A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet by Martha Brockenbrough, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (9780593428429)

Beginning with dust motes in the sunlight, this book goes on to show the importance of dust for life on earth. Each speck in the dust was once something else and yet carries some of its value still. A trout dying long ago, becomes a fossil along with the plankton it ate. As the lake dries up, the wind lifts the fossils as they turn to dust. That dust falls into the water of the ocean feeding the plankton that live there and form the foundation of the food cycle. Dust also softens hurricanes and storms as they move from deserts to rainforests. Rain washes nutrients away, but dust helps replenish those too. It’s a cycle on earth much lesser known than those of water and food. 

Beautifully told in poetic lines, this book truly celebrates simple dust and will have all readers looking at it differently in their own homes. It’s a very readable nonfiction picture book that could be shared aloud with classes or in programs. The book ends with additional dust information and online and print resources to learn more. The illustrations lean into the wonder of dust, speckling the pages with colors that show its movement and quality. 

A dazzling dusty read. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

A Walk in the Dark by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Elin Manon (9781510231481)

Starting with twilight, the rabbits start to come out. They are active at dusk and dawn as they are crepuscular. Yet they disappear in the flash when the fox comes by. The fox misses a rabbit meal, so must scavenge to feed her cubs. A badger searches for worms, a mouse hides from the barn owls overhead. Bats, fireflies and moths share the sky. A roaming cat returns home as dawn breaks.

As the picture book moves naturally from one animal to the next using share habitats and locations, the nonfiction text shares information on the sort of animal they are, some of their nighttime habits, and how they interact with one another. This book truly shows the interconnected ecosystem in our own backyards as well as the wonder of the busy night. The illustrations are lush and rich, lighting specific areas like the fox den and allowing others to be covered with the blues of night. It’s very evocative and lovely.

This nonfiction picture book is dark and delightful. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Laurence King Publishing.