Children's Books discussion

In September, we'll be exploring "Ecosystems" :-)

Please vote for the five books you would most like to read from the group by choosing from those books listed in our official nominations (message 2-11) and posting your choices in a comment below.

Votes will be accepted until August 15th. Thanks, and I hope you'll all be able to join us! I know I'm looking forward to learning a lot come September :-)

Younger Children

Gem
I Love You, Sun, I Love You, Moon
We Planted a Tree
Count Them While You Can . . .: A Book of Endangered Animals
Window
Turtle Splash!: Countdown at the Pond

Approximately Ages 4 to 8

Who Eats What?: Food Chains and Food Webs
Squish!: A Wetland Walk
Jump into Science: Dirt
Fighting for the Forest
A Log's Life
Poppy Bear: The Garden That Overslept
Crawdad Creek
Who Lives in an Alligator Hole?
Gobble It Up! A Fun Song About Eating!
Snap!
The Gift of the Tree
Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond
Wolf Island
I See a Kookaburra!: Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World
Salmon Forest
The ABCs of Habitats
The ABCs of Oceans
Explore the Wild: A Nature Search-And-Find Book
Coral Reefs
There's a Barnyard in My Bedroom
A Grand Old Tree
Find It on a Coral Reef
Find It in the Desert
Can You Find It In A Rain Forest
Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea
If You Want to See a Caribou
Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint
Pond Year
Secret Place
Find It in the Park

Approximately Ages 9 - 12

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth
Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life
Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas
Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share: The Water, Earth, And Air We Share

Perfect! Thanks so much, Gundula :-)

Kathryn wrote: "Perfect! Thanks so much, Gundula :-)"

I might still have some more. And the age groups are merely approximate and I will not take responsibility for them, as I got the ages from Amazon and our library. I'm just saying that potential readers, especially parents are responsible for checking themselves wether a book is right for their child/children.

What about books by Jean Craighead George such as [book:One Day In The Woods|400052}. She has several books on different ecosystems.

Gundula wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Perfect! Thanks so much, Gundula :-)"

I might still have some more. And the age groups are merely approximate and I will not take responsibility for them, as I got the ages from ..."

Oh, yes, I want the age suggestions just as a guideline for parents/educators and I definitely want to echo that it's just a guideline and each adult should preview the books to see if they will be appealing and age-appropriate for their own child/ren. Thanks :-)

One Day In The Woods Great, thanks, Tricia! JCG is a wonderful author.

Around the Pond, or her copy of In the Woods: Who's Been Here.

Uno's Garden by Graeme Base

Some More Suggestions (all non-fiction except for the last two, I believe):

Fire!: A Renewal of a Forest (app. ages 6 and up)

Ladybug Garden (app. ages 4 and up)

The Most Beautiful Roof in the World: Exploring the Rainforest Canopy (grades 5 to 8)

Friendships in Nature (app. ages 7 and up)

Habitats (app. ages 6 and up)

Food Chains and Webs (app. ages 9 and up)

Coral Reefs (app. ages 5 and up)

How Things Work: In The Yard (app. ages 4 and up)

Here Comes the Garbage Barge! (app. ages 4 and up)

The Summer Sands (app. ages 4 and up)

Here are a few:

Old Shell, New Shell: Coral

If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests

The World That We Want

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History

Thanks for all the great nominations! It's now time to VOTE. Please vote for the five books you would most like to read from the group by choosing from those books listed in our official nominations (message 2-11) and posting your choices in a comment below.

What a great group of books! My choices are:

The Gift of the Tree

One Day in the Woods

Explore the Wild: A Nature Search-And-Find Book

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History

Poppy Bear

Wolf Island

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth

Life in the Boreal Forest

Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond

A Log's Life

1. The Great Kapok Tree
2. Coral Reefs
3. A Log's Life
4. Down, Down, Down
5. If You Want to See a Caribou

Emily wrote: "1. The Great Kapok Tree
2. Coral Reefs
3. A Log's Life
4. Down, Down, Down
5. If You Want to See a Caribou"

Emily, which of the "Coral Reefs" books do you mean, the one by Gail Gibbons or the one by Jason Chin?

Oops, I didn't notice they were two different books! They both look fabulous, but I meant the one by Jason Chin. :)

Emily wrote: "Oops, I didn't notice they were two different books! They both look fabulous, but I meant the one by Jason Chin. :)"

Thanks for clarifying ;-) I'll be sure to put that one toward the votes.

