Picture Books
We leap together
Christopher Silas Neal
jE Neal
Kids, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature
"An awe-inspiring nonfiction picture book, perfect for animal lovers, that reveals how a mama whale and a mama person care for their young in remarkably similar ways, from the illustrator of Over and Under the Snow. A little boy and his mother set off on a day trip, meanwhile, a mama whale and her calf swim towards the bay. On the way, both sing, blow bubbles, get lost--and found! Through it all, mama always stays close. The human pair board a sightseeing boat, and as the whales reach the harbor, they all converge in one spectacular scene! With lyrical text and absolutely magnificent art, here's a book that celebrates our connection to animals, and to each other"--
Don't trust fish
Neil Sharpson
jE Sharpson
Picture Books, Animals
Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish? 1) They spend all their time in the water where we can't see them. 2) Some are as big as a bus--that is not okay. 3) We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools." 4) They are likely plotting our doom. This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.
This book is a riot- the perfect balance of fun fish facts, dead-pan comedy and a subtle crab protagonist. I read this at impromptu storytimes for everyone in my house, including visitors, and it received rave reviews from adults, kids and teens alike. Maybe don't trust fish, but definitely don't miss this picture book! -Victoria
Thank you, everything
author Icinori (Publishing studio)
jE Icinori
Picture Books, Nature
"What starts as a series of "thank yous" addressed to common objects that inhabit our daily lives gradually builds into a fantastic journey across landscapes, seasons, and inner discoveries."--
If art washes away the dust of everyday life, consider your life squeaky clean after reading this one. This is one of the best wordless picture books I've read in a long time. The premise is simple: gratitude for the simplest of things. But the gratitude evolves into being thankful for so much more. There is no text, and the illustrations are divine. You'll have to covet and pore over the pages at least two or three times before returning. Stunning! -Victoria
Otter carries on
Maya Tatsukawa
jE Tatsukaw
Kids, Picture Books, Animals, Nature, Philosophy, Self Help
"Otter loves floating and collecting pretty, heavy rocks all by themself. When a storm comes, Otter has so many rocks that they can't swim home -- and soon, they're lost at sea. But when a few rocks accidentally slip away, Otter feels -- lighter. And with the help of a new friend, Otter realizes that maybe they don't need to carry everything alone." --
Otters, friendship, and adventures at sea! Maya Tatsukawa's latest picture book, Otter Carries On, is gorgeous and a nice conversation starter about letting things go. -Casey
Little Witch Hazel : a year in the forest
Phoebe Wahl
jE Wahl
Adventure, Kids, Picture Books, Animals
"Little Witch Hazel is a tiny witch who lives in the forest, helping creatures big and small. She's a midwife, an intrepid explorer, a hard worker and a kind friend. In this four-season volume, Little Witch Hazel rescues an orphaned egg, goes sailing on a raft, solves the mystery of a haunted stump and makes house calls to fellow forest dwellers. But when Little Witch Hazel needs help herself, will she get it in time? Little Witch Hazel is a beautiful ode to nature, friendship, wild things and the seasons, that only Phoebe Wahl could create: an instant classic and a book that readers will pore over time and time again."--
I really love Phoebe Wahl's artwork, and this makes reading her books even more enjoyable. In this book, we follow the character Little Witch Hazel as she adventures through the forest, meeting many adorable critters in even more adorable outfits along the way! -Violette
Papilio
jE Clanton
Humor, Kids, Picture Books, Animals, Nature, Science
"Told in three parts, Papilio transforms from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly"--
There's a new very hungry caterpillar in town, Papilio! This collaborative picture book has just enough information for young entomologists to gobble up and features a sweet story about finding your wings. Papilio is one big treat! -Casey
The ogre who wasn't
Michael Morpurgo
jE Morpurgo
Humor, Kids, Picture Books, Nature
Princess Clara misses her father, the King. All Clara wants is to escape outside and make friends with the creatures that she finds there. Her best friend is a very small ogre. Ogres are usually baddies, aren't they? Not this one... and he might just be able to help make Clara's dreams come true. Maybe he isn't an ogre at all?
Morpurgo and Gravett's latest collaboration is fabulous! Pair with Munch's "Paper Bag Princess" for a wildly fun reading time. -Casey
The five sides of Marjorie Rice : how to discover a shape
Amy Alznauer
j510.92 Rice
Picture Books, Nonfiction, Biographies
"When Marjorie Rice was a little girl in Roseburg, Oregon, in the 1930s, she saw patterns everywhere. Swimming in the river, her body was a shape in the water, the water a shape in the hills, the hills a shape in the sky. Some shapes, fitted into a rectangle or floor tilings, were so beautiful they made her long to be an artist. Marjorie dreamed of studying art and geometry, perhaps even solving the age-old "problem of five" (why pentagons don't fit together the way shapes with three, four, or six sides do). But when college wasn't possible, she pondered and explored all through secretarial school, marriage, and parenting five children, until one day, while reading her son's copy of Scientific American, she learned that a subscriber had discovered a pentagon never seen before. If a reader could do it, couldn't she? Marjorie studied all the known pentagons, drew a little five-sided house, and kept pondering. She'd done it! And she'd go on to discover more pentagonal tilings and whole new classes of tessellations." --
I'm so inspired by this book, which describes the work of self-taught mathematician Marjorie Rice, who discovered not one, not two, but THREE new tesselating five-sided shapes despite being held back from even attending college in the 1960s and 1970s by familial and societal expectations about women's roles at the time. I didn't know that a person could...discover a new shape until I read this book? (A tesselating shape, I learned, is one that fits together with itself infinitely with no gaps or overlaps.) Absolutely astonishingly beautiful illustrations tie together the themes of nature, patterns, and math that "shape" this story and give personality and verve to Rice and her life. With puzzling so popular, this book is timely, interesting, and inspiring. -Anne W
A pocket full of rocks
Kristin Mahoney
jE Mahoney
Kids, Picture Books, Nature
"A sweet and soulful celebration of how a child's imagination can transform ordinary objects into extraordinary treasures. You can do a lot with a pocket full of rocks... "
Sweet, beautiful, and just the right length for sharing. What can you do with a pocket full of rocks? Watch for this one at a BookWalk near you soon! -Casey
Toto
Hyewon Yum
jE Yum
Kids, Picture Books
A little girl, self-conscious about her birthmark named Toto, worries her school friend will see her differently when her birthmark is revealed but is pleasantly surprised by her friend's reaction.
Hyewon Yum is one of my favorite author illustrators and her new story is a delight! Be sure to check out all of her other books and the Hazel Westgate Collection in the Children's Room to see one of her beautiful originals. -Casey
Beautiful illustrations and minimal text make for perfect storytime sharing! Curious readers will find backmatter that sheds more light on the comparison Neal draws between humans and whales. -Casey