Redwoods by Jason Chin

A boy waiting for the subway finds a book on redwood trees on the bench next to him.  As he becomes immersed in the information, the world around him changes until he finds himself in the middle of a redwood forest.  Through the boy’s eyes readers will get to repel to the top of the redwood crowns, stand on enormous stumps, and view the redwoods compared to a city skyline.  This book is the epitome of an informational book made accessible and fun.  Though the text is primarily factual, the illustrations take it to a different level of wonder and interest.

Chin’s text culls the most fascinating facts about the great redwood trees while combining them with illustrations that are fantastical and fun.  The book reads aloud well thanks to the charm of the illustrations and Chin’s talent at writing facts with readability and interest in mind.

This book will have your spirit soaring to the tops of these gargantuan trees and my is the view fine.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar! by Bob Barner.

Millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth, butterflies fluttered over it.  Butterflies and other insects aided in the flourishing of flowering plants by spreading pollen from one plant to the next.  When the meteor hit the earth and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, butterflies and other insects survived.  The modern butterfly is very similar to its prehistoric ancestors in both size and shape.  The book offers the ability to read just one portion of the text which is more accessible to small children or to add in the interesting facts on each page which offer detailed information on the dinosaurs and butterflies.  This makes the title very flexible for teachers, parents and librarians to use with different ages.

Barner’s pastel and paper illustrations are large, colorful and filled with a playfulness that is charming.  Small children will enjoy the large dinosaurs in a rainbow of hues while older children will love the facts and enjoy the juxtaposition of large lizards and tiny butterflies in history.  The facts are intriguing and tantalizing while the text for younger children is bouncy, brief and friendly.

Recommended for all dino lovers as well as all library collections.  Appropriate for ages 3-7.

Plant Secrets by Emily Goodman, illustrated by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes

Shh.  Every plant has a secret or really a series of secrets.  Seeds hold the secret of a new plant inside them.  Plants have the secret of being able to create flowers.  Flowers in turn are able to turn into fruits.  And inside the fruits are the hidden seeds.  Cleverly done with lots of scientific information, many good examples offering variety, and the theme of secrecy and surprises, this book will be well received by children.

Goodman does a great job of being scientifically accurate but also speaking at a child-appropriate level about plants.  Tildes has created illustrations that do the same.  Her gouache illustrations are detailed but very approachable.  They also represent plants that children will recognize from their own lives. 

An accessible and interesting book about the life-cycle of plants, this will be welcomed in preschool and early elementary classrooms as well as libraries.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Big George by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Matt Phelan

George Washington was a tall, shy boy who loved to spend time on his own in the woods.  He learned from his half brother to be a Virginia gentleman, and loved to read books about ancient Roman heroes like Cincinnatus.  George grew into a man who worked on mapping the colony, loved the outdoors and excelled at sports, but he didn’t like to talk.  He could never find the right words unless he was angry.  Throughout this fascinating picture book, readers discover Washington’s path to greatness and history.  It is an unlikely and intriguing story of the first President.

Rockwell’s Phelan’s illustrations offer glimpses into moments in history.  Washington’s shock of red hair lends a different feeling to the history, as does seeing him as a boy who does more than chop down a cherry tree.  This is a much more human and therefore more interesting person.  Rockwell does well capturing history fully even though she is brief and concise.

Great for classroom use for President’s Day, this book will also find an audience amongst children who prefer nonfiction.  Appropriate for ages 6-7, younger for reading aloud.

Crocodile Safari by Jim Arnosky

Journey with Jim Arnosky into the mangrove swamps and learn all about the American crocodile, its habitat and its life.  This nonfiction picture book is accompanied by Arnosky’s paintings that capture the wonder and grandeur of this animal.  The reader follows Arnosky through the swamps and into hidden corners where crocs swim and bask in the sun.  Readers will feel the thrill of exploration and discovery along with the author.

The paintings and language ask children to stretch a bit and think when reading, something that is good to see in a children’s picture book.  Because of this, the book can be used with older elementary children very successfully.  This is not a book that talks down to the reader.  Rather like an exploration of its own.  Arnosky’s art ranges from quite simple to almost lifelike detail as seen on the cover image. 

This is a winning nonfiction picture book that focuses on an animal that children find fascinating already.  Filled with facts, the book brings them to life wonderfully.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.