Book Finder

This worthy addition to the “scientists in the field series” is filled with information presented visually and textually about the impact of invasive plant and animal species. Their impact can be devastating and irrevocable though readers are encouraged to take action.

What has a bill like a duck and the body of a beaver? Probably a platypus! These unusual creatures are suffering from a loss of habitat. Meet this marvelous egg-laying mammalsl in brief but readable text and realistic images.

The biomes of North and South America are introduced clearly and briefly, describing how flora and fauna have adapted to the particular climate. Lush illustrations evoke place and extend information.

The rain forest of Costa Rica comes to life in vivid paintings and readable text. Readers are introduced to the rich and diverse ecosystem that exists in the misty tops of the forest of trees of the Monte Verde cloud forest.

Rich, realistic illustrations accompany clear text as readers explore what lives in the ocean, the geology of the ocean floor, and the biodiversity. Additional resources are suggested to learn more about he subject.

Animals look and behave as they do for a reason. It’s for communication, to help get food, or for defense. Detailed illustrations and crisp text provide brief information about the topic of why animals look like they do.

Informal text and photographs of multi-hued animal subjects explain the reasons for their coloring.

Lush collage illustration and clear text share information about male animals and how they care for their young. Text is presented so that it can be shared readily briefly or in greater detail.

Fascinating sleep habits of various animals are presented in short text and full-color, appealing illustrations. The text can be read in a shorter form in a larger typeface or in its entirety.

Calling the Doves is poet Juan Felipe Herrera’s story of his migrant farmworker childhood. In delightful and lyrical language, he recreates the joy of eating breakfast under the open sky, listening to Mexican songs in the little trailer house his father built, and celebrating with other families at a fiesta in the mountains. He remembers his mother singing songs and reciting poetry, and his father telling stories and calling the doves.

Lyrical language and textured collages poetically convey the wonder of patterns and shapes in moths, birds, and other creatures. A brief note concludes this handsome volume.

This brief, often poetic, and informative introduction to the Negro Leagues uses period photographs to enhance the information. The period in American history is one of segregation and sadness but also of great joy and achievement.

Plants have secrets: within each seed, large or small, is a new plant. Highly detailed but crisp, well-placed illustrations reveal the life cycle of plants and provides an easy introduction to seeds — just in time for spring gardens!

Birds live all over the world, but their nests come in many sizes, shapes, and some even borrow (or snitch) homes in which to lay and hatch their young. This lively introduction to various birds and their habits will likely absorb, inform, and inspire.

The lives and times of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln are presented through written and pictorial information in a scrapbook-like format. A well developed, tragic portrait of Mary Lincoln emerges as her life is presented beyond the assassination of the President.

Lincoln’s own words punctuate this overview of his life and times including lighter moments. Full color illustrations exaggerate Lincoln’s physical features but complement the man’s complexity.

Not only did Vinnie Ream work at the post office but was the first woman (and the youngest) commissioned to sculpt an image of Abraham Lincoln. Watercolors and documentation combine to present a portrait of an artist and the city in which she lived.

The friendship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist who was once enslaved, is presented in richly imagined text and collage illustrations.

Take a tour of our nation’s capital — from A to Z — including both lesser and well-known sights from Gallaudet University (the college for the deaf signed into law by Lincoln) to the Lincoln Memorial and lots more.

Luke and his father travel by buggy to pay respects to the train carrying the assassinated Abraham Lincoln from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois. Evocative text and illustration are well-researched to capture the period from a child’s point of view.

A straightforward overview of Lincoln’s life is punctuated by Lincoln’s words and commanding images. Additional resources for further reading and research are included as are sources used in this unforgettable book.

Before leaving for Ford’s Theater, Abraham Lincoln reflects on his life — his accomplishments and disappointments. Realistic illustrations reflect the serious tone of this unusual glimpse of the 16th President.

Drama abounds in what might have happened if Austin Gollaher had not pulled the young Abraham Lincoln from a swollen Kentucky creek that day in 1816. This engaging tale was inspired and expanded from a real event noted by the author.

The basic life and accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln are introduced in free verse and detailed illustrations in an open format. A concluding note provides additional information.