A Planet Like Ours by Frank Murphy

Our planet Earth is as individual and special as each one of us. It’s ability to sustain and nurture life is unique in our solar system–and beyond. In this book, celebrate all the wonderful, miraculous, astounding qualities of our Earth while learning how to protect her for future generations. Afterall, “If not us, then who?” From award-winning author Frank Murphy and Here Wee Read blogger, Charnaie Gordon.

What’s That? By Karen Chan

Jax loves the food his family cooks. But when his grandmother packs his favorite Chinese dishes for his first day of school, Jax discovers his lunch looks very different from what the rest of his classmates are eating. Embarrassed to eat his food, Jax finds himself sitting alone. When Meena sits next to him, the two strike an unexpected friendship over their lunches, sharing a mutual joy of time spent in the kitchen and the delicious meals they eat with their families. What’s That? is a heartwarming story about the foods that make up who we are and how the meals we eat can bring us together.

Silence by Nivola Uya

Silence visits me at the riverside. Then he hides. What if I can spot him between the waves of cool water? Or does he rest in the high mountains? Maybe inside the trees? What if I could go find him?

A quiet river, a special girl’s gaze and the wise natural world invite us to listen soundlessly to what cannot be heard. The illustrations with paper cutouts and candy lighting create a symbolic adventure between dream and reality.

Making Happy by Sheetal Sheth

When Leila’s mother gets sick, lots of things change for her family. But one important thing stays the same: they still have each other, and they know how to find joy and laughter when they need it most! The poetic, uplifting story and hopeful ending are based on the author’s own experience battling cancer as the parent of young children.

Together with You by Patricia Toht

For one grandmother and grandchild, keeping dry in spring showers is easy when dashing through the drops side by side. In summer they stay cool with a squirt of the hose, then savor frozen treats in the shade. In autumn, snug in sweaters, they fly a kite while leaning into each other against the wind. And winter finds them nestling under blankets, sipping cocoa and watching the snow quietly fall. Narrated as a kind of love letter from a young child to a grandparent, this picture book pairs Patricia Toht’s safe, tender text with gentle art from Jarvis that meets it at every turn. An ideal gift from grandparent to grandchild (or the other way around), this charming story makes it clear that “no matter the weather, whatever we do, every day’s better together with you.”

Pond by Jim La Marche

When Matt is out for a late winter hike he sees a trickle of water in the old deserted and junk-filled dirt pit at the edge of his neighborhood. With quiet appreciation, Matt can imagine the pond that must once have been there, shining in the early spring light, freezing in the winter for skating, and the perfect place for swimming in the summer.

Can Matt’s discovery transform a forgotten pond into its natural wonder? With his idea of making the pond whole again, Matt rallies his friends, Katie and Pablo, and together they work through the spring, clearing debris, moving rocks to hold the water, and looking for leaks. But would there be enough water to fill the pond? Can they bring the pond back?

The Book About Turtles by Sy Montgomery

Everyone loves turtles. And no wonder: long-lived, unhurried, and ancient, these shelled reptiles are fascinating.

Turtles are also endlessly surprising. There are turtles with soft shells, turtles with googly eyes, turtles with necks longer than their bodies, and turtles whose shells glow in the dark!

And each turtle, of each of the more than 300 kinds, is an individual. You’ll meet some of them here: Lonesome George, the last of his kind on Earth. And Myrtle, the 90-year-old green sea turtle, who has more than 7,000 followers on Facebook.        

What questions might you ask a turtle? You’ll find many of the answers in this gorgeous compendium—and perhaps be inspired to help at a time that these reptiles, who evolved at the same time as the dinosaurs, face the deadliest dangers of their more than 380-million-year history.

Wild Colt by Lois Szymanski

Join a wild colt as he follows his herd through long summer days in the wetlands of Assateague Island. Light, rhyming verses and beautiful oil paintings carry the reader along, sharing the sights and sounds these famous ponies experience daily. See the colt run along the ocean, buck and kick, chase mosquitoes, and eye turtles and deer at the water hole. This picture book introduces the reader to the life of a Chincoteague pony colt in his coastal habitat beginnings until he is rounded up during the famous wild pony auction and Pony Penning on Chincoteague Island. Educators can bring the wild colt experience into the classroom with the included wildlife identification guide, discussion topics, and facts about wetlands.