HELLO, SPRING: Explore Super Plants and Tiny Champions!

 If you happen to live in a part of the country that experiences four seasons, especially here in the northern hemisphere with spring peeking around the corner with more sunshine and enticing bright afternoons, these two nonfiction picture books will be especially welcome on wish lists and library holds. Both invite fresh and awe-inspiring looks at the plants and animals of our world that deserve to be showcased and studied. 

PHAIDON, 2025

Let's begin with SUPER POWERED PLANTS: Meet the Smartest, Strongest, and Sneakiest Plants,  written by Soledad Romero Mariño and illustrated by Sonia Pulido. This is one of several releases by a publisher with a well-earned reputation for offering young readers appealing resources to learn more about the world.  

In this case the plants featured reside in habitats around the world, and are distinctly super-powered in multiple ways. The result is a collection of double-page spreads that are similarly organized but produce some jaw-dropping content through a blend of well-written text and symbols/icons that reveal particular adaptive patterns to support long-term survival. 

Illustrator Pulido has a crisp, colorful style that lends appeal and draws attention to each element of a plant, making the complex content accessible and easily comparable to other plants. 

End papers provide an array of the symbolic circles used throughout to tag the traits (each of which is explained on an opening spread) The graphic design of the overall presentation invites reading about one after the next, but also makes this an effective research source. It encourages readers to use the patterns of resource texts (table of contents, tagged details, scientific analysis insertions in smaller print) and the vivid, accurately depicted aspects of each plant in scientific illustrations worthy of framing.

Interior/endpapers, array of icons. Phaeton, 2025

The "super" elements of each plant, in various combinations, range from specialization of the bark, to longevity, to super-flower traits, to sensitivity/reactivity, and more. The compact and readable text explains how such advantages serve the particular plant species and combine with the other super qualities to make the plants exceptional. It's intriguing and exciting to read about, some examples being familiar to a degree and others being new introductions to various readers. Allowing for surviving (and thriving) across the globe and in wide-ranging biomes (deserts to rain forests to water homes), these highly specialized plant lead readers on a virtual tour of the world and invite them to find and learn more about extra special, super-powered plants!

Nature's Tiny Champions, Phaidon, 2025

NATURE'S TINY CHAMPIONS: The Big Book of Little Creatures Doing Mighty Things is written by Ben Lerwill and illustrated by Nic Jones. This nonfiction celebration and revelation of some of Earth's tiniest creatures is super-sized to allow for shared experiences with the exciting content. Each creature presented is showcased at actual size (with measurements, such as the 0.04 inch waterbear, about as small as the period at the end of sentence), with an expanded and detailed view of the critter beneath that "actual size" image, when needed. The images provide clear understanding of each animal and its interaction with nature, as well as a side-border offering circular illustration insets and brief text to learn even more. 

In selecting the creatures to celebrate, the choices showcase familiar animals like honeybees, but layer in facts that are likely new to the reader. Other choices are creatures that young and old are less likely to have heard of before. All in all, this oversized, well-organized compendium of small creatures with big impacts on the earth provides vibrant and informative visuals with intriguing and beguiling information. They make a delightful pair of titles for gifting, and will enhance any classroom, library, or home collection. 

Phaidon Press, Inc has produced other nonfiction books I've throughly admired and written about HERE and  HERE,  From Bansky to Board Books to Bees, each topic is presented in kid-friendly ways that don't talk-down to children but instead engage their interest and entice further explorations. 

New Delights to Share: Insha'Allah!

HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2024

Join me in welcoming and celebrating two new picture books that feature cultural situations and characters  but provide universal appeal and learning. The first is INSHA'ALLAH, NO, MAYBE SO, co-authored by Rhonda Roumani and Nadia Roumani and illustrated by Olivia Aserr. 

NEAL PORTER BOOKS, 2024

This picture book is an ideal example of ways in which stories depicting non-dominant cultures and patterns can transcend specific traditions or patterns to serve every child.

For decades (centuries?) it was conventional wisdom that all children and families who were NOT of the majority culture would still find themselves within stories featuring that single dominant culture. The truth is, all kids who ask for what they want are counting on hearing YES, in any language or culture. Anything less (we'll see, maybe, etc.) comes across as NO! That universal emotional expectation and response is portrayed in this story so well, for any child. It also reveals a family/cultural pattern that might be new or less than fully understood by others. It's a story in which EVERY child can find themselves nodding along.

The expression, Insha'Allah, is launched in INSHA'ALLAH, NO, MAYBE SO through the first-person voice of a child who calls out her mother for always saying Insha'Allah, meaning NO! Mama patiently explains that the expression means "God willing", not NO!. Mama listens closely as Rana reveals how it always feels like NO to her, and then her mother clarifies that it is used for things we WANT to happen, but don't know if they will. 

Examples are kid-friendly. (Go to the park? It might rain; Bake cookies? Not enough time before bed; Have a sleepover? Someone got sick.) Some things are NO, some are MAYBE SO, and some are INSHA'ALLAH... it is out of our hands, for now. 

