Read and Wonder Books
One of a series of non-fiction picture books about the real animal, vegetable, mineral world, written from a personal viewpoint, that aim to mix facts with feelings and encourage children to think, feel and imagine, as they learn.
Equally majestic as the biggest animal that has ever lived — the Big Blue Whale. Read and Wonder books tell stories, take children on adventures, and reveal how big and WONDER-full the natural world really is. Back matter includes an index.
After a lone hungry wolf finds companions whose combined strength drags down an old moose, the entire pack sleeps through a blizzard and dreams of the return of spring
From spring to fall with the help of her grandfather, Jody learns to plant, care for, harvest, prepare, and eat some runner beans, in a gentle story about the cycle of life.
"Part picture book for pleasure reading. . . . and part practical how-to, this dramatic account is the next best thing to setting up a hatchery of your own." — Family Fun When a mother brings her daughter to a pond to collect some frog spawn, the little girl isn’t sure what to expect. Day after day she checks on the jellylike bubbles until the black dots in their centers turn into slippery tadpoles, sprouting bumps that turn to stumps that become legs with webby feet. The engaging narrative and colorful illustrations accurately evoke each stage of a frog’s growth, in a story that will inspire children to roll up their sleeves and experience firsthand the wonders of the natural world. Back matter includes an index.
Through text and illustration, children follow a river and the lives it touches while on its path from the source, a mountain spring, to the end, the open sea.
BAT LOVES THE NIGHT takes the reader on a bat's journey through a hushed nocturnal world. As nighttime falls, a pipistrelle bat awakens and swoops into the shadows to find her evening meal. But as morning's light creeps across the sky, the bat returns to her baby in the roost—and waits for night to come again. Gracefully illustrated by Sarah Fox-Davies, Nicola Davies's quiet story is laced with information about these fascinating and mysterious creatures of the night.
An entertaining, educational look at the everyday life of a family of elephants - who never forget who’s in charge. Elephants are the biggest animals on land, and they live in big families, too. So who can possibly keep them in line? Grandma! After all, she’s been around long enough to know where all the best watering holes are, how to gather the tastiest food, and how to sniff out danger. In lively prose interspersed with fun facts (did you know that an adult elephant eats 1,000 pounds of food a day?), Martin Jenkins spins a striking story about this no-nonsense matriarch and her remarkable brood, while Ivan Bates brings the great beasts to rumbling, tumbling, lumbering life.
One of nature’s most magical sights emerges from camouflage in this evocative, informative story about a mother tiger in the wild. Moving smooth as a river, her stripy coat bright as fire, a mother tiger runs, then vanishes into the tall grass. With plate-sized paws and a pink nose the size of your fist, she hunts and swims, cares for her cubs, and teaches them all her tiger tricks. In a lyrical narrative interspersed with many intriguing facts, Nick Dowson reveals the hidden ways of a wild tigress and her cubs, while Jane Chapman brings the mysterious creatures to rippling, roaring life.
Follow the path of the awe-inspiring polar bear as it strives to survive in an age-old Arctic habitat threatened by global warming. Huge, magnificent, and solitary, a polar bear moves through the frozen Arctic. Powerful hunter, tireless swimmer, tender mother, gentle playmate — she is superbly adapted for surviving, even thriving, in this harsh and icy climate. Written in poetic language interspersed with fascinating facts, Nicola Davies' breathtaking tale of this massive, stark white animal is brought to life in striking paintings by Gary Blythe. Just as the Inuit people have watched and learned from this amazing creature for generations, readers are invited to witness the majesty of Ice Bear. Back matter includes a note about polar bears and an index.
Discover the secrets of the endangered sea horse - one of nature's most mysterious fish - through Chris Butterworth's clear, engaging text and the intricate engravings of award-winning illustrator John Lawrence. Dive into the warm ocean and swim around amid the coral and waving sea grass. Do you see an eye like a small black bead peering out at you? Linger for a while and discover the secrets of the sea horse - one of the shyest fish in the sea. With a head like a horse, a tail like a monkey, and a pouch like a kangaroo, the sea horse acts like a chameleon, changing color to ward off danger or to show that he and his mate are a lifelong pair. Watch their fascinating mating dance, as the two of them twine their tails together and twirl, before she places her eggs in his pouch to be born. Could there be a more intriguing creature of the sea?
"Stunning pictures and engaging words. . . . An accomplished entrée to early science topics." — BOOKLIST (starred review) Dive into the warm ocean and swim around amid the coral and waving sea grass. Do you see an eye like a small black bead peering out at you? Linger for a while and discover the secrets of the sea horse - one of the shyest fish in the sea. With a head like a horse, a tail like a monkey, and a pouch like a kangaroo, the sea horse acts like a chameleon, changing color to ward off danger or to show that he and his mate are a lifelong pair. Watch their fascinating mating dance, as the two of them twine their tails together and twirl, before she places her eggs in his pouch to be born. Could there be a more intriguing creature of the sea? Back matter includes an index, and a note about sea horses.
