We're spotlighting three lovely children's picture books that will help them to learn about this beautiful world we inhabit, celebrate Spring and warmer days filled with bird song, flowers, and sunshine, and discover beauty that abounds.
During the Covid-19 world-wide time of uncertainties and that which can lay the groundwork for despair and fear, we can be thankful that the joyful season of Spring envelopes us. These three books will be beautiful aids for parents to use to help impart moments of joy in the hearts and minds of their little ones.
The Stars Just Up the Street by Sue Soltis and illustrated by Christine Davenier (Hardcover ISBN: 9780763698348, Ages 4-8)
Earth Day – 4/22
My thoughts: It all began with a little girl who loved to look at the stars and count them. Then she learned that there were thousands. But she couldn't see them because of lights in houses and on streets. So began her quest to have a time when she and others could enjoy the wonders of the thousands of stars visible in the dark, new-moon phase sky.
A lovely thought and perhaps this will entice people in towns and cities to dim or turn off the lights for a period so people can actually see the magnificent night sky.
Our world and the heavens above are awesome and children need an opportunity to see and explore. Lights out time might be a good start for seeing the expanse of stars above us.
About the book: Mabel loves stars. She counts five from her window and thirty-seven from her backyard. But her grandfather tells her that, as a child, he could see thousands. Could it be true? Mabel climbs a hill looking for more stars — only to discover that the glow from the nearby town makes them hard to see. What would it take for her neighbors to turn off their lights, just for one night, so that everyone could see the starlit sky? Sue Soltis’s tale of a young activist and Christine Davenier’s luminous illustrations will leave readers curious about the dark-sky movement — and the wonder that is waiting for them just up the street.
The Nest That Wren Built by Randi Sonenshine and illustrated by Anne Hunter (Hardcover ISBN: 9781536201536, Ages 4-8)
Go Birding Day – 4/28
My thoughts: The author takes the familiar "This is the house that Jack built" rhyme and adapts it beautifully to the Carolina Wren's nest building. I'm a "Carolina girl" so reading a picture book about a "Carolina bird" so beautifully written and illustrated is dear to my heart.
The wren is a little brown bird and this beautiful book is painted with the natural hues of soft browns and greens. While a fun and gracious book to read, it is definitely educational and doesn't even claim to be such. I knew birds used twigs, sticks, leaves, moss, and bits of string and fluff - even hair - as building materials. What I learned, though, was that they even use spider egg orbs to provide extermination services to protect their little birdies.
I definitely recommend this book and believe that the season of nest building, birds chirping, and birds flitting here and there, it is the absolute perfect time to read to your little ones and show them the beauty of a bird nesting.
About the book: In the rhyming style of “The House That Jack Built,” this poem about the care and specificity that Carolina wrens put into building a nest is at once tender and true to life. Papa and Mama Wren gather treasures of the forest, from soft moss for a lining to snakeskin for warding off predators. Randi Sonenshine’s lilting stanzas, woven with accurate and unexpected details about Carolina wrens, and Anne Hunter’s gentle, inviting illustrations reveal the mysterious lives of these birds and impart an appreciation for the wonder of the life cycles around us. Back matter includes a glossary and additional interesting facts about wrens.
Seeds By Carme Lemniscates (Hardcover ISBN: 9781536208443, Ages 2-5)
Earth Day - 4/22
My thoughts: This is a beautifully illustrated, though not elaborate in style, book. The text gently takes the reader, or young listener, through the amazing life cycle of a seed that replicates the journey of any and all seeds around the world. The amazing explosion of one seed into hundreds but only after it has been planted in its place.
The author doesn't just speak of the plant world but gracefully transitions into a sweet application of the seed being planted to how people, too, are like seeds in that they plant and propagate in many ways. The way they behave and associate with others with anger, smiles, gentle behavior, harsh behavior, sharing is mirrored in society.
As a plant seed only reproduces what it is, so we reproduce or plant our own manners and behavior. A strong, simple, beautiful story with a lot of punch.
About the book: Some seeds are whisked away by the wind, while others are carried by creatures to their destinations. Once seeds find their spot, they go through breathtaking transformations, multiplying in number and size and thriving in even the most unseemly places. We humans plant seeds, too, and with care we can cultivate and nurture something wonderful, whether by sowing a seed in the earth or by choosing our own seeds of kindness to spread around. With gorgeous, welcoming illustrations, the creator of Trees and Birds presents another ode to the beauty around and within us.
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DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary copies from Candlewick Press to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine alone and are freely given. Winner's copy is provided by and shipped directly to the winner by Candlewick.
