cubs and her joy is palpable. From here on, readers are along for wild ride that is sometimes bumpy (such as a dramatic close encounter with the mother who feared for her cubs’ safety), sometimes smooth (the entries and photo captions are rich with observations of the cubs’ behavior as they grow up, as well as more general information about leopard behaviour) and sometimes even a bit uncomfortable (such as the grim reality of having to watch the cubs learn to hunt by practicing on a wounded kudu calf). Throughout the whole diary, though, the excitement in Suzi’s voice is clear, and her entries are full of her sense of wonder and respect for these amazing and secretive animals. Endmatter includes a Q&A with Kambango, who played such an essential role in this adventure, as well as a glossary of terms."--
Breathtaking wildlife photography accompanies a day-by-day journal of the growth of two leopard cubs under their mother's care. Rich with detail and packed with action shots of the leopard family, Suzi Eszterhas immerses the reader into the world of these animals and gives us a highly privileged peek into the activities of these elusive animals. If you can't get your hands on this new book right away, try one of Suzi Eszterhas's many other wild animal books, including My Wild Life: Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer. -Anne W
Yet another soft picture book nonfiction title that is perfect for storytime sharing, don't miss this one! -Casey