Abigail wrote: "Oh shoot! Kathryn, I did mean to nominate a few, but just lost track of time! Is it too late to get Life in the Boreal Forest in there?"

Fine with me if it slips in since no one had voted yet. Thanks :-)

my votes:

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History

Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth

If You Want to See a Caribou

One Day in the Woods

Life in the Boreal Forest

The votes are in! We had two clear winners then I factored in my own preferences to break the many ties, and here are the results:

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History

One Day in the Woods

A Log's Life

Life in the Boreal Forest

Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea

Sixth/Alternate:
Coral Reefs

(I really, really wanted to choose the "Tree of Life" book as it looks fabulous and perfect for our topic, but my library doesn't have a copy and the used ones are expensive so I opted for a second sea book. I realize we haven't exactly covered all the ecosystems here--difficult task with just six books!--as there were few/no votes for some (i.e., the desert) so if any of you choose to read beyond what is on our official list, please post back with your reviews on this thread!)

Many thanks to all for the great nominations and for the votes. Looking forward to our discussion come September :-)

I just got my copy of One Day in the Woods. It looks good, but I honestly don't think that one can call it a picture book. I would call it an illustrated chapter book. There is definitely more text than imagery and while the illustrations are lovely, they seem more as an addition to the rather dense and wordy text (definitely not a case of text and illustrations being of equal value and importance).

Gundula wrote: "I just got my copy of One Day in the Woods. It looks good, but I honestly don't think that one can call it a picture book. I would call it an illustrated chapter book. There is definitely more t..."

Thank you for the heads-up about that, Gundula. This is one that I was not able to obtain and I'm sure it will be helpful for those members looking for books for the younger picture book set to know that this might not be appropriate.

I hope it is good, though, and look forward to your thoughts when you've had time to read it.

Kathryn wrote: "Gundula wrote: "I just got my copy of One Day in the Woods. It looks good, but I honestly don't think that one can call it a picture book. I would call it an illustrated chapter book. There is d..."

There is nothing inappropriate about the book and some younger children might enjoy the book being read to them, but narrative is definitely dense and quite wordy (with not too many illustrations either, there are about 55 pages and about 20 black and white illustrations, a lovely book, but more an illustrated chapter book).

Gundula wrote: "There is nothing inappropriate about the book."

Oh, I just meant it might not be age-appropriate in terms of reading level, etc. (not that there would be any objectionable content) ;-) But, thank you for clarifying--I wouldn't want members to get the wrong impression! ;->

As a wonderful introduction to ecology for young children, I can recommend Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond. An adaptation of the song Old Macdonald had a Farm, Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond features Jo MacDonald (who appears to be the granddaughter of Old MacDonald) describing what she sees and hears at and near the pond on her grandfather's farm (reeds, fish, birds, deer, raccoons and the like, all making their characteristic, distinctive sounds).

This delightful picture book is a fun and engaging introduction to ecology, to a pond habitat for very young children (who will probably love the song, especially the expressive, onomatopoeic nature sounds). Slightly older children will no doubt also enjoy the matching game at the back, as well as the detailed supplemental information about "the pond community" and how one can be a naturalist, how one can experience the natural world (and not just by reading about nature and ecology, but by actually going out to explore and observe).

There is nothing really amazing or novel about Mary Quattlebaum's text. It is simply and wonderfully a successful adaptation of the well-known song, while Laura S. Bryant's bright and lively illustrations provide a lovely, detailed and enjoyable complement to the text. Author and illustrator have also collaborated on a further Jo Macdonald picture book, Jo MacDonald Had a Garden, which is likely just as fun, just as informative and just as delightful as Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond.

A counting book which also introduces young readers to ten critically endangered animal species, Count Them While You Can . . .: A Book of Endangered Animals is both entertaining and informative. The book (written and illustrated by Anne Bowman) introduces ten critically endangered animal species (through a repetitive, poetic song that also practices and reinforces the numbers one through ten). The rhyming text is actually an adaptation of the song "Over in the Meadow" and can be sung to its tune (it would have been an added bonus if a musical score for the song or an accompanying CD had been included, as not everyone will know the tune, the music for "Over in the Meadow").

I found the text a bit too monotonous for my own personal tastes, but I believe that for younger children, especially if this book is used as a read or sing aloud activity, the very repetitiveness of the rhyming sequence would likely not only help practice the numbers, but also reinforce both the names and habits of the ten endangered animal species featured.

