Celebrating All Librarians, National School Library Week + Free Bulletins & Explore Pane Downloads
April 7, 20257 Earth Day Book Experiences + Roots & Shoots Activities
ALL OF APRIL we should focus on the many ways we can celebrate our world, our environment, and our wild cousins, so, today, we are looking at the many people who are doing just that. We have selected titles that you can share for EARTH DAY, which is a day to celebrate all month and all year-long really. Here are a number of my all-around favorites: A worm. A 99-year-old naturalist. A smart sloth.
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Create Composting & Nourish Soil
ALL PARTS FUN AND FUNNY and FABULOUSLY INFORMATIVE:
Worm Makes a Sandwich by Brianne Farley, illustrated by Brianne Farley
Let your littles (and not so littles) learn about how to compost from the true workers of the compost pile: Meet Worm. He might be little. He might have no hands. But Worm would love to make a sandwich, just for you!
To get started he'll need just one thing: garbage! Delicious, delectable garbage like apple cores and mushy grapes, broccoli bottoms and carrot tops, sad celery, and drippy cucumbers. Worm and his friends eat the garbage. And then they do what everyone does after they eat garbage. They poop! The poop goes in the compost and the compost goes in your garden, which is where the vegetables for your sandwich come from!
Simple, right? Worm thought you'd agree. He might just need a bit of assistance along the way . . . (First pages as shared on Amazon)
2
Celebrate a Century of Wild Curiosities
A BOOK GIVES A FIVE ZILLION STAR LOOK AT THE LIFE OF A LEGENDARY NATURALIST
As a boy, David loved exploring the wild places near his home in England, collecting fossils, rocks, and newts. When he grew older, he got a job in television, where he had an idea for a new kind of show: He would travel to wild places all over the world to film animals in their natural habitats. Over the span of seven decades, David's innovative documentaries have been treasured by millions of people.
But as time went on, he noticed the wild places he loved were shrinking. What could David do to help? What could we all do?
This is the story of David Attenborough. It’s also the story of our planet, which has changed rapidly over the course of one person’s lifetime, and a clarion call for us to do our part to bring back the wild places and protect the creatures who call Earth home. (First pages as shared on Amazon)
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A Serious Wild Cousin Exploration
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Evolution of a Swallowtail Butterfly
THREE PARTS ENVIRONMENTALLY SMART BUT SMALL EVOLUTION
Introducing Papilio Polyxenes, the Black Swallowtail Butterfly! She’s an adorable and hilarious caterpillar who is ready to join the world and become a butterfly! But growing up is a complicated work in progress, and Papilio encounters some hiccups as she learns to fly, fall, and feed. While avoiding foes and making friends, she transforms from caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly...and most importantly, learns to believe in herself along the way.
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How Life After Aids Mother Earth
A BIG BLUE WHALE AND THE GIFTS IT LEAVES FOR OUR PLANET
Life After Whale, The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin
Follow a blue whale’s enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish.
All living things must one day die, and Earth’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond. (First pages as shared on Amazon)
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Books As Environmental Experiences
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ENVIRONMENTAL DISGUISES.
Fascinating Facts Meets Animal Discovery Game: Butt or Face?
Butt or Face? Revenge of the Butts by Kari Lavelle
Butt or Face? Can you tell which end you are looking at? This fantastic Volume 2 creates a cheeky challenge with a whole new set of animals from all over the world. Examine a close-up photo of an animal and then guess whether you're looking at the top or the…um…bottom. The answer is revealed on the next page with a complete photo of the animal! Also included are factual animal details along with how these animals use camouflage or other trickery to engage with their home. Readers will discover animals like the alien butt spider who turns leaves into burrito-like hideaways, the leaf-tailed gecko whose body mimics the leaves and bark of a tree, and many more!