A young boy encounters some fascinating facts — and even more intriguing questions — in this lively ode to curiosity. "This brief tale simply and succinctly sums up how much is still unknowable in the scientific world, while also acknowledging how much can be proven through study." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Budding paleontologists will be inspired." — Booklist Back matter includes an index and a note about T. rex.
An award-winning author and illustrator swoop into the wondrous world of the barn owl. A young girl and her grandfather look for a barn owl night after night. Will a distinctive heart-shaped face appear at the window? Michael Foreman’s lush, intimate paintings are a perfect companion to Nicola Davies’s lyrical text featuring intriguing facts about a rare bird indeed.
Young readers will definitely catch the bug when they see this enticing, fact-filled invitation to explore the world of insects.A Junior Library Guild SelectionRight now, all around us, thousands of insects are doing strange and wonderful things: wasps are building nests, ants are collecting food, and dragonflies are readying for the hunt. But it’s not always easy to catch sight of these six-legged creatures: you have to know where to look. Guided by this book, readers will happily become insect detectives and find out just what those bugs are up to.Book Details:Format: HardcoverPublication Date: 2/23/2010Pages: 32Reading Level: Age 5 and Up
Here’s to nature’s recyclers! Kids will burrow right into this book about the industrious — and danger-filled — life of the delightfully yucky earthworm. Who would want to be friends with a wiggly, slimy worm? You can’t even tell which end is which! But there’s more to these lowly creatures than meets the eye. Kids are invited to find out where worms live, see how they move, and understand why gardeners consider them friends with the help of this humorous and informative look at an unappreciated — and fascinating — creature.
Swim with a baby dolphin as he learns to survive — and play — in an engaging story splashed with facts and buoyed by bright illustrations.Pop! Tail first, head last, Dolphin is born into the blue. He’s brand new, but helped by his mother, he swims up, up, up to take his first breath. Readers are invited to join the baby calf as he follows his mom and discovers all there is to know about life under the sea, from catching his first fish to learning how to say his name with his very own whistle. Nicola Davies’s lyrical narrative and intriguing facts are accompanied by Brita Granström’s colorful illustrations, pulsing with the energy and movement of dolphins in their natural habitat.Book Details:Format: HardcoverPublication Date: 4/10/2012Pages: 32Reading Level: Age 5 and Up
Follow the deadly python as she slithers in search of a meal in this riveting nature story that is not for the faint of heart. Python stirs and slithers out from her shelter, smelling the air with her forked tongue. It’s time to molt her dull scales and reveal the glistening snake underneath. Gliding along a tree, she stops and watches very, very closely as a bird drops onto a branch — and escapes the razor-sharp teeth just in time. But Python is hungry, so she slides on to stalk new prey. Combining informative facts, expressive illustrations, and a lyrical, mesmerizing narrative, here is a book to captivate anyone fascinated by this iconic creature. Back matter includes information about pythons and an index.
Follow a gray seal on a journey from sand to sea in an engaging, richly illustrated story with surefire kid appeal. On the shore, a seal looks like a slow, dozy creature that spends its time lazing around or flumping along the sand. But underwater, it’s a different story. Splash! Seal dives deep, with a body just the right shape to shoot through the water and power down with his back flippers. He slips through a seaweed forest, and — sensing a predator nearby — dives even deeper to stay safe. Finally it’s time to make a sudden twist and turn to catch his fishy dinner. Merging a lyrical narrative sprinkled with fascinating facts and aww-inspiring illustrations, here is one nature adventure that’s hard to resist. Back matter includes an index.
There are so many kinds of frogs in the world — more than 5,000! — and all of them are fabulous. Huge frogs, tiny frogs, hairy frogs, and flying frogs hop through the pages of this colorful nonfiction book. Discover the Goliath frog, biggest in the world, and the Darwin’s frog, which has a pointy nose and holds its tadpoles in its mouth until they are big enough to care for themselves. Learn why some frogs are brightly colored, and which one can bury itself in the desert until rain comes. Curious minds will jump at the chance to explore all kinds of frogs, from the most exotic to the greenish-brown specimens in their own backyards.
If you have a new dog companion—or want to adopt one—here’s a story full of facts that tells you everything you need to know. There’s nothing more exciting than getting a dog! Join Sophie’s new human family as they prepare their home for her and introduce her to life as a beloved pet. Follow along as they learn about bedding and bowls, treats and training, walks and washing—and even an unexpected dog show! Factual notes run alongside the simple story, offering tips that will help turn tentative dog adopters into doting experts.