Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies

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This book about-yes, microbes- was so beautiful and charming! I didn't think that noun and those adjectives would ever be placed side by side, but Nicola Davies book, Tiny Creatures, is just as fun to look at as informational to read. This non-fiction storybook is playful and colorful, and quite factual with a little bit of witticism thrown in. That's a darn fine combination for a topic that is of the science-y nature (and I have to admit, not my favorite topic to read about). My kids loved this book, and wanted me to read it multiple times. 

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I do not have the best memory for elementary science, but I am a big enthusiast of well-illustrated and concise children's books on the topic, and this book is just that. The pictures are quite pleasant and are deifnitely cut from a Victorian-yet-folksy stone, which brings out bright yet somewhat muted or matte colors, without drawing away from the well done writing. 

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Of course the best part about sharing this book with the kids was the learning, of which this picture and words share some of what amazed them--that microbes are on our food, in our stomachs, and in our water all the time. A beautiful book for the science-loving child in your life, and enjoyable for adults, as well. Now, I need to look up what other books this author and also the illustrator, Emily Sutton, have done and put them on hold lickety-split!

Summer Birds The Butterflies of Maria Merian

I loved this picture book that we found at the library, Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle. It is a true story, a picturebook biography about a woman who lived centuries ago and was one of the first true naturalists. She discovered that caterpillars turn into butterflies, as it was common belief at the time that butterflies and caterpillars were two separate types of insects.

The pictures are stunning, and have that a botany-for-kids feel (like if these posters were made for kids), and perfectly align with the narrative. I had never heard of Maria Merien before but when looking her up on Wikipedia, I found that she illustrated her first botany book at age 28; quite impressive for the 17th century and being female.

This is a wonderful companion book for science and nature lovers, studies in female scientists and game-changers, and just an all-around beautiful picture book. I see a butterfly project in your future!

The Green Ember by S. D. Smith

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I picked The Green Ember up after requesting my library buy it, and there have been people ahead of me AND behind me waiting for it, which is a great sign for a new author like S. D. Smith.

I first heard about this 360+ paged novel by Sarah McKenzie from Amongst Lovely Things and the Read Aloud Revival podcast. She has an interview with Smith AND another interview (this week's!) that just went live with the illustrator, Zach Franzen. I loved the illustrations from the cover and the book (though I think I expected more throughout the book) and really enjoyed Franzen's interview on the podcast. 

The Green Ember is about two rabbits, Heather and Picket, and the adventure they go on when their family's home is burned and attacked by evil wolves and hawks. The siblings have to rely on each other, and the community they find themselves in, even though the secrets they will find out about their extended family loom large and black in the present day of preparing for war. 

The names are excellent in this book--they stuck out to me, and the story is full and quick-paced, even for a large 'children's' novel. I think adults would enjoy reading this book as well, though I see it as primarily a book for children. I found it a bit clunky to read aloud, often jumbling my words because the sentences were so meaty. That's not necessarily a bad thing, for a sentence to be quite full, but it did diminish my overall experience of the book because of the verbal toll. 

My kids loved this book. There has been a lot of hype on this book since it came out, and the kickstarter fund was well received. The action and the drama of the book kept my kids entertained, but I was thankful we only spent two weeks on it as our family read-aloud, because I wanted to move on. I would recommend this book not necessarily as a family read-aloud, but to an older child, perhaps 8 or 9 and above (with really high reading skills, otherwise maybe 11 years old), and let them have at it on their own. What kid wouldn't like rabbits with swords?

Wonders of America, a Leveled Reader

One of my children has entered the world of leveled readers. We homeschool, and to keep up the practice of reading out loud every day and using that newly acquired muscle, I try to get four to five of  My First, or Level 1 books for him to read during school hours every week. I found this book at the library and decided to check it out.

Written by Marion Dane Baeur, these books are cross-subject educational: reading practice and  geography. The Wonders of America series have about 10 books or so all together. Included in these are titles about Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls, and more. 

Sometimes leveled readers are hard to sit through. Listening while a child is in the early stages of reading can be a test in patience, but sometimes the books even more so! I like having a book that is an early leveled reader that is also non-fiction, and is relatable to the child more than an action figure on TV or the puppy whose storyline more fits 3 year olds than the 5 and 6 year olds who are reading it. 

These simple and short stories even have a historical lesson tucked inside the meager 30 pages, and each are under three sentences a page, helping my early reader not get too tired and exasperated from the effort. Although the illustrations aren't my favorite,  I'm going to be checking out the entire series from the library, and telling my kids which places I've visited, while helping that young reader sound out words and string together sentences. 

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

"Waiting for Winter" is a cute story about the forest animals preparing for winter. The story opens with a deer telling a squirrel, "Winter is almost here. I think it's going to snow."

The squirrel does not know snow. He hibernates through the winter. Deer tells Squirrel, "Snow is white and wet and cold and soft."

Now, for someone who knows snow, that is a good description, right? But if you had no frame of reference to know snow... what would you envision?

When I was in design school, we were asked to bring an object to class. Be creative. No parameters, just an object. You couldn't show it to your classmates. You were then set up with a partner, and the assignment was to describe your object. You'd be amazed at how difficult it was to determine the mystery object from vague descriptors. This book made me flash back on that assignment... and smile at the ridiculousness that ensued with the squirrel.

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

Squirrel tries in vain to wait for snow. But he gets sleepy, so he decides to exercise. Which wakes up Hedgehog. Now Hedgehog wants to see snow. But when exercise doesn't work to stay awake, they try singing... which wakes up Bear. Now bear wants to see snow.

