Geography Geography > environment Geography > environment > nature
American Safari, An
Award-winning wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg shows and tells the story of the American prairies, which once swept for thousands of miles but are now an endangered ecological treasure. The stunning photographs and unforgettable written memories ins
Author: Brandenburg, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Antarctic Journal: Four Months at the Bottom of the World
Interesting collection of letters, journal entries, and sketches from the author during her stay in Antarctica from November 12 to March 12. Science facts are included but this is not a science book.
Author: Dewey, Jennifer Owings |
HSE Descriptors:
science
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Birches
On each page Ed Young illustrates trees and forests and the countryside, in browns and sepia tones, and presents them along with several lines of Robert Frost's well-known poem, "Birches." The poem is printed in its entirety again on the last two pages.
Author: Frost, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Boy Who Drew Birds, The: A Story of John James Audubon
This is a fascinating and very visual biography of the early life of Audubon that explains why he came to America and how and where he developed an interest in birds. This interest led him to learning about migration by banding birds.
Author: Davies, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Catskill Eagle, A
The book quotes a few lines from Melville's classic, Moby Dick. The art is beautifully evocative and turns the book into more of a coffee table art book than a typical picture book.
Author: Melville, Herman |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Drylongso
Drylongso, which takes place west of the Mississippi in 1975, is the story of a poor farming family's battle with a drought. Drylongso, "a youth imbued with simple human kindness . . . a folk hero" (author's notes) arrives, and with him comes ho
Author: Hamilton, Viginia |
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Father Water, Mother Woods
These essays recount Paulsen's adventures alone and with friends, along the rivers and in the woods of Northern Minnesota. Paulsen shows us fishing, hunting, and camping as pleasure, as art, as companionship, and as sources of lessons about life.
Home
Beautifully illustrated by Thomas Locker, the book contains poems and prose excerpts by well-known writers with a thumbnail sketch about each writer and his home. Endmatter includes a map of the U.S. with dates and locations of the writers.
Author: Locker, Thomas & Christiansen, Candice |
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John Muir: America's First Environmentalist
From a work-filled childhood as an immigrant from Scotland, self-taught John Muir worked to study and save the wilderness he loved, resulting in the first protected National Park at Yosemite and the founding of the Sierra Club for conservation. The autho
Author: Lasky, Kathryn |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa
Shonto Begay's artwork has been celebrated throughout the southwestern U.S. for decades. Twenty of his paintings are the illustrations for this book. Each painting is accompanied by a poem.
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo
Subtitled "An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea," this is the story of a team of scientists (and others) who trek to wilderness to study and save this unusual animal.
Author: Montgomery, Sy |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Rabbits, The
A myth/allegory about rabbits who take over a country and destroy the environment. The illustrations are simultaneously thought-provoking, beautiful, and ominous. The type face may confuse new readers although it is large and easy to read.
Tour America
The poet chooses to write about 26 favorite locations in the United States, pairing the varied poetic forms with mixed media that reflects the essence of the site. Maps and a list of art works enchance this combination of history, geography, art, and poe
Way to Start the Day, The
This is a hard book to categorize. The simple text is written like blank verse. The content is basically true. The text focuses on how people around the world celebrate or acknowledge the sunrise.
Author: Baylor, Bryd |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
When Hunger Calls
This stunningly illustrated informational book describes the eating habits of animals from all over the world.
Author: Kitchen, Bert |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Winter Across America
Part of a series on the seasons, Winter Across America is loosely structured around the photographs and packs a huge amount of natural history and scientific information about animals, migration, and weather. The strength of the book is in its g
Author: Simon, Seymour |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Year of Fire, The
Grandpa tells granddaughter about the worst fire he has ever known, a fire that happened when the grandfather was a child. (based on a true story)
Science Science > nature
And So They Build
Each page depicts an unusual animal, insect, or bird and how it builds a home or nest.
