Tag: Isabelle Simler

Earth and Earth Day Books for Kids
Children's Book Recommendations

Earth and Earth Day Books for Kids

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Earth and Earth Day books for kids recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.)

A black bird is looking out of its next made of grass and other natural materials. Cover of Home

Home

by Isabelle Simler (Author), Vineet Lal (Translator)

Brief summary: This is a poetry collection of twenty-seven various animals around the world creating unique and amazing homes all beautifully illustrated with great detail. Young readers will learn about camouflage, habitat, life cycles, and interesting animal facts.

Comments:  The back sections include More About These Amazing Animals, Glossary, and Recommended Resources(Books, Websites, and Videos).

This lyrical text appears to be flawlessly translated from French(2022) to English(2024).

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*Home was sent to me a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cover for Wild Places with David Attenborough as a child walking in the jungle with a bike by his side. There are plants, vines, a chimp, and toucan.

Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough 

by Hayley Rocco (Author), John Rocco (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This narrative nonfiction biography teaches about David Attenborough’s life story as a naturalist. We learn about how he was interested in the nature around him in England as a child. He later went to the university to earn a degree in natural sciences and worked on a nature TV program called Zoo Quests, where viewers learn about different animals.

Later in live, he goes to the wild places on earth where these animals lives and films documentaries showing their natural world.

He becomes concerned that there are fewer wild areas but more areas where humans live. He voices protecting animal habits.

Comments: David Attenborough has been knighted twice for his television broadcasting and conservation in addition to 32 honorary degrees from Great Britain universities. He even has received five Emmys.

The back sections are Author’s Note, Selected Bibliography, Rewilding Our Planet, and Problems/Solutions.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

An elderly David Attenborough locking into the green water.

The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife 

by Erica Silverman (Author), Ginnie Hsu (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This is a collection of poetry about the wildlife found in the city. There is a poem and informational text teaching us about conservative steps to help rewild.

Comments: The back sections are How You Can Help, More to Explore, Resources for Families and Educators, and Children’s Books Celebrating City Wildlife.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love of Nature with the World 

by Jill Esbaum (Author),  Rebecca Gibbon (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Geneva Grace loved the birds on their family farm and visited their 64 nests of various birds to watch them. Her father retired moving the family to a town where the girl found little joy. She married and moved back to the country, where she began writing about the birds in her area, learning to use a camera to take hundreds of photos in Limberlost Swamp.

Her books became so popular in 1924 that ten million copies were sold, and some were made into movies.

Her beloved Limberlost Swamp was being harvested, bulldozed, and drilled for gas, disrupting and killing the wildlife.

In the 1990s, decades after her death, Indiana conservation groups, inspired by her life and books, began buying up the land that once was Limberlost Swamp to bring back some of the wildlife.

Comments: The back sections include Author’s Note, More About Gene Stratton-Porter, and Bibliography.

The illustrations were created with acrylic ink and colored pencils.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for Bondi & Poppy with a koala bear and a California bear holding the earth

Bondi & Poppy Help Heal the Planet

by Judith A Proffer (Author), Yoko Matsuoka (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Bondi is an Australian koala bear who meets Poppy, a California bear, in Hawaii, where they talk about ways to help the earth.

Comments: This sweet picture book gently discusses conservation through everyday actions that can help reduce our footprint.

The story is told in rhyming text with adorable illustrations. This could be a delightful bedtime story.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

*This book was sent to me as a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for Dino Earth Day with various dinosaurs in bright colors picking up trash in a park and recycling

Dino-Earth Day (Dino-Holidays) 

by Lisa Wheeler (Author), Barry Gott (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Dinosaurs come together on Earth Day to help clean up the park, plant a garden, recycle, and do other things to help the planet.

Comments: This rhyming book with bright colorful illustrations is perfect for young dinosaur lovers .

Lisa Wheeler does school visits. When I was teaching, we had her as our guest author, and the students and teachers loved her presentation.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for poetry book This is a Tiny Fragile Snae with a small black snake with a yellow line down its back slithering on the ground with a pair of blue and a pair of red tennis shoes in the frame to mean there are people stopping and watching it go past.

This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake 

by Nicholas Ruddock (Author), Ashley Barron (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This poetry collection features informative poems about various animals and insects, highlighting their unique characteristics.

Comments: The illustrations are created using cut-paper collages, acrylics, and pencil crayons with some digital finishing.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover of A Place for Rain. Children with raincoats on standing by a rain barrel that is overflowing onto a water path to a flower garden.

A Place for Rain 

by Michelle Schaub (Author), Blanca Gómez (Illustrator)

Brief summary: In this book of rhyming lyrics, young readers will learn where the rain goes during a flood. The students at school are taught how to place a barrel beneath a spout and how to create a path for overflow.

Comments: Learn how to create a rain barrel garden with native plants that thrive in excess water.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A teacher and her students are making a runoff of the rain barrel.

Cover of Wildlife Crossings. Photo of an overpassing

Wildlife Crossings (Searchlight Books â„¢ ― Saving Animals with Science) 

by Lisa Idzikowski (Author)

Brief summary: This nonfiction picture book teaches about wildlife crossings such as overpasses, bridges, and underpasses to help migrating animals.

Comments: The back sections include Glossary, Learn More, and Index.

The illustrations are photographs.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Poetry Children’s Books 2024
Children's Book Recommendations

Poetry Children’s Books 2024

The Retired School LibrarianLeave a comment

Poetry children’s book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.)