So the three forest animals begin to wonder... what if the first snowflake already fell? What if it is already winter? So they split up in search of the first snowflake. They each return with an object that they think is snow. The result is hilarious.

The illustrations are sketchy, loose pencil drawings with minimal splashes of color in the animals. The animals are drawn with a tremendous amount of character and liveliness. Squirrel practically quivers and shakes off the page with his energy, Hedgehog is a more serious and cuddly character with leaves and a berry sticking in his quills, and Bear has the rumpled, exasperated look of a bear disturbed from his slumber.

James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Tales from the author of All Creatures Great and Small

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When I was little, one of the handful of jobs I wanted "when I grew up" was to be a veterinarian. I love animals and have always enjoyed their company. It's no surprise that I begged for a dog for decades, and one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received was a puppy from my husband in our first year of marriage. I'm jealous of those who call country bungalows 'home', and I have mighty plans to someday have property where I can house dogs, a cat or two, hens, bees, and a couple of ducks: Basil and Patty. Surely you'd expect me to have names! It should be no surprise, then, that I would absolutely adore James Herriot's  Treasury for Children . 

James Herriot was a pen name for British surgeon James Alfred Wight, who as a country vet himself, retold many of his semi-biographical stories in his book "All Creatures Great and Small". His Treasury is a book of 8 condensed stories with beautiful illustrations by Ruth Brown, miraculous and simple tales of animals and their people. I first heard about this book from the Sonlight catalogue, which I use for their wonderful lists of 'living books'. I ended up requesting it from the library, along with the audio version, because each story is fairly long, and I thought it would enhance the reading with characters' voices. It was worth it. 

The stories in this Treasury are all set in England or Scotland, where the author lived, and placed firmly in rural settings in the early part of the 20th century. Your entire family will truly love this compilation. You can even enjoy more of the stories on an older tv series created in the 70s, which 87 episodes on Netflix called "All Creatures Great and Small" are streaming free on netflix! Each story is truly endearing, whether it's about an orphaned cat, a frisky lamb, or old horses, and all have the theme of care for animals and each other; and what a responsibility and  honor it is to share lives with creatures--great or small. 

Summer Non-Fiction Reading: Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long series

I had to put all of these on hold. I couldn't even wait a few weeks in between each, I had to see all of them within the same week or two time period so I could soak up the beauty found in each page of Sylvia Long's amazing watercolor creations, and Dianna Hutts Aston's written word series of nonfiction picture books. I first heard about the newest of the four, A Rock is Lively (see below), that came out late August last year from the Imagine Childhood blog. The blog is a favorite of mine that has beautiful photos of 'nature walks' all around the world, gorgeously curated book lists for little ones, and their pride--the toy store Imagine Childhood, that sells quality toys, tools, books, and materials for children to truly create a love of nature and the wild outdoors. 

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A Rock is Lively appeared on one of their book lists and I had to find that book at the library. The front cover illustrations alone were so intriguing that when I realized there were others like it, I right away told my co-founder Maria on her facebook page! I knew she'd also love to share these with her daughter. Right away I put all of them on my library hold list and went through each one intentionally with my kids. The illustrations are bar none by Sylvia Long. There are few books where all in the series are as meticulously illustrated, with added interesting layouts and factual snippets falling all across the page fluidly by Aston.

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Each of these books are put together with a non-fiction topic in which scientific and aesthetic quality is discovered throughout the pages. At the beginning and end of each book, where the usual 'blank page' is, there are illustrations of 'before' and 'after', if it applies. For example, in A Butterfly is Patient, the before picture is filled with little colorful caterpillars of every size, shape, and name, and the after, of course, being the same as butterflies. Many of the illustrated butterflies I have never even heard of nor seen, and one just has to marvel at the design and beauty on each one. 

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These four books hold a great quality found in children's books--inspiration. I can see many, many projects blossom from these pages, including side-walk chalk or watercolor activities, nature notebooks and field guides drawn up from children, one's own caterpillar-chrysalis-butterfly keeping project, photography snapping, and documentary watching. As a homeschooler, I am often on the lookout for books that provide just that- a starting point to where the child's interest can spurt and fizzle outward into a long, continuous learning experience or project. These beautiful books are just that!

A Home For Bird by Philip C. Stead

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What a playful book! A simple, sweet story about a toad named Vernon, and his quest to find a home for his silent but gentle friend, Bird, A Home for Bird is magnified by the vibrant background colors, and has a very child-like, scratchy quality to the illustrations. 

Philip Stead has a truly beautiful track record as children's illustrator, having won numerous awards for A Sick Day for Amos McGee, and having a wide variety of artwork in children's books including mixed media, watercolor, and careful drawing. 

The plot thickens as Vernon the toad goes around to his animal friends to inquire about his new pal, and then resolves to find Bird's home, taking his silent partner across a river "into the great unknown". Resourceful, Vernon shows Bird where he might be happiest, where he could  be home, but sadly, Bird stays silent and uninterested. At long last, Bird chirps up to reveal where his true home is.

This book is a fun find due to the pictures. The storyline is cute, but the exploding colors, scribbly crayon-like pages, will really appeal to children. Illustrators set moods with the colors they choose, and this story is packed full of bright hues, attractive to the eyes. 

A wonderful way to find new books to read to your children is to start by collecting and going through favorite authors and illustrators. Philip C. Stead is surely an artist to follow, and that's just how I found this title, A Home for Bird.