Category: Nonfiction

cover of We Are the Keystones - black background with beautiful animal silhouettes of lighter colors include a bear, top left, an otter, top right, an alligator bottom left a wolf center, and a beaver right bottom
Posted in Nonfiction, PB, So Many Good Books

We Are the Keystones: Animals That Hold Habitats Together

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

We Are the Keystones: Animals That Hold Habitats Together (Beach Lane Books*, 2026) by Katy S. Duffield and illustrated Hannah Salyer is an interesting read–I learned new things, and it even changed my attitude about some animals. Isn’t that cover gorgeous?

Keystone animals are those that make ecosystems survive. This nonfiction book simply explains these amazing animals’ roles in nature from forests, through prairies and jungles, to the ocean and savannahs. This book can be read straight through the rhyming text, or with stops along the way to read additional information, or a second time with reading the information. I found the backmatter fascinating.

Read about the author here and see Katy’s books here (a downloadable list is provided in addition to the ones shown).

Check out the illustrator’s portfolio here where you can also click on books, and check out each title. Read about Hannah here.

*I received a copy from the publisher for review. The book comes out in September.

cover of Hawk Mother Returns
Posted in Nonfiction, PB, So Many Good Books

Hawk Mother Returns: A Story of Interspecies Adoption

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Hawk Mother Returns: A Story of Interspecies Adoption (Web of Life Children’s Books, 2024) by Kara Hagedorn and Marlo Garnsworthy is an incredible true story of a hawk raising babies that aren’t her own.

Kara, the wildlife rehabilitator who takes care of the red-tailed hawk Sunshine, was asked if the hawk might raise two hawk eggs from a nest rescued from a cut down tree. She says yes. But unexpectedly, one of the chicks has already hatched. Will Sunshine accept the chick and the other egg?

The text is accompanied by photographs of Kara, Sunshine, and the eggs and chicks. Contributing Photographers are Glenn Forbes, Kara Hagedorn, Eva Vigil.

This book is a sequel to Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens. Kara says, “When I adopted Sunshine, I made a serious commitment to care for her knowing that hawks can live for over 30 years in captivity. I’m guessing she was around three years old when I adopted her because she had the red tail of an adult but the pale-yellow eyes of a juvenile.” They have lived together for twenty years.

Learn about Marlo here. (Kara’s website does not exist anymore.)

cover of God Made You Too
Posted in Nonfiction, PB, Read-aloud, So Many Good Books

God Made You Too

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

God Made You Too (WorthyKids, 2022) by Chelsea Tornetto and illustrated by Kimberley Barnes is perfect for sharing God’s nature with little ones.

God made the universe, hung stars, and spins the planets around. He formed the depths of space and YOU. He created oceans, mountains, creatures, the seasons, and billions of people, and YOU too.

Heartwarming text written in subtle rhyme and adorable illustrations make this a great read aloud book. It answers why He made you.

The author is a former classroom teacher. Check out Chelsea’s books here.

The illustrator likes bright and shiny as you can see in her illustrations on her website. Read about Kimberley here and see some of her books here.

cover of This Old Madrone Tree
Posted in Nonfiction, PB, So Many Good Books

This Old Madrone Tree

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

This Old Madrone Tree (Web of Life Children’s Books, 2023) by Barbara Herkert and illustrated by Marlo Garnsworthy is such a lovely nature book about a specific tree’s annual life cycle. (I can’t believe I forgot to recommend it last fall!)

In the Pacific Northwest, madrone (sometimes called madrona) trees grow near the coast. This book tells the story of one such tree and the creatures who visit throughout the year. We visit all four seasons starting with summer and ending with spring.

The text is lyrical and the illustrations beautifully compliment it. My favorite part of the text is “In winter, the wind whips and snarls. Waves raise their frothy heads. Rain slashes sideways. Thunder roars, and lightning cackles.” Can’t you just see and hear it? I have a really hard time picking a favorite spread as the illustrations are so lovely. But the forest scene when the bark curls reminds me of family vacations on the northern California coast when I was young.

The author has a madrone tree where she lives that inspired this story, her fifth published book. Read more about Barb here and check out her other books here.

The illustrator loves nature so was a perfect choice. Read about Marlo here and see samples of her illustrations here. Check out some lovely spreads of this book on the publisher’s site.

FYI: This is my 100th picture book recommendation on this site! Woo hoo!

cover of A Little Bit of Dinosaur
Posted in Nonfiction, PB, So Many Good Books

A Little Bit of Dinosaur

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Here’s a heads up on a hilarious book that just came out: A Little Bit of Dinosaur (Mims House, 2021) by Darcy Pattison and Elleen Hutcheson, and illustrated by John Joven. I love how it’s not what I expected from the cover.

Did you know you have a bit of dinosaur in you? And it’s your mother’s fault?

How could one not read this story after that? The funny illustrations add to the humor of this nonfiction picture book.

Read about both authors and the illustrator here and find more information about dinosaurs, too. Check out John’s portfolio here.