Turn off the Night Lights!

Who Hid the Stars? How Light Pollution Changes Our World  

by Danio Miserocchi & Maciej Michno; illus. by Valentina Gottardi, and translated by Sylvia Notini 

44 pages; ages 8-14

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2026

Back in mid-March, in the middle of the night, we’d stopped to fill up our tank and get some snacks for the drive home. The gas station was brightly lit, at the edge of a small city where lights were few and far between. And there, atop the roof, was a lone robin singing his heart out. Didn’t he know it was time to sleep?

Apparently not. Artificial light does more than illuminate our world. For the plants and animals living in and around our cities, these night lights create problems. Constant light changes behavior as well as their chances to reproduce.

In this well-documented book, the authors examine how light pollution affects birds and bats, reptiles and insects, and even trees and flowers. City birds stay awake longer, sometimes searching for food all night – not healthy for either the birds or the bugs they’re noshing on. Unfortunately, those lights that allow the birds more foraging time can confuse migratory species that depend on the dark skies to navigate.

Night lights confuse nocturnal insects. Those moths you see fluttering around streetlights aren’t flapping round and round because they like the light. They’ve lost their bearings and can’t figure out where they want to go. Bad news for the moths, but not for the bats who’ve discovered the all-night streetlight buffet.

As fireflies, who depend on reading the flashes of bioluminescent light to guide them to potential mates – artificial lights make it nearly impossible to see them, unless they’re lucky enough to have found a dark corner of a park.

But there’s hope – and this is what I like about this book: there are Things We Can Do to minimize light pollution. Some state and national parks have established themselves as Dark Sky Parks. When you visit, you have to turn off your cell phones and put red cellophane over your flashlight to preserve the nocturnal habitat. Some cities are replacing old streetlights with newer ones that shield light from above, focusing it downward. Many places encourage residents and businesses to turn off lights during peak migration. As for us – if we all turned off even just one light or two at night, it would make a difference.

Back matter includes ideas for bringing back the stars (dark skies) and resources. 

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 copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ flower watching

 Spring comes in its own time, sometimes in a flurry of flowering and sometimes a slow opening of a bud. While visiting Boston, I walked around the neighborhood every day just to watch this magnolia wake up from winter. 

This Earth Day, what's blooming in your neighborhood?

April 1

April 6

April 11

April 14

 

PB & Jellyfish?

The Secrets of the Jellies: Amazing Jellyfish and Their Surprising Talents   

by Karen Jameson; illus by Marie Hermansson

40 pages; ages 5-8

Chronicle Books, 2026

themes: ocean animals, animal adaptations, STEM

Jellies pulse, jellies ride, gracing waters as they glide

Using poetic lines, Karen Jameson takes readers on a field trip to a jellyfish aquarium. On each spread, she focuses on a single aspect of jellyfish-iness. For example, they have no bones! They come in a variety of shapes and colors and sizes. And even though they can feel, they have no brain. Gorgeous illustrations will draw you right into the book, and you’ll wonder how you can spend time with these intriguing animals.

What I like about this book: It’s fun, engaging, and all science. Plus, there’s extensive back matter. A section on Jellyfish facts expands on the information presented on each spread. Another section gives insight into jelly research and their role in ocean ecosystems. The last four pages are a “Meet the Jellies” extravaganza! Sort of like a condensed field guide to cool jellyfish you might meet at an aquarium. 

This is such a fun book to read, that I had to ask Karen a couple of questions:

Me: How did you come to this structure for your book? 

Karen: Here’s the short and sweet answer. As with all my nonfiction books, there was a lot of thought and consideration given as to which key information belonged in the main text. Above all, I wanted readers to “travel" through these pages to an aquarium and experience the awe of an immersive jellyfish exhibit. Readers would wander from room to room (or tank to tank) in a way that felt organic. I also wanted it to be an engaging read-aloud. After composing the stanzas, I simply put them on post-it notes and shifted them around like puzzle pieces to see which order felt right.  Of course, I also ran it past my trusty critique group!

Me: I love the back matter. Can you talk about your research?

