Celebrate Earth Day with these 20 Recent Children's Books

from Drawn from Nature 

from  Drawn from Nature

Ahpornsiri, Helen.  (2018). Drawn from Nature. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Informational and visual arts text organized by season. Accurate and aesthetically stunning.

from On a Magical Do-Nothing Day

Alemagna, Beatrice. (2017). On a Magical Do-Nothing Day. New York: HarperCollins.
A child on holiday from the city in an isolated cabin with her mom accidentally drops her electronic game into a pond. She is desolate until she begins to closely look around. When she does, the boring day without electronics becomes one of seeing nature and wonder. Such a good book. Starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly and Booklist.

Cheng, Andrea. (2018). Bees in the City. Illustrated by Sarah McMenemy. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
Fictional story about a boy (Lionel) who lives in an apartment in Paris. His Aunt Celene resides at a farm outside the city and there she raises bees. when bees begin dying, Lionel wants to help, but he lives in the city. What can he do? A rooftop garden and window boxes are his solution. Illustrations complement and extend the story. Rich backmatter about urban beekeeping and rooftop gardening. (Level P) 
Green Earth Award Book 2018 Short List

Davies, Nicola. (2017). Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth. Illustrated by Emily Sutton. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
What might happen if instead of having millions of species we had just one? This picture book answers that question.

from Pedal Power

Drummond, Allan. (2017). Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux
As he did in Energy Island for Danish island of Samsø, Drummond this time tells about the use of bicycles in the city of Amsterdam where people protested unsafe streets for bike riding and in doing so helped to create a safe biking well beyond the borders of that city.
Green Earth Award Book 2018 Short List

Flynn, Sarah Wassner. (2017). This Book Stinks! Gross Garbage, Rotten Rubbish, and the Science of Trash. Washington, DC: National Geographic Kids. 128 pp. Grade 4+
Everything a kid might want to know about waste!
Green Earth Honor Book 2018 for Children's Nonfiction 

Galat, Joan Marie. (2018). Branching Out: How Trees are Part of Our World. Illustrated by Wendy Ding. Toronto, ON: OwlKids.
In this 64 page informational text, 11 different trees are explored. detailed. Great for grade 5 and higher.

Garland, Michael. (2018). A Season of Flowers. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
I have long loved Michael Garland's paintings.  This books follows the order that plants arrive from early spring to winter. The illustrations are rich. (Level L)

Gerstein, Mordicai. (2017). The Boy and The Whale. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Fictional story about a boy and his father who discover a whale tangled in their fishing net. Competing concerns  (livelihood and whale's life) creates tension in this picture book. Paintings are outstanding.
Green Earth Award Book 2018 Short List

Gladstone, James. (2017). When Planet Earth Was New. Illustrated by Katherine Diemert. Toronto, ON: OwlKids.
A visual and informational treat perfect for primary learners about how earth formed. Dioemert's paintings are lush and detailed. (540L)

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. (2017). Creekfinding: A True Story. Illustrated by Claudia McGehee. (University of Minnesota Press)
Briggs tells the the story of the restoration of an ecosystem in northeast Iowa. Detailed text and illustrations.
Green Earth Award Book 2018 for Picture Book.

from The Bee Book

Milner, Charlotte. (2018). The Bee Book. New York: Penguin/Random House.
Informational text about bees. Attractive.

Newman, Patricia. (2017). Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators that Saves an Ecosystem. Millbrook Press. 56 pp.
Newman reports on a California inlet where seagrass grew in abundance even though there was algae. Why? Turns out the answer was sea otters. Based on Brent Hughes's research,. 56 pp.
Green Earth Award Book 2018 for Children's Nonfiction

from My Busy Green Garden

Pierce, Terry. (2017). My Busy Green Garden. Illustrated by Carol Schwartz. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
What makes a garden bloom? This lyrical tribute to bees and birds and other living things that make a garden a garden.  Illustrations are detailed as one would expect from Carol Schwartz. Ever since I first saw Thinking about Ants. I have been a fan of Schwartz's art.

Root, Phyllis. (2017). Anywhere Farm. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
For the youngest students a picture book to inspire the growth of plants. The book opens, "You can grow your own farm anywhere."
Green Earth Award Book 2018 Short List

Schmalzer, Sigrid. (2018). Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean: Remembering Chinese Scientist Pu Zhelong's Work for Sustainable Farming. Illustrated by Melanie Linden Chan. Thomaston, ME: Tilbury House Publishers.
Fictionalized account of Pu Zhelong who taught peasants in Mao's China to grow food without reliance on pesticides during the 1960s and 1970s. He taught the peasants to use parasitic wasps to combat the moths that were destroying crops. An important person for children to know. The illustrations are rich and created through watercolor.

from Out of School

Slade, Suzanne. (2017). Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story. Illustrated by Jessica Lanan. MI: Sleeping Bear Press.
A picture book biography about nature pioneer Anna Comstock (1854-1930) who defied gender norms and studied science at Cornell.
Green Earth Honor Book 2018 for Picture Book.
2018 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book

from Look at Weather

from Look at Weather

Teckentruop, Britta. (2018). Look at the Weather. Toronto, ON: OwlKids.
This 150 page text is divided into four sections: Sun, Rain, Ice and Snow, and Extreme Weather. Each section is illustrated with paintings by Tchentroup. Originally printed in Germany, this is a lovely and meditative book for primary and intermediate learners. (800L) My favorite of this group.

from The Triumphant Tale of the House Sparrow.

