There’s more Earth Day reading to be discovered!
Water : Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us, by Olga Fadeeva, Translated by Lena Traer, (April 2024, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780802856227
Ages 8-13
Never let it be said that beautiful picture books are only for younger readers. This informative book about water has beautiful illustrations and is loaded with information about water: how much of it is on Earth; why it rains; why it’s so powerful, even how we get the water for our tea (or coffee!). Touching on the scientific and historical, Fadeeva answers questions with direct, easy-to-read factual text and backs it up with numbers that will put things into context: for instance, letting a faucet run while you’re brushing your teeth? That wastes about 2.6 gallons (10 liters) of water per minute! Jellyfish are composed mostly of water: 99%, to be exact, while a watermelon is 96% water. Fadeeva takes great care to make readers aware that we need to protect this amazing resource for our future: only 3% of the world’s water is fresh, unsalted water; of that, 1% of the world’s fresh water is accessible for human use. Fadeeva offers tips for conserving water and discusses issues impacting our world’s water supply, like microplastics and climate change. Colorful acrylic illustration accompanies the text and keeps readers tuned into the pages. Water is a companion book to Wind: Discovering Air in Motion (2023) and includes characters from the book.
Home, by Isabelle Simler, Translated by Vineet Lal, (March 2024, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780802856203Ages 5-9
Visit the homes of 27 different animals in this gorgeous book. From the comet moth’s silky apartment to the common tailbird’s haute couture bedchamber, Simler adds wit and playfulness to her subjects, each animal describing their dwelling in verse. The red ovenbird says, of their Mud Bungalow, “I sculpt it, layer by layer, like a potter. / And hidden under its clay dome you’ll find its distinctive feature”, while the carrier snail delights in its shell-covered shelter: “The exhibition’s taking place on the outside. / My cabinet of curiosities can be visited at any time”. Lush digital illustrations have deep natural colors and incredible texture, and back matter includes a glossary and recommended resources. This is the Architectural Digest of the animal world, complete with endpapers boasting blueprints of companion human dwellings. This one is a delightful choice for nonfiction collections.
Home has starred reviews from Booklist and Shelf Awareness.
Lola Meets the Bees, by Anna McQuinn/Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, (Apr. 2024, Charlesbridge), $16.99, ISBN: 9781623543839
Ages 3-6
A new Lola book in time for Earth Day! This time, Lola and her mom are off to meet Zora, a friend of Lola’s mother, who is also a beekeeper! The three have lunch together as Lola watches the bees go from flower to flower, and then it’s time for Lola to don a special suit so that Zora can give her an up-close look at the hive. Beardshaw’s cheerful illustrations pair with McQuinn’s simple and engaging narrative, giving readers an introduction to beekeeping and bee colonies; as Zora gives Lola seeds to plant and create a “small wild place” for bees of her own, McQuinn raises awareness of a major problem facing bee colonies: the growing lack of wild spaces where they can live and proliferate. Lola Meets the Bees is another wonderful Lola story and a terrific Earth Day selection.
Anna McQuinn’s website has a section dedicated to Lola’s activities with flowers, if you need extension ideas for Earth Day or Lola storytimes.