Karen: Yes, it is a lot of back matter! It was initially more compact, but grew after we decided to move the side bars to the back and add a “Meet the Jellies” section. I’d been lucky enough to visit the aquarium on multiple occasions (it’s about a 5 hour drive from my home).  However, since I began researching this during the pandemic when Monterey Bay Aquarium was closed, that wasn’t an option. But, I was able to enjoy their incredible online Jelly Cam footage and explore their website for further information.  I then expanded to additional online sources  -  other prominent aquariums, ocean and science sites. Though libraries were closed, I was able to order nonfiction jellyfish books (both adult and kid lit titles) from various sites for secure pick up. More online research of scholarly journals and the like rounded it up.

Though the book was inspired by Monterey Bay Aquarium, the aquarium itself does NOT have all those specific jellyfish, just some. Early on I made the decision to focus on true jellies around the world, of which there are 200+ known varieties. You can visit other cool kinds of jellyfish, such as comb jellies, at Monterrey and other aquariums.

Beyond the Books:

Watch jellyfish with live jellyfish cams! These nettle jellies are at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and these moon jellies are at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Create a jellyfish dance. Stretch and squeeze to move like a jellyfish. If you really want to play the part, create a jellyfish costume using an old umbrella or wide-brimmed hat and strips of cloth or scarves. 

Make a jellyfish out of your handprint, a paper plate, or even coffee filters. Please skip the glitter – it’s not healthy for ocean animals.

Karen is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her at her website at https://karenljameson.com/. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM at https://www.steamteambooks.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 copies provided by Blue Slip Media.

Explore Outdoors ~ a tree museum

 Last week a friend invited us to stroll through the Arnold Arboretum. It's Harvard University's "tree museum" and botanical research facility, and filled with birds and blooms that change with the season. In early April, our friend warned, we shouldn't expect to see a lot of flowers. Because it's still cold (indeed, it snowed for a few minutes that morning) and spring was still trying to wake up! But here, enough talk - come with us for a short walk...

Many of the trees in bloom were from China, Japan, South Korea - places where flowers are adapted to chilly spring weather. But, as we discovered, there's more to trees than their blossoms... 

Bark has wonderful texture, as do the sweetgum seedpods and the mosses and lichens growing on tree limbs.

Even so, the maples and magnolias were blooming (though the magnolias looked the worse for wear!)

And then, of course I just couldn't resist this splash of yellow!

This week, notice the trees where you walk.

WANTED: Trees - Dead or Alive!

Look at this - two books about trees, both published by Millbrook Press this month. One about a living tree, one about a dead tree, but with one thing in common: each supports a diverse community of living things.  

themes: trees, ecology, habitat

Whose Tree Is This? Poems About the Mighty Oak and Its Companions 

by Marilyn Singer; illus. by Julian Plum 

32 pages; ages 5-9

Millbrook Press, 2026

Whose tree is this? Reaching high, spreading wide…

It is an oak tree, gracious and spacious with acorns for eating, nooks for nests, and room for guests. Each spread introduces an animal, from insect to bird to bear to people that depends on the tree in some way. For some it is food, for others it is shelter, and for others it is both.

What I like about this book: Each poem is written from the perspective of the animal on the tree, accompanied by additional text that explains more about that animal. It’s fun to think about an oak from the point of view of a caterpillar munching its leaves! 

Detailed illustrations entice kids (and adults) to spend time studying the diversity of life on the tree, and the added information will encourage curious kids to go outside and see what they can find on and around a tree. I like that at the end, the tree notes that “we flourish when we form a community, when we live in unity together.” Back matter includes information om the oak tree life cycle, how to recognize an oak, and why we need them

What Good Is a Dead Tree: A Science Mystery 

words and photos by Doug Wechsler 

40 pages; ages 9-14

Millbrook Press, 2026

A mighty oak has fallen in the forest. But fifty years later, the only evidence that it was there is a dark mark on the forest floor. 

Your challenge, as a scientist, is to discover what happened to the tree and where it went. Author and photographer, Doug Wechsler provides lots of clues through photos of an oak undergoing decomposition decade by decade. The book begins with ... butt rot!

