June 20, 2009 at 4:30 pm (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, nature, picture books, profound messages)
Title: Frederick
Author/ Illustrator: Leo Lionni
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-0-590-97939-9
ISBN-10: 0-590-97939-6
Summary: Frederick the field mouse confuses his family when he does not work to set aside food for the winter months. Instead Frederick insists that he is gathering memories to share during the cold, bleak months ahead. When winter hunger and boredom hit the family, they call on Frederick to share his gifts.
Butterfly’s notes: This is a beautiful story about valuing all different kinds of work. Frederick may not seem to be much help during the autumn work, but he proves valuable to have around come winter. This is a Caldecott Honor Book.
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, nature, picture books, profound messages
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June 20, 2009 at 4:12 pm (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, nature, picture books, profound messages)
Title: Swimmy
Author/ Illustrator: Leo Lionni
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN-13: 987-0-590-43049-4
ISBN-10: 0-590-43049-1
Summary: After a personal tragedy, the small fish Swimmy learns to vanquish fear through adventure.
Butterfly’s notes: This Caldecott Honor Book features colorful, imaginative illustrations. It would be fun to try re-creating Lionni’s artistic style with kids after reading the book.
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, nature, picture books, profound messages
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June 15, 2009 at 9:12 pm (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, picture books, poetry)
Title: A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk
Author: Deborah Ruddell
Illustrator: Joan Rankin
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN-13: 987-1-4169-4211-5
ISBN- 10: 1-4169-4211-4
Summary: Hilarious poetry about several different forest animals!
Butterfly’s Notes: Goofy illustrations accompany these cute poems about animals found in Eastern woodlands. The only out-of-place animal is the badger, but his poem is so adorable that you’ll forgive him right away!
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, pictures books, poetry
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January 22, 2009 at 11:01 am (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, picture books, profound messages)
Title: The Mixed-Up Chameleon
Author/ Illustrator: Eric Carle
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
ISBN: 0-690-04396-1
0-690-04397-X (lib. bdg.)
0-06-443162-2 (pbk.)
Summary: A chameleon at a zoo envies the traits of other animals and imagines what it might look like if it had the skills and body parts of other animals.
Butterfly’s notes: It may be fun to imagine, but at the end of the book the chameleon realizes it would be better off to remain a chameleon. Though it may still wish it had the abilities of other animals, the chameleon finds it is happy to be itself.
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, pictures books, profound messages
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January 22, 2009 at 10:50 am (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, nature, picture books)
Title: The Very Busy Spider
Author/ Illustrator: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books
ISBN: 0-399-21166-7
Summary: A small spider works very hard all day to create a beautiful web.
Butterfly’s notes: We often consider spiders to be scary, but the spider in this story is graceful and hard-working. Children will love the web in this story because it is three-dimensional on each page so they can trace it with their fingers.
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, nature, picture books
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January 22, 2009 at 10:43 am (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, picture books)
Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Author/ Illustrator: Eric Carle
Publisher: Philomel Books
ISBN: 0-399-20853-4
Summary: The story of a caterpillar from egg to adult and the various (silly) things he eats.
Butterfly’s notes: A clever layout makes this book enjoyable to kids. Also, the caterpillar is cute!
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, picture books
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January 8, 2009 at 4:03 pm (ages 10-12, ages 7-9, nature, picture books)
Title: The Mushroom Hunt
Author: Simon Frazer
Illustrator: Penny Dale
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN: 1-56402-500-4
Summary: A family goes on a walk in the forest looking for different kinds of fall mushrooms.
Butterfly’s notes: Beautiful autumn illustrations match the sweet story about the mushroom hunt. Extra information about mushrooms can be found in the margins.
Categories: ages 7-9, ages 10-12, nature, picture books
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January 8, 2009 at 3:53 pm (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, picture books)
Title: the Salamander Room
Author: Anne Mazer
Illustrator: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Publisher: Dragonfly Books
ISBN: 0-679-86187-4
Summary: A little boy imagines what it would be like to create a perfect habitat for his salamander friend inside his room.
Butterfly’s books: It’s fun to imagine having a room like this (or perhaps just sleeping under the stars)! This is a wonderful story.
Categories: ages 4-6, ages 7-9, animal stories, funny stories, nature, picture books
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January 8, 2009 at 3:51 pm (ages 10-12, ages 7-9, animal stories, nature, picture books, profound messages)
Title: I Wish I Were A Butterfly
Author: James Howe
Illustrator: Ed Young
Publisher: Voyager Books
ISBN: 0-15-238013-2
Summary: A small cricket is feeling depressed because the frog at the edge of the pond told him he was ugly. He wishes her could be a butterfly, because they are beautiful. The other insects give him council to help him realize that he is beautiful in his own right and has other charms all his own.
Butterfly’s notes: Everyone has wished at some point or another that they could be different. This book is about learning to recognise our own inner beauty and value ourselves for what we are.
Categories: ages 7-9, ages 10-12, animal stories, nature, picture books, profound messages
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January 8, 2009 at 3:23 pm (ages 10-12, animal stories, nature, picture books)
Title: Flute’s Journey: The Life Of A Wood Thrush
Author/ Illustrator: Lynne Cherry
Publisher: Harcourt Brace And Company
ISBN: 0-15-292853-7
Summary: Where do our Northern songbirds go in the winter? This book answers that question by taking us along on the first migration and nesting period of Flute, a Wood Thrush. Flute travels from the Belt Woods in Maryland to the Bosque Eterno de los Ninos in Costa Rica for the winter and returns again in the spring.
Butterfly’s notes: This book tells of the troubles facing songbirds and also of their triumphs. A good book for inspiring an interest in birds and ecology.
Categories: ages 10-12, animal stories, nature, picture books
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