Author: Kitchen, Bert |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Autumn
Autumn, an alphabet book of acrostics with linoleum-cut prints, describes the seasonal sights, sounds, and colors.
Baboon King, The
Set in Africa, this powerful book explores the themes of the importance of community through the exile of Morengaru from his tribe and survival, not against but with nature, in his life with a group of baboons.
Backyard Birds
This informational book begins with four pages of data on birds in winter, then provides a one-page entry on many different birds, including a U.S. map of its territory and an illustration for each. The book ends with information on bird food, feeders, a
Author: Lerner, Carol |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Beekeepers
A grandfather teaches his granddaughter how to care for bees.
Author: High, Linda Oatman |
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Bird House, The
This is a modern-day fairy tale that features a homeless girl, an old woman, and birds with magical powers.
Bizarre Birds
Simple chapters focus on unusual birds. Stunning illustrations and a variety of text aids complement the book.
Author: Wechsler, Doug |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Black Swan White Crow
The book introduces the reader to Haiku poetry that is accompanied by delicate and suggestive woodcut illustrations.
Author: Lewis, J. Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Blizzard!
This book tells the story of an amazing blizzard that struck the Eastern U.S. in March, 1888. The author tells how the storm affected individuals, workers, communication, transportation, and more. The book is illustrated with vintage photographs and maps
Author: Murphy, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Butterfly House
A girl and her grandfather care for a larvae through the stages of becoming a butterfly and then set it free. The story is told in rhythmic prose with occasional rhyme. The author includes information on How to Raise a Butterfly.
Author: Bunting, Eve |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Cloud Eyes
A young Indian dreamer named Cloud Eyes uses his understanding of the language of animals to bring honey back to his people.
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night
This informative, fun to read book combines a poetic description and a factual one of animals of the night. It is a book of wonderful rhythms and rhymes about night creatures with a sidebar of scientific facts and beautiful woodblock illustrations. The i
Author: Sidman, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
|
Emily Dickinson's Letters to the World
This introduction to Emily Dickinson's best-known poems also contains biographical information in a fictional narration by her sister Lavinia.
Author: Winter, Jeanette |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Flotsam
This wordless picture book tells the story of a young boy who finds a very old, waterproof camera that washed up on the beach as flotsam. When he develops the film that is still inside the camera, he and the reader find surprises.
Garden
The cycle of gardens and the role of the gardener are presented by color photographs and an easy reading text. The book includes a useful glossary.
Author: Maass, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Georgia's Bones
A biography of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe's early years "celebrates her fascination with natural shapes and 'common objects'" with rich text and color-saturated illustrations. The text explores themes including creativity, diversity (in ways of being in
Author: Bryant, Jen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Henry David's House
These seamlessly woven excerpts from Thoreau's Walden and the beautiful watercolor illustrations together describe constructing and living in the house at Walden Pond.
Author: Schnur, Steven (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Hurricanes
This story of hurricanes in the 20th Century--how they form, how scientists study them, how people prepare for them--is illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and maps and contains a list of books for further reading.
Author: Lauber, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
In November
As trees, animals, birds, and insects prepare for winter, people gather in warm homes to give thanks. Beautiful illustrations.
Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Into the Woods: A Woodland Scrapbook
In a scrapbook format, this book offers lots of interesting facts, Native American folktales, and traditional lore, all about the woods.
Author: Krupinski, Loretta |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | science
|
Journey, The: Stories of Migration
Bracketed by an introduction and conclusion, the book describes the migrations of six very different creatures.
Author: Rylant, Cynthia |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
These poems that celebrate the insect world were written to be read aloud by two voices, sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous.
Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Last Leaf First Snowflake to Fall
Part creation myth, part father/son initiation story, the book beautifully depicts a journey through the woods as the scene changes from fall to winter.
Author: Yerxa, Leo |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Mississippi Going North
A canoe journey at the headwaters of the Mississippi takes the reader north for miles (before heading south) through places where wild animals and birds abound, where Ojibway Indians once lived, and where the sky is dark enough to see the Aurora Borealis.