Chapter by chapter, year by year, readers discover what happens to the fallen oak. There are springtails and beetles, jellydiscs and fairy cups, carpenter ants and farting termites… all contributing to the eventual disappearance of the tree. Sidebars provide details about insects, bacteria, and slime molds. Photos show the culprits – er, decomposers in action. And back matter offers two hands-on investigations as well as links to videos. Doug Wechsler is an amazing naturalist, and reading this book is the next best thing to going on a walk in the woods with him. I know because I’ve had the pleasure of going on a nature walk with him.

Beyond the Books:

Get to know an oak tree. Spend some time watching it over the summer, and even through the fall and winter. What insects, birds, and other animals do you notice in your tree? If you need help identifying an oak tree, use a tree guide or check out this quick guide from wikihow.

If you are lucky enough to have a fallen tree nearby, take a good look at it. What do you see? Draw pictures of interesting fungi, plants, insects and other animals using the log. Sometimes, fungi will fruit when you least expect it. I found the coolest fungi on my dead tree during a warm break one January!

Check out the leaf litter beneath your oak tree. What do you find living there? Depending on the season, you might find springtails, beetle larvae, sleeping caterpillars, butterfly pupae, and maybe some cool fungi. Draw pictures of what you discover.

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. 

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 copies provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ April Showers

 It's been a rainy spring here in the northeast - and some mornings are still on the cold side. (Snow, anyone?) But spring flowers are shaking off the raindrops and holding their faces to the sun.

 

What spring flowers are blooming in your neighborhood? 

 

Two Fun Books to Tuck in a Tote

A couple of books came out last month and I think they’re perfect for spring.

Odd Bugs: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Insects 

by Laura Gehl; illus. by Gareth Lucas 

22 pages; ages 2-4

Abrams Appleseed, 2026   

A few years ago I chatted with Laura Gehl about her book Odd Beasts. This one is the third in her series of “nature’s oddballs” and it’s about my favorite critters: bugs!

Odd Bugs presents eight insects, each with a particular adaptation. Among them is a moth with painted wings, and a caterpillar that stings. There are ants that weave with silken strands and a butterfly whose wings look like panes of glass. And then there’s the robber fly – a true thief. Even their babies steal from other insects!

What I like about this book: Using fun and playful language, each spread presents a single bug. Read aloud, page by page, it’s a single poem about the insects. My favorite part is at the end where Laura points out that we don’t have six legs or antennae or wings or any of the buggy attributes they do. So … who’s the real weirdo? What’s more, this board book has Back Matter! Two spreads present additional information and photos of each insect featured. Laura will be one of the guests at the Annual Arthropod Roundtable over at the GROG on Earth Day, April 22nd.  (Review copy from the author)

What's the oddest bug you've ever seen? 

A spiky caterpillar? 

A moth the size of  a hummingbird? 

This summer, draw pictures of the truly odd bugs you find around your neighborhood.

Big Brain Puzzles: Plant Pandemonium! 

created by Camille Pichon 

10 pages; ages 6 and up

Twirl, 2026

Flowers, butterflies, earthworms … all in puzzles that mix things up. Spin the dials on a lily pad, pull butterfly tabs, slide worm parts through the soil to match the challenges. Five puzzles times nine different ways to play makes a total of 45 different challenges – adding up to complete pandemonium! Great for logic and problem-solving. (Review copy from Blue Slip Media)

Have fun!

Explore Outdoors ~ a salt marsh

 One of the things I try to do wherever I am is to find a bit of wild. Even if - especially if - I'm in an urban area. So the other day we drove down the shore drive to a small natural area in Quincy, MA: Passanageset Park at the Broad Meadows Marsh.

 

Passanageset Park boasts flat trails to and around the marsh, and signs that tell of the history of the Massachusett people who lived there long before European settlers arrived. Others describe the ecology and wildlife ... but on a windy day in late March there weren't any birds clinging to tall stems and calling.

A salt marsh is a coastal wetland that is flooded and drained by the tides. We were clearly there at low tide. 

 

 

 

This week find a piece of the wild where you are. 