A black bird is looking out of its next made of grass and other natural materials. Cover of Home

Home

by Isabelle Simler (Author), Vineet Lal (Translator)

Brief summary: This poetry collection features 27 animals from around the world, showcasing the unique and amazing homes they create. Each animal is beautifully illustrated with great detail, and young readers will learn about camouflage, habitat, life cycles, and interesting animal facts.

Comments:  The back sections include More About These Amazing Animals, Glossary, and Recommended Resources(Books, Websites, and Videos).

This lyrical text appears to be flawlessly translated from French(2022) to English(2024).

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*Home was sent to me as a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

A yellow dog is sitting with a puppy, turtle, cat, and rabbit in front of it with a parrot sitting on a perch behind. Cover of Bless Our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for Our Animal Friends

Bless Our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for Our Animal Friends 

by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Editor), Lita Judge (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Bless Our Pets is an anthology of poetry featuring fourteen different animal companion owners expressing gratitude towards their beloved pets. Written by:
• Ann Whitford Paul
• Rebecca Kai Dotlich 
• Linda Trott Dickman
• Eric Ode
• Ralph Fletcher
• Sarah Grace Tuttle
• Kristine O’Connell George
• Darren Sardelli
• B.J. Lee
• Charles Ghigna
• Lois Lowry
• Prince Redcloud
• Joan Bransfield Graham
• Lee Bennett Hopkins

Comments:  The book features a variety of poetry forms. The illustrations are created with watercolors and colored pencils that beautifully capture facial expressions.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*Bless Our Pets was sent to me as a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

A young boy is hiking with backpacks on in South Sister where there are pine trees, mountains, and a lake.

Climbing the Volcano: A Journey in Haiku 

by Curtis Manley (Author), Jennifer K. Mann (Illustrator)

Brief summary: A family hikes up South Sister, an Oregon volcano, and the young boy shares his observations in haiku, including the terrain, animals, and insects encountered.

Comments: The back sections of the book include “More About Climbing a Mountain,” which provides information on the volcano, necessary equipment, poetry, and living organisms, and “Further Information,” which lists books and websites.

The illustrations are created with a mix of collograph and monotype printmaking, pencil drawing, digital collage, and paint.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Cover for poetry book This is a Tiny Fragile Snae with a small black snake with a yellow line down its back slithering on the ground with a pair of blue and a pair of red tennis shoes in the frame to mean there are people stopping and watching it go past.

This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake 

by Nicholas Ruddock (Author), Ashley Barron (Illustrator)

Brief summary: This poetry collection features informative poems about various animals and insects, highlighting their unique characteristics.

Comments: The illustrations are created using cut-paper collages, acrylics, and pencil crayons with some digital finishing.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The cover of You Stole My Name Too with a tiger and tiger lily face one another.

You Stole My Name Too: A Curious Case of Animals and Plants with Shared Names

by Dennis McGregor (Author), Blue Star Press (Producer)

Brief summary: This is a collection of humorous poems featuring animals and plants with the same names. Sometimes the reasons for the naming are evident, and sometimes not.

Comments: This is the second collection of poetry in the  “You Stole My Name Series.”

The four-line poem is on the left side of the two-page spread, with the animal and plant illustration on the right.

This is an oversized book that really shows the details in his Gouache paintings. Prints of the illustrations are sold on his website.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

The first of the You Stole My Name Series is You Stole My Name: The Curious Case of Animals with Shared Names.

The cover of poetry book You Stole My Name with a bull and bullfrog looking at each other.

A young Virginia Hamilton lying in the grass with books around her and lilacs. Books's cover

Extraordinary Magic: The Storytelling Life of Virginia Hamilton 

by Nina Crews (Author)

Brief summary: This collection of lyrical poetry shares Virginia Hamilton’s childhood, family, and writing inspirations.

Comments: The back sections include the Author’s Note, Timeline, Book List, Bibliography, and a few photos.

The illustrations were created digitally using Adobe Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

A young girl with an umbrella is walking against the wind with a tree in the background.

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them 

by Melanie Crowder (Author), MEGAN BENEDICT (Author), Khoa Le (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Learn about fourteen winds of the world through a lyrical poem and then in nonfiction text.

Comments: This nonfiction poetry and weather book briefly explains specific winds worldwide. I had no idea that some of these existed until now.

The back sections further explain the science of these winds with What Makes the Wind?, How Are Winds Named? Local Poetic Traditions, a global map, Glossary, and For Further Reading.

The illustrations were created digitally.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Children’s book titles are carefully handpicked by a certified elementary school librarian who, although retired, still enjoys reading children’s books, especially picture books, and recommending them to busy teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book lovers.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris reads before recommending are checked out from the public library, except for those much-appreciated complimentary copies sent to her for an honest review. Those are noted. 

Children's Book Recommendations

Home

The Retired School Librarian1 Comment

Home children’s book recommendation is by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.

(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.)

A black bird is looking out of its next made of grass and other natural materials. Cover of Home

Home

by Isabelle Simler (Author), Vineet Lal (Translator)

Brief summary: This is a poetry collection of twenty-seven various animals around the world creating unique and amazing homes all beautifully illustrated with great detail. Young readers will learn about camouflage, habitat, life cycles, and interesting animal facts.

Comments:  The back sections include More About These Amazing Animals, Glossary, and Recommended Resources(Books, Websites, and Videos).

This lyrical text appears to be flawlessly translated from French(2022) to English(2024).

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

*Home was sent to me as complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Children’s book titles are carefully handpicked by a certified elementary school librarian who, although retired, still enjoys reading children’s books, especially picture books, and recommending them to busy teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book lovers.

Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris reads before recommending are checked out from the public library, except for those much-appreciated complimentary copies sent to her for an honest review. Those are noted.