A Very Noisy Night

Nightsong 

by Sally Soweol Han 

40 pages; ages 4-8

‎Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2025

theme: nature, sounds, night

Lewis listens to the Tick-Tock of the clock. When will the grown-ups stop talking?

Finally, it’s time to go home. Lewis and his mom travel by bus, and when a tire goes flat it makes a long trip even longer. As they wait for another bus to come, Lewis begins listening to the night sounds around him. There are whooots and chirps, rustles and flutters... and eventually the night sounds become a song.

What I like about this book: Rather than list sounds, Sally incorporates them into her illustrations. The first page, for example, there’s jingling keys, crunching of cookies, and the sound of crayons on a paper. But where the sounds really come to life is when Lewis and his mom are waiting on the country road, and we can hear all the night creatures. The spreads are filled with sounds!

Beyond the Books:

What sort of city-sounds do you hear at night? Write down all the sounds you can. Which ones are made by people and machines? Do you hear any sounds of nature? 

Listen for nighttime animal sounds. If you’re in a rural area, or a place where there’s not a lot of human-created noise, you might hear foxes or frogs, owls and cicadas. The best time to listen for animal sounds is spring and summer - but the next best time is now! You can check out some wildlife sounds here.

Color or paint what the night sounds like to you. Is it possible to capture sound in color and shape? Is it jaggedy? Smooth? How do different sounds move through your artwork? 

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Spiders in my Garden

 I have so many different kinds of spiders that hang out in my garden. Crab spiders, often matching the colors of the flowers, wait to ambush a fly or bee that drops by to sip nectar or collect pollen. Jumping spiders scurry across leaves, on the hunt. Others spin sticky nets between flowers to capture bees and flies who aren't paying attention to where they're going. Last month I counted five silk-wrapped, bee-shaped burrititos dangling from a garden spider's web. She'd won the real-estate lottery, setting up shop between two tall coneflower stems.

 

This week, check out the spiders

living in your neighborhood!

 

 

Cleanin' Up the River

 

Riverkeeper: Protecting an American River (Books for a Better Earth) 

By Nancy Castaldo

128 pages; ages 10-12

‎Holiday House, 2025

Rivers are important in our ecology and commercial existence. Not only are they a source of water, but they also play important roles in power generation and transportation. What’s cool about rivers is that each one has its own personality. So do books about them.

Riverkeeper is a story about cleaning up and monitoring the once polluted Hudson River. It’s a story about caring for the watershed. And it’s told through the work of environmental activists. I’ve got to confess that the whole time I read this book, Pete Seeger’s version of “Sailin’ Up, Sailin’ Down” was streaming through my head!

But the efforts to clean up the Hudson stretch way beyond the river and the Clearwater. Nancy Castaldo lays out the importance of rivers – they are the lifeblood of the ecosystem – and how citizens stepped up to clean the banks and raise awareness. And still do.

From the thousands of volunteers who pick up trash to the folks doing habitat restoration work, this book focuses on the people who brought the Hudson River back to health. It’s also about those who work to make sure the River has a voice in its future by asking basic questions: does a river have fundamental rights beyond their perceived economic value to people? Doe a river have the right to flourish and naturally evolve? Current environmental regulations don’t protect rivers from stopping harm, writes Nancy. They regulate the amount of harm that is “acceptable.”

In addition to introducing the Riverkeepers, Nancy includes extensive back matter. There’s an author’s note where Nancy talks about growing up beside the Hudson, a glossary, and a ton of resources. The lists of rivers and resources make this a handbook for Riverkeepers of all ages. 

Even before finishing the last chapter, I knew I had to ask Nancy a Couple of Questions!

Me: If a person could do only one thing to help a river, what do you think is the most important action they could take?

Nancy: All rivers are unique and have their own challenges, but they all have one thing in common  — they need our attention! Learn how to engage with your local river. Participate in riverside park events. Sign up for clean-up days. The more we learn about our local rivers and become active neighbors with them, the more we can help them. More actions can be found in the resource section of Riverkeeper. 

Me: You mention the movement to protect the rights of nature. If rivers had rights, how would that change our interactions with them?

Nancy: Rivers are essential to all life. Sadly, we have caused significant degradation to the world’s rivers. But if rivers had rights, they could advocate on their own behalf, through legal guardians.  Lawsuits can be filed against polluters. Judgements would be passed that would benefit them directly. It’s hard to imagine, but there are already rivers in the world with rights. They serve as great examples for other rivers. You can read more about the Declaration on the Rights of Rivers at www.rightsofrivers.org and sign the petition to endorse the Declaration.

Nancy is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. You can find out more about her at her website, nancycastaldo.com

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge’s blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ After Rain

 I love exploring the world after rain has stopped. Drops still cling to blossoms and stems, sometimes reflecting light and glinting like jewels. Other times they act as lenses, reflecting the world they see.