 

Two Dinosaur Books

When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was my dad’s college geology text. I loved the drawings of dinosaur fossils and the renderings of how scientists (back in the last century) thought they might look. And now look – today I have two new(ish) books about dinosaurs and the scientists who study them.

theme: Dinosaurs, nature, fossils

Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery

Jane Kurtz, illus. by Giselle Potter

48 pages; ages 4-8

Beach Lane Books, 2026 

Mary Morland was born in a time of ribbons and lace, when small girls were seen as dainty, delicate decorations to make a room pretty.

But she was not one for sitting in a parlor – not when the whole wide world was waiting outside. She spent her days looking closely at plants and rocks … and drawing her observations in a journal. She collected fossils and shells, sent specimens and letters to Georges Cuvier (a famous French scientist). She drew pictures of bones from a Megalosaurus – the first dinosaur to have a name. Did she stop studying and drawing once she got married and had kids? No, she did not.

What I like about this book: I love that Jane Kurtz brings another woman of early dinosaur discoveries to the page. Mary Morland was a contemporary of Mary Anning, and yet few people have heard her name. Not surprising; in the 1800’s, women didn’t get credit for their discoveries. I like the emphasis on how Mary observed the plants and animals she saw, and how she drew her observations in her journal. And I like the back matter that tells more about Mary, and provides resources for curious young dinosaur hunters.

Dinosaur Secrets Revealed! How High-Tech Tools Spark Discoveries (Sandra Markle's Science Discoveries) 

by Sandra Markle 

48 pages; ages 9-12

‎Millbrook Press, 2025 

Are you ready to discover dinosaur secrets? If so, Sandra Markle invites you to dive in and follow the discoveries she reveals. Because, as she notes, new technology and high-tech tools not only allow scientists to study ancient bones in a new way, but allows scientist to ask new questions. Like…

How powerful was T. Rex’s bite? Load sensors, like those found in bathroom scales, combined with digital models and computer animation were put to use to solve the problem. Seven chapters address seven questions and introduce the technology used by modern paleontologists and their engineering partners. People are still digging bones out of rock millions of years old, but the technology to evaluate the bones continues to evolve! Back matter includes more dino information and resources for kids who want to dive deeper.

Beyond the Books:

Does your state have an official State Dinosaur? What about a State Fossil? Find out and create a stamp celebrating your state dino or fossil. My state has a fossil (yay!) but not a dino – and I want to know why not!

Draw what you see: an interesting leaf, a snail, a rock or a shell… something you can observe close up. You’ll need a sketch pad or some plain paper, and a good pencil. Colored pencils or crayons are great for adding colorful details.

Learn more about women paleontologists (scientists who study fossils) at this Museum of the Earth page.

Create your own dinosaur name  - and then make a picture of you as a dinosaur. Here’s a dino-name cheat sheet from PBS. 

Thanks for dropping by today. 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. 

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 copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ First Spring Rain

 Spring officially started this past weekend, and I've been waiting for sunshine and warmer weather for so long! So of course, it rained. And so, of course, I went walking outside between showers  ... 

What do you see when you go outside after rain?

Saving Seeds For the Future

Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Megan Clendenan, illus by Brittany Cicchese 

32 pages; ages 5-8

Charlesbridge, 2025  

theme: nonfiction, conservation, seeds, food

Only eight hundred miles from the North Pole, away from wars and weapons, safe from earthquakes, fire, and even an asteroid, buried deep in the Earth on an island in Norway, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault holds priceless treasure.

That treasure is seeds … more than 580 million of them, frozen and held for the future “just in case.” Seeds are the foundation of our food supply, says Megan Clendenan, but they are also our history. People have been planting seeds for thousands of years! Seeds are also our future, providing genetic material for future crops in case of a disaster. In this book, Megan takes us into the designing and construction of this seed vault. 

What I like about this book: I like how Megan describes a walk down the aisles of the vault as “a walk through the world.” There are seeds from almost every country. I like the short sidebars that take a deeper dive into some aspect of the vault (visits from polar bears and Arctic foxes) or practical use of the seeds (restoring crops to fields after a war). And I like the back matter, in which Megan explains in more detail why having “backup copies” of seeds and a diversity of varieties is so critical to the future of agriculture. Or, as I call it, “food.”