Author: Baker, Sanna Anderson |
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My Season with Penguins
The author, a writer, scientist, and artist, keeps a journal and pictorial record of two months she spent studying the adelie penguins in Antarctica. The illustrations are factual and charming. A map and glossary aid the reader.
Author: Webb, Sophie |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Nearer Nature
The author writes reflectively of his winter walks on his Vermont farm and sketches the footprints, animals, and plants that capture his attention. An index enables the reader to find specific information. The descriptions are rich in detail and languag
Author: Arnosky, Jim |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Persephone and the Pomegranate
The Persephone myth explains the seasons. The daughter is kidnapped by the ruler of the underworld, Pluto, who makes her his queen. But Persephone's mother, Demeter, grieving, refuses to let Spring return until she is again with her daughter. In the en
Author: Waldherr, Kris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Prairie Builders, The
At the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in central Iowa, scientists are recreating a tall-grass prairie. Color photographs, a glossary, web sites, and an index document the difficult process of bringing back a small piece of the prairie.
Author: Collard, Sneed B. III |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Puffins Are Back, The
A simple introduction to the physical characteristics, life cycle, and natural environment of the puffins living off the coast of Maine. Gibbons give an account of the puffins who return every year to the coast of Maine. Gibbons describes the puffins' act
Author: Gibbons, Gail |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Raft, The
A city boy spends a magical summer in the woods with an unusual grandmother and discovers not only the creatures of the woods and river but himself as well. This is a beautifully illustrated portrait of a childhood we all might like to claim.
Ride the Wind
Beautiful watercolor illustrations and well-written text present the seasonal migration of birds, insects, bats, butterflies--and seeds. A section titled "More About Migration" contains a map a more detailed information that will stimulate student inquir
Author: Simon, Seymour |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Skytree
The 14 paintings of a tree in various seasons and weather are accompanied by one or two descriptive sentences and a question that connects art with science.
Author: Locker, Thomas |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Snow Toward Evening
In this book 13 poets and the landscape painter Thomas Locker combine to invite us to enjoy nature's splendor through the changing seasons.
Author: Frank, Josette (Editor) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Song of the Water Boatman
Employing varied poetic forms and beautiful woodcut illustrations, the book invites the reader to visit the land, water, and underwater life of a pond throughout the seasons.
Author: Sidman, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
|
Spring Thaw
In this deceptively simple and beautifully illustrated book, the sights and sounds of the first thaw come alive.
Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic
Description of spring using acrostic poetry and in alphabetical order. This is one of a series of acrostic books of the seasons. Illustrations are linoleum cuts that are colored by hand. The illustrations support the wonderful language used to show spri
Author: Schnur, Steven |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic
Description of spring using acrostic poetry and in alphabetical order. This is one of a series of acrostic books of the seasons. Illustrations are linoleum cuts that are colored by hand. The illustrations support the wonderful language used to show spri
Author: Schnur, Steven |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic
Description of summer using acrostic poetry and told in alphabetical order. This is one of a series of books on the seasons. Illustrations are hand-colored linoleum block prints which support the text very well.
Author: Schnur, Steven |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic
Description of summer using acrostic poetry and told in alphabetical order. This is one of a series of books on the seasons. Illustrations are hand-colored linoleum block prints which support the text very well.
Author: Schnur, Steven |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | language arts - writing
|
Tarantula Scientist, The
This book describes everything you ever wanted to know about tarantula spiders and the scientists who study them. The inviting, conversational style and the vivid color photographs enliven the topic. Teachers will appreciate the end matter resources, in
Author: Montgomery, Sy |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
To Go Singing Through the World
The childhood of one of Chile's most famous poets is told through a juxtaposition of the author's narrative and Neruda's own words. This beautifully illustrated biography includes excerpts of poems, maps, a time line, and a concise full-life biography.
