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Geography
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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

    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

    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.
      Author: Paulsen, Gary

    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

    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.
      Author: Begay, Shonto

    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.
      Author: Marsden, John

    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
      Author: Siebert, Diane

    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)
      Author: Jam, Teddy

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.
      Author: Schnur, Steven

    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.
      Author: Quintana, Anton

    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

    Bird House, The
      This is a modern-day fairy tale that features a homeless girl, an old woman, and birds with magical powers.
      Author: Rylant, Cynthia

    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.
      Author: Lasky, Kathryn

    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.
      Author: Weisner, David

    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

    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.
      Author: LaMarche, Jim

    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.
      Author: Schnur, Steven

    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.
      Author: Geis, Jacqueline

    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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