Beyond the Books:

Save your own seeds. “The best way to save seeds for the future is to grow them yourself,” writes Megan. And saving some kinds of seeds is pretty easy – especially seeds from lettuce, beans, peas, and flowers. 

Does your library have a “seed library?” Many libraries do, and it’s fun to “check out” seeds, plant them, and “return” a packet of saved seeds.

Make seed envelopes for seeds you save. Check out my activity guide for The Pie that Molly Grew for how to fold an origami seed envelope. Remember to label them with the kind of plant and the date you collected the seeds. 

Swap seeds with your friends. If you buy a pack of seeds, you might only need a few. So divide those extra seeds into home-made seed envelopes and host a seed swap event this spring.

Megan is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her at her website www.meganclendenan.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM at www.steamteambooks.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 copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ the last acorn

 

While walking around a park in Salt Lake City a couple weeks ago, I noticed all the scrubby oaks had empty acorn caps attached at the ends of the twigs. It makes sense - jays and other animals would have snacked on the yummy nuts all winter.

 

But why did the acorns fall without their caps on?

 

 

The oaks are getting ready for spring, even as this particular tree holds onto a few leaves and this one last acorn.

 

 

 

This week as you walk around your neighborhood, look at the trees. Are any of them still holding tight to last year's leaves or nuts?  

A Tale of Two Butterflies

 

Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal 

by Melissa Stewart; illus. by Sarah S. Brannen 

48 pages; ages 4-8

‎Beach Lane Books, 2026

themes: nature, butterflies, art

 Look, a monarch!

 Bright orange wings

 keep it safe.

The first spread opens with a comparison and contrast of two butterflies you might find in your backyard: the monarch and the mourning cloak. The monarch is bright orange – a warning to predators that it is poisonous and they should stay away. The mourning cloak is brown – it blends in with the bark of trees so predators have a hard time finding it.

Monarch and mourning cloak are as different as two butterflies can be: one flies south in the winter and the other one snuggles under bark to hibernate. And yet they are surprisingly similar: they hatch from eggs, eat leaves, and undergo metamorphosis.

But this book is more than just an ordinary butterfly book. It’s a nature sketch book, a poetry journal, and an invitation to observe nature more closely. An invitation to engage with the world outside your door. An invitation to grab a sketchbook and head outside.

What I like love about this book: So Many Things! Beginning with the end pages: On the front end pages we meet the Monarch: there’s a quick overview of its life cycle, sketches of it in different stages of its life, and a range map showing where you’re likely to find monarch butterflies. The back end pages introduce the Mourning Cloak butterfly. 

Even before you get into the book, there’s front matter – a letter to readers explaining that this book is a collage of poetry and artwork that not only captures the lives of the butterflies, but shows the creative process Melissa Stewart and Sarah Brannen went through over the few years of creating the book.

Spreads reveal the secrets of the two butterflies in poetry and sketches, along with notes about when and where the butterfly observations took place, annotated illustrations, and even some color palates. These are pages that you’ll want to spend time on, because there is so much to discover. I am absolutely astounded by the awesome renderings of the spiky caterpillars.

There’s luscious language. “Changing, rearranging” – what better description of metamorphosis can you think of?

And there’s back matter (which of course I always love!) beginning with a section about “the joy of journaling” and how to create a sketchbook. And of course there’s more about butterflies, caterpillar time, and some great resources for kids who want to know more. This is a book that I would definitely have in my classroom (and I taught high school bio!). I don’t usually give stars, but I give this one 5 Butterflies.

I’ll be chatting with Melissa and other authors about their buggy books over at the Annual Arthropod Roundtable at the GROG  on Earth Day, April 22.

Beyond the Books:

Make a butterfly journal. This is a quick fold and “pamphlet sew” binding – and I usually use a piece of paper bag as a cover for mine. Directions are here.

Draw pictures of the butterflies and caterpillars you see fluttering (or crawling) around your yard this summer. The first ones I see are the mourning cloaks; they emerge from hibernation and are fluttering about before other butterflies. You don’t have to be exact, but if you can color in the wings, it helps you remember what you saw.