The art in this new release is lovely, with saturated colors depicting figures with natural  edges, readable expressions, familiar settings, and a warmth that is undeniable. There's a humorous twist or two at the conclusion and the story's topic and appeal spans many ages. I highly recommend this lovely story.

Also a story with universal appeal is THE PLANT RESCUER, written and illustrated by Matthew Rivera. 

First line: "Manny and his dad come from a long line of gardeners."

The following pages reveal the lush and lively experience and skills Dad brings to developing and maintaining landscapes that are verdant and healthy. Manny and Dad live in a space without outdoor planting options, but Dad's love and skill turn their apartment into a lush "jungle". 

Manny accompanies Dad in his work, appreciating his evident talent and also celebrating his family heritage. But when Papa buys Manny his very own plant and urges him to keep it well and strong, problems arise. Manny has an expert close at hand to ask for help, but he opts to solve this himself, to earn and prove his place in this family lineage.  He draws on the boundless resources of a library to learn what he needs to know and do, to rescue his own plant, Amigo. The happy resolve to his worry allows Manny and Dad to share plants with their diverse neighbors as Manny claims his space as youngest among their long line of plant rescuers.

I really enjoyed the vibrant and phenomenal abundance of the plants throughout, making each page a celebration of life as well as an invitation to look closely, find out more, and appreciate the nuances of plant shapes and colors.

Both books offer warm and welcoming stories for all readers, providing mirrors to children who share their heritages, and windows to those of other backgrounds and identities. Both are going to be classroom and library favorites.

IT'S ME, HENRY! Celebrating Your Passions

 I'm delighted to share a picture book that could well have appeared here a few days ago, during "Autism Awareness Month", April. The purpose of such a theme month, of course, is to increase understanding and respect for those who might be identified on the Autism spectrum. My general feeling about theme months is that they have a place in our tunnel-vision society, and yet they can too easily sort our awareness into short-term focus. I've gone on and on about that in various posts, beginning HERE. I actively chose to wait to share this book because it is such an appealing, engaging story and character. It should never be delegated to a particular topic or theme or month, but rather shared often for many purposes.

ORCA BOOKS, CANADA, 2022

IT'S ME, HENRY! is written by Stephanie Deslauries, illustrated by Genevieve Depres, and translated by Charles Simard. 

In first person narrative, readers meet Henry in his natural habitat, school, where he annoys his friend-not friend Daisy by calling her the scientific name for daisy. Henry knows himself well, but struggles to understand the feelings and reactions of others, even when he can label them correctly. He knows she doesn't like it, but can't fathom why, or adjust his behavior out of empathy. When he shouts out answers (correct ones) it earns a reminder from the teacher and expressions on the faces of peers who seem... possibly impressed by how smart he is? At recess Henry happily settles under the willow tree, alone, connecting with the tree, the earth, and nature, his favorite subjects. 

When older boys tease him, he cries at being misunderstood. (Adults will recognize the irony of pain at being misunderstood in a child who misunderstands others, too, and might hurt them as a result.) Henry is shown to have a trusted adult, the counselor, and scene after scene wrapping him with flora and greenery, which also provide Henry comfort and safety. In effective daily-life scenes, readers learn about worries (and obsessions) that are displayed by some on the spectrum, but by many others as well: Yucky broccoli must NOT touch favorite nuggets on his plate.

Henry's favorite place on the planet is the garden where the end-of-year field trip takes place. Invited by his teacher to help lead the tour, Henry notices her cues for when and how to offer added facts, or even present the entire content at various locations. His enthusiasm and engaging discussions allow Daisy to connect, choosing Henry as a partner near the conclusion. 

Praise from the teacher, applause form his classmates, and the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet, metaphorically, allow Henry to celebrate the day, to accept and appreciate himself. To finally feel understood. The author's choice to allow the story to unfold in Henry's voice was challenging, yet she captured the confusion and conviction of Henry. By presenting various patterns within an organic story, readers will recognize entirely typical feelings of any child in wanting to have a friend, to be accepted, and to enjoy the moments of a day without fear or worry. The other characters are realistically portrayed, too, reacting as many do, lacking a perspective on the frame of mind from which Henry is approaching them.

The illustrator very effectively leaned into the floral and greenery backgrounds on every page. She achieved a subtle, soothing, but colorful comfort zone for Henry. The effect is a blend of simple-lined elements with impressionistic aspects.

There are unlimited discussion points in this story, for anyone looking for stories with individuals on the autism spectrum and the patterns that are typical of most of the neurotypical population as well. But this story also offers plenty of opportunities to discuss friendships, diversity, bullying, and kindness. Any classroom working on studies of plants will want to add this to a collection of related picture books, too.

Candlewick, 2002

Pair this with a classic from author Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, WESLANDIA. This story reveals an older boy, middle grade perhaps, who also loves and understands plants, knows himself well, and finds that peers and parents consider him to be weird, at best. The text and visual narratives are glorious and powerful, with a delightful twist that will have readers cheering for Wes and also taking strength from celebrating their own passions.  Give them both a try.