 

 What do You discover After Rain?

 

 

Crows Come Together

 

I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive 

by Leslie Barnard Booth; illus. by Alexandra Finkeldey 

44 pages; ages 5-8

Chronicle Books, 2025 

theme: birds, behavior, community, winter

I spill across the sky like ink—

fill the night with jagged cries.

I have one thousand eyes.

With the opening of the book we are invited into a winter flock of crows – a flock where one crow is part of the many because, as Leslie writes, “one set of eyes isn’t nearly enough.” With lyrical language she shows how the flock works together for survival. 

What I like about this book: The lovely, poetic language pulled me right in to the crow’s reality of winter survival. I love how Leslie explains that “we” is stronger than “I” – even if it is just for a night’s roost. There is a wonderful nod to the witches in Macbeth, and the recurring theme that night casts the spell that binds the birds together. The illustrations are perfect: dark, but not dreary! And there is Back Matter where curious readers can learn more about crow families, bird intelligence, social learning, and winter survival.

Every time I read a book by Leslie, I feel like she’s found a new way to tell a story. So I had to ask her One Question.

Me: How did you come to this way of telling a story about crows? And did you explore other ways of telling the story?

Photo by Kristal Passy Photography

Leslie: This story began with the concept of crows as social creatures that cooperate and collaborate to survive. I was particularly struck by the fact that crows benefit from the vigilance of other crows--by moving and resting as a flock, they can in a sense "see" with a thousand eyes. I had also been thinking, at the time I wrote this piece, about the power of cooperation more generally. We humans are inextricably bound to one another--our happiness, health, and survival depend on the actions of families, communities, and nations. Because the collective is the focus of this story, when I wrote the first draft I chose first-person plural point of view. While other aspects changed from draft to draft (I worked to add tension and create more of a narrative arc), the point of view remained consistent.

Beyond the Books:

Check out the video and activities at Leslie’s page for educators. There’s a lot to do there!

Get to know a crow. The best way is to find a place to watch them in your neighborhood, or at a park. If you want to know how to identify a crow, check out this page from Cornell’s All About Birds

Fold a paper crow. Instructions here.

Leslie is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. You can find out more about her at her website, lesliebarnardbooth.com

https://www.lesliebarnardbooth.com/

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Leps in the Garden

 Butterflies and moths are both members of the order, Lepidoptera. The name is derived from the Greek and means "scaly winged." When you look closely, you can see the dust-like scales that cover the wings. Both butterflies and moths play an important role in the environment. Their larvae - caterpillars - are an important food source for birds. The adults pollinate plants. The major difference? Butterflies fly during the day, and moths fly at night - but I found both in my garden one morning.

 

 

 

 

 

How to Be an Animal Hero

Hoo-ray! Kate Messner has a new chapter book series, and this one is about wildlife rescues. How to Save an Otter, along with How to Save an Owl, are the first two book that will release together this week. Perfect timing for a chapter book, too: the beginning of a school year when kids will be looking for new books to read!

How to Save an Otter (Wildlife Rescue) 

by Kate Messner 

128 pages; ages 6-9

Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2025

Ivy and her brother, Ezra are as different as two siblings can be. But they have one thing in common: they care about animals. Their family volunteers as “critter carriers” for the local wildlife hospital – that means they’re called when someone finds an injured or orphaned animal. When they arrive, they calm the animal, load it safely into a carrier, and transport it so it can receive medical care. 

When Ivy discovers a baby river otter with an injured leg, she’s worried that it will feel lonely without its family. Ivy would! Ivy helps transport the otter and, later, visits it as it recovers. Readers will enjoy the antics of the baby otter and at the same time learn what it takes to care for injured wild animals. For example: when carrying an injured critter to the hospital, leave the radio off. Too much noise is stressful!

Ivy’s visits to the wildlife hospital keep her busy, and at the same time she has friendships to build and school projects to collaborate on. I love how Kate brings everything to a satisfying conclusion so we can all take a deep breath … before diving into the next book in the series – which I have not read yet, but I understand it focuses on Ezra and the owl.

Why I like this book: The story inspired by Kate’s own experiences volunteering for a local wildlife hospital and has the voice of authenticity. I also like that she includes back matter. Her author’s note shares her experience with wildlife rehabilitation, and another section offers specific ways kids can be “wildlife heroes.”

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Nature Walk

 On a cool and damp summer morning, I went for a walk. I intended to go up to the hayfield and maybe follow one of the trails. But... I managed to get about 10 feet past the garage and spend the next 20 minutes discovering cool things in the underbrush.  

 

 

What will you find this week when you head out 

for a walk in the wild?