Write a poem about a butterfly you observe. Write a poem about a caterpillar you watch. 

Plant some native flowers for the butterflies in your area. An excellent resource is the XERCES Society.

Melissa is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her at her website melissa-stewart.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM at www.steamteambooks.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 Blue Slip Media.

Explore Outdoors ~ More Galls!

 Last week I was hiking in Wasatch Hollow, a small nature preserve tucked behind a neighborhood in Salt Lake City. It felt like spring was nudging winter out, and we listened to the sparrows and a cooper's hawk. I'd noticed some interesting galls on the oak twigs and at the tips of the rose bushes. These are, as I understand it, galls caused by wasps. 

 

 

 

This one is called a mossy rose gall - and it does sort of look like moss growing at the end, doesn't it?

 

Now, before flower and leaf buds burst open, is the perfect time to see galls on bushes and trees. 

 

Can you find any galls in your neighborhood?

 

Home, Sweet Home

Today I've got a couple books about animal homes to share. Our theme: animals, nature, environment. 

Who Nests Here? 

by Karen Jameson; illus. by Ramona Kaulitzki 

48 pages; ages 4-8

‎Beach Lane Books, 2026 

 Who nests here?

Whose baby bed? 

Whose family home? 

Whose winter shed?

Spread by spread readers are introduced to visual clues and invited to guess the animal that each home belongs to. Constructed from mud and sand, rock and snow, and nests high in trees, they shelter a diversity of insects and crabs, frogs and squirrels, fish and foxes. 

What I like about this book: I like the “nature detective” feel of this book. One spread shows three homes – as in the spread below: a nest of twigs, a swelling on a twig, a nest of leaves. It invites the reader to study and make a guess before turning the page. I like that the rhyming text, and the space on the page that provides room for imagining. And I like the back matter where kids can find out more about animals that nest in mud or water, rocks or snow.

This is such a cute book that I had to ask Karen One Question:

me: Where do you nest? 

Karen: I write lyrical picture books from my cozy treetop “nest” in Southern California. My nest is filled with treasured book friends - George and Martha, Chrysanthemum,  Blue on Blue, Pug and Pig, Over and Under the Snow, Home in the Woods and many more. Baskets, bookcases, bins and shelves overflow with stories waiting to be savored. A big, soft, double wide reading chair is where I oftentimes dream and draft my stories. Other times, it is a story nest for me and a grandchild or two. We settle into books and snuggles as time slips away. 

My window seat is the best spot for gazing at the happenings outside. Sometimes the garden calls to me. I wander downstairs and out to the backyard to drink in the scented air of lemon trees, roses, geraniums, bottle brush, pink crepe myrtle blossoms and buds galore. The bees are visiting too, as are glorious, shimmering hummingbirds. In warm weather, small lizards bask on the planters doing push ups and chasing one another. I gather a few blooms, fill a small vase, and bring this little bit of heaven up to my nest to dream some more.

Thank you, Karen. That sounds positively delightful! After digging around in my book basket, I found another book about animal homes. This one is written in poetry.

Home 

by Isabelle Simler; translated by Vineet Lal 

68 pages; ages 6-9

‎Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024

Here’s my little house, 

hanging from the tip of a willow branch, 

just like a fruit.

From bird nests to an octopus den, woven webs to shell-covered homes, readers are taken around the world to see how animals build their homes. Each poem offers clues to animal lives, and back matter provides more information about each creature. The intricate illustrations invite one to linger on the page.

Beyond the Books:

Look for places where animals in your neighborhood make their homes. Where do you notice ants? What about wasps? Do you notice squirrel nests in trees or gopher holes in your yard?

Build a fairy house out of natural materials you find outside: branches from an old Christmas tree, dried leaves, twigs, stones…  

Imagine your life curled up in a leaf or under a stone. Write a poem or draw a picture about what that would be like.

Create a cozy den or nest for yourself either inside or outside. I’m partial to pillow and blanket forts!

Karen is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her at her karenljameson.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and www.steamteambooks.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 copies provided by the publishers.