nature

2 New Outstanding Outdoor Picture Books

| Tasha

The Newest Gnome by Lauren Soloy 

Publisher: Tundra Books

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley

ISBN: 9781774887202

Return to the world first shared in The Hidden World of Gnomes with this second book set in The Pocket. When a new mushroom circle is discovered, the gnomes know that a new gnome is about to arrive. It is Grolly Maru, a fuzzy brown gnome with stand up ears. The gnomes fall asleep under the stars, preparing to share their love of the world with Grolly Maru the next day. And my, do they share! They try various hats, scramble with squirrels, look at leaves, follow ants, make animal sounds, learn songs, bake a treat, and count all sorts of things. By the end of the day, the gnomes aren’t sure what sort of gnome Grolly Maru will be, until Grolly Maru demonstrates.

This entire book is wonderfully organic and infused with small natural wonders. The pages are warmly tan and show quiet moments of plant growth, bird song, spiders spinning, and fall weather. The stories and information shared by the gnomes will have children wanting to explore their own yards to find small things happening there or greet the worms at the start of the day themselves. The book reminds us to look around, learn about nature and find our own bits of magic. 

Merry, quiet and abundant, this picture book is a celebration of nature in small and large ways. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

The Night of the Hedgehog by Tanya Rosie, illustrated by Chuck Groenink 

Publisher: Candlewick

Publication Date: November 11, 2025

Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley

ISBN: 9781536245066

When the hedgehog came to their yard at night, the little girl’s father woke her up. This had happened before. They tiptoed out barefoot in the garden to watch. Silent and still, the two watched as the hedgehog came out of the bushes. Then they quietly went inside to fill a pan with water. Back to waiting silently in the dark and then they saw an entire hedgehog family come out for a drink. After drinking, the baby hedgehogs followed their mother to the “hog hole” which would lead them to the next yard. Then it was back to bed full of sighs and smiles for the special night.

This quintessentially English rhyming picture book offers American readers a glimpse into the joy of having wild hedgehogs in your neighborhood. Readers will love the coziness of the story, the wonder of going outside in the dark and then the joy of not only seeing hedgehogs but providing for them in different ways. The illustrations add to the joy of the special yet quiet night with their warm golden light and cool blue night. 

Just right for bedtime or an adventure to spy your own wild night creatures. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

2 New Nonfiction Nature Picture Books

| Tasha

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.

The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle by Sy Montgomery – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Matt Patterson (9780063325166)

This nonfiction picture book shares the story of Fire Chief, a common snapping turtle. This turtle is currently over 60 years old and living in a pond near a fire station. Throughout his life, Fire Chief was lucky. He survived being so small that almost anything else could eat him. He found a safe pond to spend his summers and another one nearby to overwinter in. But as the town grew up around him, he was very unlucky one day as he moved to his winter pond and was hit by a car. That’s when the Turtle Rescue League came to help. They patched his shell and helped him regain the use of his back legs. When Fire Chief was ready to return to his pond, the humans there also decided to lend a hand to get him a space that would work for him all year long. 

The author and illustrator of the award-winning The Book of Turtles return with another book celebrating these animals. The author and illustrator also help rescue turtles in their hometown and know Fire Chief personally. This connection to the animals and to this story really make this book special. The book wisely mixes turtle facts and information with Fire Chief’s own life and story. There is so much to enjoy here in its warm tone and clear delight in its subject matter. That is matched by the art which takes close-up looks at Fire Chief and his habitat, getting readers closer and more intimate than photography could. 

A majestic look at one very lucky turtle. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Clarion Books.

Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) by Joyce Sidman – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (9780358334767)

An award-winning children’s poet collaborates with an award-winning illustrator in this book of nature poetry for children. Each poem is written as a letter between two things from nature. Oak and Acorn exchange letters as do Bubble and Sky and River and Pebble. As each writes a letter, the connection between the two is made all the more clear and profound. 

Readers will enjoy the pairs of poems and could be inspired to write their own nature letters from other pairs that they see in their own experiences. The poems are beautifully accessible to young children while also demonstrating great skill and not being childish. The illustrations by Sweet are done in her signature style of collage and filled with varying colors from page to page to show the different natural aspects. The result is a spectacular marriage of poem and art. 

A great book of poetry for children that belongs in every library. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Clarion Books.

I’m Like a Tree and a Tree’s Like Me by Sylvaine Jaoui – Book Review

| Tasha

I’m Like a Tree and a Tree’s Like Me by Sylvaine Jaoui, illustrated by Anne Crahay (9781592704248)

Growing side-by-side throughout this book, a child and a tree transform. From a tiny seed to a fattening cell to setting down roots. They burst into the light one day. They both need water and warmth. And they are both gifts to the world and rely on the world around them.

With clever die cuts, this picture book ties humans closely together with nature, embracing our connectedness to the world around us and showing us that we are part of a larger whole.

A delight of an import from a French author and Belgian artist. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Enchanted Lion Books.

Firefly Song by Colleen Paeff – Book Review

| Tasha

Firefly Song: Lynn Frierson Faust and the Great Smoky Mountain Discovery by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim (9781665931847)

Lynn grew up going to Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains every summer. She swam in the water, climbed trees, and walked in the forests. For a few weeks every summer, the fireflies put on a light-filled display in the evening. The entire family would gather to watch the fireflies flash in sync then go dark, then light up in sync once more. When Lynn tried to research fireflies as she grew up, she couldn’t find much information. Then when she read an article, she found that scientists thought that the only fireflies that flashed in sync were in Southeast Asia. Lynn knew that they were wrong. Now she just had to convince one scientist to take her seriously. 

This story of a self-taught naturalist and scientist shows that paying close attention to nature can create new discoveries. The book focuses on Lynn’s childhood and her growing interest in getting others to see what she has found. Throughout the text and the illustrations, there is a sense of joy in nature, of play and discovery along the way. The illustrations are done in watercolor and digital media. The watercolors are allowed to bleed together to create the backgrounds against which nature dazzles. 

A beautiful look at discovery in nature. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Beehive by Jorey Hurley – Book Review

| Tasha

Beehive by Jorey Hurley (9781481470032)

Following her Fetch and Nest, Hurley returns with another simple picture book that invites the youngest children to explore nature. Told in single words on double-page illustrations, the bees in the book buzz, swarm, find and build their hive. They will also defend the hive and sting when a skunk gets a bit too interested in their sweet honey.

Share this as spring blossoms around us. Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Simon & Schuster.

2 New Picture Books to Connect with Nature

| Tasha

Here are a pair of newer picture books that celebrate our connection with nature and invite young ones to head out and explore:

Forest Song by Kirsten Hall & Evan Turk (9780593480366)

Explore poetry and nature together in this gorgeous picture book. Hall has written a poem that pays clever homage to great poets such as Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, and Edgar Allen Poe. The illustrations by award-winning Turk are rich with color, riotous with swirls and an invitation into the drama of the forest. Combined with the lyrical language, this book is a celebration of the woods.

Appropriate for ages 4-8 and can be used with older children to explore poetry. Reviewed from library copy.

A Pocket Full of Rocks by Kristin Mahoney, illustrated by E.B. Goodale (9780593428542)

Fill your pockets with a young child as the seasons change. From rocks in winter to petals in spring, shells in summer and acorns in fall. Layer them all together in a glass jar to see your year. Reach for them in your pocket when you need some comfort. This picture book celebrates seasons through the senses, touching each item, listening to them and pretending with them too. The illustrations are marvelously simple and yet filled with a magic of fairies and nature.

Appropriate for ages 3-7. Reviewed from library copy.

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Paka by Sara Andrea Farjardo

| Tasha

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Paka by Sara Andrea Fajardo, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (9781250838612)

Two Peruvian-Americans come together to create a warm and delightful picture book biography of Alberto Salas, a Peruvian scientist who dedicated his life to potatoes. Searching for wild potatoes through the Peruvian landscape is a treat with that landscape depicted by a Caldecott-honoree illustrator. From the hilly land to Salas’ notes to finding the spark of a potato in the mud to the potatoes themselves, readers will be amazed by the colors on the page.

This book tackles climate change, the need for scientists and the manual labor that it sometimes takes for science to happen and to discover something that can feed a changing world. Enjoy this game of hide-and-seek!

Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from e-galley.