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors
This book offers a unique perspective on the biological "survivors" found in our environment by combining informational text passages with poetic verses. Check out the wild and crazy timeline on the end pages.
Author: Sidman, Joyce |
HSE Descriptors:
science | language arts - reading
|
Weather Sky, The
The author uses labeled photographs, charts of weather fronts and graphs to discuss the relationship of weather to cloud formation.
Author: McMillan, Bruce |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | math
|
Welcome to the Ice House
The author uses very poetic language to describe the natural life that exists during the long winter and brief summer of the Arctic.
Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Where the Buffalo Roam
An expanded version of the words to the song "Home on the Range" and watercolor illustrations portray the geography, petroglyphs, plants, and endangered wild animals of the American Southwest.
Winter Across America
Part of a series on the seasons, Winter Across America is loosely structured around the photographs and packs a huge amount of natural history and scientific information about animals, migration, and weather. The strength of the book is in its g
Author: Simon, Seymour |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Science > nature > naturalists
Camping with the President
When John Muir invited President Theodore Roosevelt to a visit of Yosemite, the two men sneak off from media and Secret Service to go on a 4-day camping trip. The Author's Note and biographies, convey the importance of the friendship in expanding the Nat
Author: Wadsworth, Ginger |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, The
A story in three parts about a Victorian artist, Waterhouse Hawkins, who brought dinosaurs to life for all to see, originally in England and later in New York City He devoted over three decades to building the first life-size models of these giant creatur
Author: Kerley, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, The
A story in three parts about a Victorian artist, Waterhouse Hawkins, who brought dinosaurs to life for all to see, originally in England and later in New York City He devoted over three decades to building the first life-size models of these giant creatur
Author: Kerley, Barbara |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
This biography of John Wesley Powell, son of an Ohio abolitionist, a teacher who lead a group of the first exploration of the treacherous Colorado River in 1869--despite the loss of an arm in the Civil War. A timeline, bibliography, and an author's note
Author: Ray, Deborah Kogan |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau, The
Whimsical biography of Henri Rousseau illustrated in his style of artwork. This book recounts the life of Henri Rousseau who began painting at the age of 41. Spare text written in lovely figurative language - "the flowers open their hearts" and "He holds
Author: Markel, Michelle |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
|
Frogs
Frogs are found on every continent except Antarctica. This books gives their stories in picture and word. All you ever wanted to know about frogs - told from a wonderful perspective of the photographer's lens.
Author: Bishop, Nic |
HSE Descriptors:
science | language arts - writing
|
Quest for the Tree Kangaroo
Subtitled "An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea," this is the story of a team of scientists (and others) who trek to wilderness to study and save this unusual animal.
Author: Montgomery, Sy |
HSE Descriptors:
science | social studies
|
Snowflakes in Photographs
Nearly all of this book consists of pictures of snowflakes and frost, taken by "Snowflake Bentley" in the first part of the 20th century. A two-page introduction [excerpted from a 1922 Popular Mechanics article] by the author begins the book.
Author: Bentley, W.A. |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Science > nature > naturalists > Audubon, John James
Boy Who Drew Birds, The: A Story of John James Audubon
This is a fascinating and very visual biography of the early life of Audubon that explains why he came to America and how and where he developed an interest in birds. This interest led him to learning about migration by banding birds.
Author: Davies, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science | social studies | language arts - writing
|
Capturing Nature: The Writings of John James Audubon
This 40-page book contains excerpts from the journals of Audubon, along with his color paintings of birds.
Author: Roop, Peter & Roop, Connie |
HSE Descriptors:
science
|
Science > nature > naturalists > Thoreau, Henry David
Henry David's House
These seamlessly woven excerpts from Thoreau's Walden and the beautiful watercolor illustrations together describe constructing and living in the house at Walden Pond.
Author: Schnur, Steven (ed.) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
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