Origins picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(This content contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, I may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you).
We Go Way Back: A Book About Life on Earth and How it All Began
by Idan Ben-Barak (Author), Philip Bunting (Illustrator). Publisher ‏ : ‎ Roaring Brook Press. 2023. Grades 1-4. Narrative Nonfiction Hardcover Picture Book. ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250850799.
Brief summary: Young readers examine the definition of “life” and where it all begins. The book explores a complex question by breaking it down into a slow progression of how the earth was created and how molecules formed.
Comments: Large and colorful illustrations also help clarify the concepts.
For more details or to buy, click here.
Rating: 3.5/5 đź“—đź“—đź“—1/2
Remember
by Joy Harjo (Author), Michaela Goade (Illustrator). Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Studio. 2023. PreK-2. Hardcover. ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593484845.
Brief summary: The poem encourages a young girl to remember one’s heritage, parents, and Mother Nature through reflection of how all is connected.
Comments: The eye appealing two-page glossy illustrations are in the voice of the Indigenous culture.
For more details or to buy, click here.
Rating: 4/5 đź“—đź“—đź“—đź“—
We Are Human Animals
by Rosie Haine (Author and Illustrator). Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2023. K-3. Narrative Nonfiction Hardcover Picture Book. ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802856012.
Brief summary: The family and people are Upper Paleolithic hunter-gathers who lived about 25,000 years ago when humans rose with the sun and slept when it set. They made tools from Nature around them, ate what they picked or caught, and everything they owned was handmade. Some animals were their friends, while others were eaten (or run from). The stars were their GPS. They were closer to Nature. We are still human animals but are very different today in many ways.
Comments: Author’s Note briefly explains how the first humans lived on Earth.
For more details or to buy, click here.
Rating 3.5/5 đź“—đź“—đź“—1/2
How the Sea Came to Be: (And All the Creatures In It)
by Jennifer Berne (Author), Amanda Hall (Illustrator). Publisher ‏ : ‎ Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2023. K-4. Narrative Nonfiction Picture Book. ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802854780.
Brief summary: This narrative nonfiction picture book is divided into Part One: The Birth of the Sea, Part Two: The Birth of Life, Part Three: All That the Sea Came to Be…From Then to Now, and a section of informative back pages including a foldout of ocean creatures over time.
Comments: The text is in a stanza of four lines with lines 2 & 4 rhyming. The illustrations are large and colorful and had me stopping to soak up the way the creatures were evolving.
For more details or to buy, click here.
Rating: 4/5 đź“—đź“—đź“—đź“—
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted