Award Winning and Notable Children's Books PreK - 8

Long before its establishment as a national park in 1872, Yellowstone was home to the gray wolf, as well as other large predators. But the relationship between human and wolf has always been a tense and complicated one. Predator control programs were developed and, by the mid-1900s, wolves had almost been entirely eliminated from the region and even the lower United States. The removal of even one strand of an ecosystem's complex web can have a ripple effect, though.

Quirky charm infuses this tale of Old Rock's life story, which is much more exciting than you'd expect. Old Rock has been sitting in the same spot in the pine forest for as long as anyone can remember. Spotted Beetle, Tall Pine, and Hummingbird think just sitting there must be boring, but they are in for a wonderful surprise.

A beautiful, lyrical story which explores the problem of plastic in the ocean, and the challenges facing marine life. Little Turtle loves the ocean with her whole heart. As the years pass, she repeats an incredible journey across the world to the beautiful coral reefs. But one day she finds that plastic has invaded her beloved ocean. Could Turtle's journey be over forever?

The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . .In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see?

Jojo is prepping for an exciting night; it's time for the bat count! Bats have always been a welcome presence during the summers in the family barn. But over the years, the numbers have dwindled as many bats in the area caught white-nose syndrome. Jojo and her family count the bats and send the numbers to scientists who study bats, to see if the bat population can recover. On a summer evening, the family quietly makes their way to the lawn to watch the sky and count the visitors to their farm.

Unearth the true story of green-thumbed pioneer and activist Kate Sessions, who helped San Diego grow from a dry desert town into a lush, leafy city known for its gorgeous parks and gardens. Katherine Olivia Sessions never thought she'd live in a place without trees. After all, Kate grew up among the towering pines and redwoods of Northern California. But after becoming the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science, she took a job as a teacher far south in the dry desert town of San Diego. Where there were almost no trees. Kate decided that San Diego needed trees more than anything else. So this trailblazing young woman singlehandedly started a massive movement that transformed the town into the green, garden-filled oasis it is today. Now, more than 100 years after Kate first arrived in San Diego, her gorgeous gardens and parks can be found all over the city.

What child hasn't longed to bring a wild creature into the family home and keep it as a pet? This book helps children understand why that's not a good idea. The story begins with a wild treefrog living happily in the plants on a family's porch. Told from the frog's perspective, the narrative portrays his discomfort when he is mistakenly brought inside in the fall. In the happy ending, the family returns the frog to the outdoors where he can hibernate, and the child in the family looks forward to listening for the frog's song in the spring.

Explore the secret world beneath the dirt that brings the world of nature to life: Up in the garden, the world is full of green--leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt exists a busy world--earthworms dig, snakes hunt, skunks burrow--populated by all the animals that make a garden their home. With Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, you can explore the hidden world and many lives of a garden through the course of a year! * Follow a young girl and her grandmother as they journey through the year planning, planting, and harvesting their garden--and learn about what's happening in the dirt to help make it all happen.

When Maple is tiny, her parents plant a maple tree in her honor. She and her tree grow up together, and even though a tree doesn't always make an ideal playmate, it doesn't mind when Maple is in the mood to be loud--which is often. Then Maple becomes a big sister, and finds that babies have their loud days, too. Fortunately, Maple and her beloved tree know just what the baby needs.

Die cut pages bring surprise after surprise in this magical new book from the "Queen of the concept book" - an intricate and satisfying homage to green, the color of all creation. How many kinds of green are there? There's the lush green of a forest on a late spring day, the fresh, juicy green of a just-cut lime, the incandescent green of a firefly, and the vivid aquamarine of a tropical sea.

Pioneering world traveler, writer, photographer, and peace advocate Eliza Scidmore dreamed of beautifying the nation's capital, where she lived. Her dream became a reality in 1912 when, because of her years of persistence, cherry trees were planted across Washington, DC. This picture book for young readers tells the inspiring story.

"I declare, Emmy," said Gramma. "That mimosa tree is a lot like you. Stubborn and strong and a little bit wild." Emmy loves trees. She loves oak trees with acorns. She loves pine trees with cones, and willow trees with swishy branches. But best of all, Emmy loves the mimosa tree that grows in her grandmother's pasture. So when Emmy decides she wants a mimosa tree of her own for her birthday, she is dismayed to find that many garden stores only sell ornamental trees like plum or pear or tulip trees. Emmy is crushed--until she discovers that the answer to her problem is growing right before her eyes!

Jason Chin's Redwoods tells the story of a boy who discovers a book about redwoods and finds himself in their midst as he turns the pages. An ordinary train ride becomes and extraordinary trip to the great ancient forests. A subway trip is transformed when a young boy happens upon a book about redwood forests. As he reads the information unfolds, and with each new bit of knowledge, he travels--all the way to California to climb into the Redwood canopy.

One summer morning, a flock of monarch butterflies alights on John Farrington's house and changes his life forever.Now that the meadows have become mini-malls and the forests are turned into parking lots, the butterflies need a new home. Can John lead them to another refuge?

When a tiny snail meets a humpback whale, the two travel together to far-off lands. It's a dream come true for the snail, who has never left home before. But when the whale swims too close to shore, will the snail be able to save her new friend?

Jesse's grandfathers have both passed away, but she'll never forget the magical summer she spends walking in the country with Daniel--her third grandfather. Jesse knows her two grandfathers only through the stories her parents share. One died before she was born; the other lived long enough to visit her when she was a baby. When Jesse and her parents spend two weeks in the country, she is drawn to Daniel, an old man who carries a walking stick. Together, Jesse and Daniel hike through the woods, cross streams, and ascend hills. When Jesse returns to the city with her parents, she has her own walking stick and vivid stories and sweet memories of the summer she spent with her third grandfather.

An outstanding book for young naturalists Floy Hutchings, also known as Squirrel, is the daughter of the man who opened the first hotel in the Yosemite Valley in the 1860s. She has to fend for herself much of the time and is considered wild by her family and her father's guests. When the future naturalist John Muir is hired as a carpenter, Floy becomes his inquisitive shadow as he builds himself a cabin over a stream, talks to flowers, and listens to snow. Floy, determined never to grow up because she'd have to be a lady, and Muir, searching nature for a way to live free of society's expectations, are primed to find common ground.

The remarkable true story of a one-of-a-kind survivor. One lone tortoise lived a simple life on Pinta Island in the Galapagos Islands of the Pacific Ocean. Then visiting fishermen introduced goats to the unique island, which completely disrupted the ecosystem. One lone tortoise stubbornly clung to life, even after his fellow tortoises disappeared slowly. Then, years after it was believed that all Pinta Island tortoises were extinct, scientists discovered one lone tortoise among the rocky hills of the now barren land. The scientists named this miraculous survivor "Lonesome George" and brought him to the Darwin Research Station, where they hoped to find him a mate. Even though George has remained a steadfast bachelor while waiting for a Pinta Island mate, he is an inspiration for survival as well as a living reminder of the terrible price of extinction.

When he loses his fish trap on the bottom of the bay, Ben fears what forms of ocean life may lurk beneath his rowboat--until Sophie introduces her reluctant friend to the hidden splendor of what he's been missing: Giant Kelp, a myriad of fish, and the colossal surprise of coming eye-to-eye with a whale.

Before the word "dinosaur" was even coined, a young girl discovered a remarkable skeleton on the rocky beach at Lyme Regis in England. Thus began a lifelong passion for an extraordinary woman who became one of the first commercial fossil collectors. Born in 1799, Mary Anning spent a lifetime teaching herself about fossils and combing the rugged ribbon of shore near her home. Her work yielded an astounding treasure trove: fossils of long-extinct creatures that thrilled customers in her shop and excited early paleontologists. Blind to the dangers of fossil-hunting and to the limitations imposed on women of her era, Mary Anning was a singular scientist who used her sharp eyes and clear mind to compose a picture of ancient life from the bones she unearthed.

Inspired by a passage from Henry David Thoreau's WALDEN, this wonderfully appealing story follows two friends who have very different approaches to life. When the two agree to meet one evening in Fitchburg, which is thirty miles away, each decides to get there in his own way and have surprisingly different days.

An informative and creative tale about a fallen oak tree in the forest, teaching young readers about the various purposes it serves in the ecosystem during every step of its life cycle. One stormy day a strong wind rages through the forest, causing an old oak tree to bend and sway. Lightning strikes; the tree crashes to the ground. Now it's a giant log.

How do our individual actions affect the world? From the Caldecott Honor author Molly Bang, author-illustrator of the critically acclaimed Sunlight Series, this is a simple story of our planet's natural resources. Through the example of a shared village green and the growing needs of the townspeople who share it, Molly Bang presents the challenge of handling our planet's natural resources. With jewel-like paintings and simple text, Bang impresses upon us the urgency of conserving and preserving our earth's limited bounty.