Thornhill, Jan. (2018). The Triumphant Tale of the House Sparrow. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.
I can't say enough good about this narrative informational book about the house sparrow. Deeply interesting, amazing artwork, and accurate. The history of the common house sparrow will hold all learners' interest.

Tuttle, Sarah Grace. (2018). Hidden City: Poems of Urban Wildlife. Illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford.  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
18 free verse poems about about plants and insects. Schimler-Safford's collages are outstanding.

10 New Picture Books That Made Me Smile (and Think)

Bruchac, Joseph. (2018). Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story. Illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company. (Starred Kirkus review).

History is often hard to address largely because it is not one tone. Joseph Bruchac knows this. In his newest picture book biography, Bruchac tells a full story of how a Navajo boy forced to attend a boarding school learns that the language of home was not to be tolerated. He goes on to become an American hero who uses that first language during World War II to code classified messages and how his wartime experiences haunted him.  The illustrations are by Liz Amini-Holmes, an artist whose works I admire greatly. You can see more of her work here. 

Buitrago, Jairo. (2018). On the Other Side of the Garden. Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng. Translated from Spanish by Elisa Amado.Toronto, ON:  Groundwood Books.

Not your usual picture book. But then if you have read any of Jairo Buitrago's other books your know that already. I love how Isabel, the teller of this story, is able to let go of sorrow as she answers the call of an owl, a frog, and a mouse. Isabel reminds me that it isn't simply time that heals the heart. It's also curiosity. Rafael Yockteng's digital illustrations offer only a small bit of color set against the largely cadet blue tone. But those bits of color pop.

illustration by Rafael Yockteng from On the Other Side of the Garden.

Díaz, Junot. (2018).  Islandborn. Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. New York: Dial Books.

I loved Junot Díaz's books and short stories and couldn't wait until his debut picture book was published. It is a grand story. Like Lola, I came to America as an infant leaving my island (Ireland) behind before I could store memories.   Leo Espinosa's paintings are artful. I love how the illustrations suggest, rather than tell. This book is a jewel: story and images. Read it.

from Lola: Edición en español de ISLANDBORN.

Also available in Spanish: Lola: Edición en español de ISLANDBORN.

from The Street Beneath My Feet

Guillain, Charlotte. (2017). The Street Beneath My Feet. Illustrated by Yuval Zommer. Lake Forest, CA: words & pictures.

I poured over this book when I received it enjoying the journey to the center of the earth and back.  A visual treat and a fascinating look at what is beneath our feet.

James, Matt. (2018). The Funeral. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books. (Starred Reviews by Kirkus, Booklist, School Library Journal & Publisher's Weekly)

I was a child when my grandmother died, not too young to not understand and yet still excited to see cousins and family. This story reminded me so much of the mixed feelings I had at that time.

from The Funeral

Light, Steve. (2018). Black Bird Yellow Sun. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

The entire time I read this I was thinking of Wallace Stevens and how he would have loved this board book. Bold. Bold. Bold.

from The Word Collector

Reynolds, Peter H. (2018). The Word Collector. New York: Orchard Books.

Like Jerome, I have been collecting words most of my life, "stringing words together. Words" I had "not imagined being, side by side." If you love words and the many novel ways we join and unjoin words, this will be a treat.

Stein, David Ezra. (2018). Honey. New York: Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books. (Starred Reviews by School Library Journal)

This is such a sweet story and I loved the jubilance that Bear has for honey. The illustrations give definition to the word, joy. Makes me wish that my 19-year-old son was 5 again.

from They Say Blue

Tamaki, Jillian. (2018). They Say Blue. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books. (Starred Reviews by Booklist, School Library Journal & Publisher's Weekly)

Like the girl in this story, I too weigh what I have been told against what I observe. This picturebook is a celebration of color and the surreal.  Any book that begins and ends with crows is a book for me. Loved it.

from Thunder Underground

Yolen, Jane. (2018). Thunder Underground.  Illustrated by Josée Masse. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.  (Starred Reviews by Kirkus & Publisher's Weekly)

21 poems about things that are under (I'd pair this with The Street Beneath My Feet). The poems (especially first and last) made me think well beyond the page.  My favorite poem was "Seeds." I love the brevity of it and how it connects writing and the shift from winter to spring. Just lovely. The mixed media illustrations work well against the poems.