The lush and wonderfully intricate, realistic illustrations not only bring each of the ten species and their habits, their struggles to life on the page, they also help to furhter reinforce the numbers, as each number featured corresponds to the quantity of baby animals illustrated. I also think that it was/is brilliant of Anne Bowman to feature not just adult animals, but family units (adults and their offspring). One cannot deny the "cuteness factor" of baby animals and anything that even somewhat helps to make children (and their parents as well, of course) more aware of the plight of many animals species, of the fact that there are animal species in imminent danger of extinction, is a very, very good thing indeed.

While this is first and foremost a book for younger children (ages three to five perhaps), the fact that Anne Bowman has also provided much supplemental (and scientifically detailed) information and data about the ten species of endangered animals (as well as information on endangered species in general) makes Count Them While You Can also a useful tool for discussing extinction, conservation etc. with slightly older children (who might not be all that partial to reading or singing the actual text, the song, but might well be curious about the habitats, sizes, eating habits, threats etc. of the ten featured species).

Thanks, Gundula! These sound like excellent additions to our master list!

Another newer picture book (for younger children) to add to the list is Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale.

On Amazon, Pam Kapchinske's Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale is described as being a light-hearted romp through an ecosystem (discovering food chains, which animals are predators, which animals are prey). Although the poetic, song-like text is, indeed, rhythmic, rollicking and engaging (as well as being quite informative) and would more than likely be a hit with many youngsters, personally I find the concept, the very idea of a happy-go-lucky "song" about the deadly serious relationship between predator and prey a bit troubling and problematic. Food chains, food webs, the fact that some animals are the hunters and others the hunted are an important, an essential aspect of life on earth, but in my opinion, this fact is neither light-hearted nor joyful. That being said, I would still recommend Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale for use with/by young children interested in ecology (even just for the simply excellent and engaging supplemental activities listed at the back, which are a real teaching and learning treasure trove). I would, however, especially if I were reading this book with or to slightly older children, also want to mention that the interaction between and among predator and prey in a given ecosystem is generally and basically a matter of life and death (and not simply a joyful, playful song about who/what is on top, and who/what ends up as a snack, as a meal).

Sherry Rogers' accompanying illustrations are lively, bright and descriptive (providing a for the most part successful and engaging complement to the text). However, parents, caregiver, librarians etc. should note that the illustration of the snake is rather in-your-face and could perhaps be frightening or creepy for sensitive children (particularly its head seems larger than life, with beady eyes, a creature just waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting prey).

The Ocean is a very huge and global ecosystem and the 2022 picture book The Global Ocean provides a wonderful and factual description of not only the global ocean but also the many environmental issues (like climate change etc.) troubling it, what is being done to mitigate the damage and suggestions for what children can do themselves to help.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I forgot to add a big shout out of YAY to Rochelle Strauss' Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth, which I think is pretty much a perfect STEM picture book for older children (but also for adults and young adults, for anyone over the age of eight or so). And even with my three star rating,
Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth is highly recommended, as there are no actual errors and just some personal preferences.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth does a pretty good job showing what water means for the earth and how water is necessary for every part of life on earth (and also shows that water conservation is important) and with both Rochelle Strauss' text and Rosemary Woods' artwork working very well together. But I do find the absence of bibliographic information annoying and I also think that what Strauss writes about evolution is confusing and she stating that the earth is the only planet with liquid water should be qualified with "known to date" as most scientists in fact believe that there are many planets (or moons) with liquid water in the universe but that we just have not found them yet.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Humongous Fungus is excellent, shows what fungi are and how they are essential for healthy ecosystems (but also showing of course that fungi both help and harm and that some mushrooms can be lethally toxic to and for humans). Excellent information, wonderful artwork but like generally the case with DK publishing a not too user friendly acknowledgement page that I also do not really think works as a bibliography (four stars though even with that and highly recommended)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Mushroom Hunt has really gorgeous illustrations celebrating both mushrooms and the environment (and giving some good information as well and also showing a family that has fun together). But I do not agree with Simon Frazer showing gathering and collecting mushrooms in such a positive light (and that frankly, children should not be encouraged to go mushroom collecting, too many poisonous mushrooms out there and also in my opinion not all that environmentally responsible).

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sonya's Chickens

Love the combination of text and images and how Phoebe Wahl shows that foxes are predators and if they nab a chicken it is basically predator versus prey (food chains and ecosystems). Highly recommended!!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...