50 Books You Can Count On

from Counting Crows

1. Anno, Mitsumasa. (1977). Anno's Counting Book. New York: Crowell.
2. Appelt, Kathy. (2015). Counting Crows. Illustrated by Rob Dunlavey. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
3. Atinuke. (2017). Baby Goes to Market. Illustrated by Angela Brooksbank. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
4. Aylesworth, Jim. (1988). One Crow: A Counting Rhyme. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
5. Bang, Molly. (1996). Ten. Nine. Eight. New York: Greenwillow.
6. Baker, Keith. (2004). Quack and Count. New York: HMH Books.
7. Berkes, Marianne. (2007). Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme. Illustrated by Jeanette Canyon. CA: Dawn Publications.
8. Black, Birdie. (2017). Warthog. Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw. Somerville, MA: Nosy Crow.
9. Blackstone, Stella. (2006). My Granny Went to the Market. Illustrated by Christopher Corr. New York: Barefoot Book.
10. Bloom, Valerie. (1997). Fruits: A Caribbean Counting Poem. Illustrated by David Axtell. New York: Henry Holt.
11. Boynton, Sandra. (1984 ). Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book. New York: Little Simon.
12. Brown, Anthony. (2013). One Gorilla. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
13. Calmenson, Stephanie. (1995). Dinner at the Panda Palace. New York: HarperCollins.
14. Carle, Eric. (1998). 1, 2, 3 To The Zoo. New York: Puffin Books.
15. Cave, Kathryn. (2003). One Child, One Seed: A South African Counting Book. Photographs by Gisèle Wulfsohn. New York: Henry Holt.
16. Clark, Emma Chichester. (2003). Mimi's Book of Counting. Charlesbridge Publisher.
17. Crews, Donald. (1975). Ten Black Dots. New York: Greenwillow.
18. Cyrus, Kurt. (2016). Billions of Bricks: A Counting Book about Building. New York: Henry Holt.
19. Dahl, Michael. (2004). On the Launch Pad: A Counting Books about Rockets. New York: Picture Window Books.
20. Edwards, Pamela Duncan. (2000). Roar! A Noisy Counting Book. Illustrated by Henry Cole. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.
21. Ehrhardt, Karen. (2015). This Jazz Man. Illustrated by R. G. Roth. New York: HMH Books.
22. Elhert, Lois. (2001). Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On. New York: HMH Books.
23. Falconer, Ian. (2002). Olivia Counts. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
24. Falwell, Cathryn. (1995). Feast for 10. New York: HMH Books.
25. Feelings, Muriel. (1992). Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book. Illustrated by Tom Feelings. New York: Puffin Books.
26. Fleming, Denise. (2012). The First Day of Winter. New York: SquareFish.
27. Giganti, Paul. (1999). Each Orange Had 8 Slices. Illustrated by Donald Crews. New York: 
28. Golub, Matthew. ().  Ten Oni Drummers. Illustrated by Kazuko G. Stone. New York: Lee & Low Books.
29. Isadora, Rachel. (2009). Twelve Dancing Princess. New York: Penguin.
30. Isadora, Rachel. (1998). A South African Night. New York: Penguin.
31. Jackson, Ellen. (2016). Octopuses One to Ten. Illustrated by Robin Page. New York: Simon & Schuster.
32. Katz, Karen. (2003). Counting Kisses: A Kiss and Read Book. New York: Little Simon.
33. Lazar, Tara. (2017). 7 Ate 9. Illustrated by Ross Macdonald.  New York: Disney-Hyperion.
34. Lessac, Frané. (2005). Island Counting 1 2 3. London: Walker Books.
35. Lin, Grace. (2008). One is a Drummer. Illustrated by Roseanne Thong. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
36. Luján, Jorge. (2014). Numeralia. Illustrated by Isol. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.
37. Mannis, Celeste Davidson. (2005). One Leaf Rides the Wind. New York: Puffin.
38. Merriam, Eve. (1996). Twelve Ways to Get to 11. Illustrated by Bernie Karlan. New York: Aladdin.
39. Morales, Yuyi. (2003). Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
40. Nagara, Innosanto. (2015). Counting on Community. Berkeley, CA: Triangle.
41. Otoshi, Kathryn. (2014). Two. KO Kids Books.
42. Otoshi, Kathryn. (2010). Zero. KO Kids Books.
43. Otoshi, Kathryn. (2008). One. KO Kids Books.
44. Pinczes, Elinor J. (1999). One Hundred Hungry Ants. New York: HMH Books.
45. Root, Phyllis. (2001). One Duck Stuck. Illustrated by Jane Chapman. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
46. Sendak, Maurice. (1991). One Was Johnny. New York: HarperCollins.
47. Shannon, George. (2015). One Family. Illustrated by Blanca Gomez. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
48. Sturges, Philemon. (1997). Ten Flashing Fireflies. Illustrated by Anna Vojtech. New York: NorthSouth.
49. Thong, Roseanne. (2014). One Is a Drummer: A Book of Numbers. Illustrated by Grace Lin. 
50. Walsh, Ellen Stoll. (1995). Mouse Paint. New York: HMH Books.