gardening, art and more! enriching gift guide for curious kids

The Earth Gives More

Author: Sue Fliess / Illustrator: Christiane Engel

From leaves falling to become fertilizer, to raindrops helping to bring plants to life in the spring, the cycle of every season has something to enjoy. While delighting in all nature has to offer, we need to remember to respect and treasure the world around us. This charming rhyming story follows the change in seasons and illustrates how we can all be good stewards to the Earth.

A Nest is Noisy

Author: Dianna Hutts Aston / Illustrator: Sylvia Long

From tiny bee hummingbird nests to orangutan nests high in the rainforest canopy, an incredible variety of nests are showcased here in all their splendor. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this carefully researched book introduces children to a captivating array of nest facts and will spark the imaginations of children whether in a classroom reading circle or on a parent’s lap.

To find out more about these amazing resources from Reading is Fundamental, click here: https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/book/nest-noisy

Tiny Seed

Author and Illustrator: Eric Carle

Dazzlingly colorful collage illustrations and a simple but dramatic text tell the fascinating story of the life cycle of a flower in terms of the adventures of a tiny seed.

Personal Review: This book has been in our library for a long time. I picked up a copy at my local thrift store and my kid’s loved it from day one. Eric Carle’s collage illustrations and story of perseverance through amazing journey of a seed makes this book magical.

What If There Were No Bees?

Author: Suzanne Buckingham Slade / Illustrator: Carol Schwartz

Grassland ecosystems can be found on nearly every continent. Countless animals and plants live in them. So what difference could the loss of one animal species make? Follow the chain reaction, and discover how important honey bees are.

Just Ask!

Author: Sonia Sotomayor / Illustrator: Rafael Lopez

Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful. In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have.

Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges–and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we’re not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.

Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity

Author: Sarah Suzuki / Illustrator: Ellen Weinstein / Works of art: Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama is a japanese artist with many talents including painting, sculpting, writing but her art installations have been known to evoke responses that intrigue people of all ages. She is quite interesting for adults and children alike as she is still one of this century’s most popular artists.

In the book Yayoi Kusama, From Here to Infinity, get to know this profound, playful artist as she discovers what her true calling is.

Alebrijes Mexican Folk Art Coloring Book

Illustrator: Jorge Lulic

Alebrijes are sculptures born out of the imagination of Mexican artist Pedro Linares Lopez and made of elements from a multitude of creatures from dragons to dogs combined to form one magical alebrije.

We recommend not a book about Pedro Linares Lopez but a book that you can immerse yourself in whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart. It’s a coloring book! Alebrijes Mexican Folk Art Colouring Book – Fantastic and Strange Creatures: The Magical World of Alebrijes Book by Jorge Lulic.

Chicken Little Series

Author/Illustrator: Sam Wedelich

In these wonderful books, illustrator and author Sam Wedelich captures the courageous personality of the title character Chicken Little. Chicken Little and the Big Bad Wolf is a charming retelling of the Little Red Riding hood story that is sure to charm kids of all ages.

Scholastic writes about Chicken Little The Real And Totally True Tale as a “timeless favorite becomes a clever cautionary tale in this FUNNY, fresh, and timely picture book debut by cartoonist, Sam Wedelich!”

How to Draw Peanuts

Author: Charles Schulz

For any budding artist or to take a step back from the hustle and bustle, learn how to draw with Charles Schulz. From the Schulz Museum website: How to Draw Peanuts By Charles M. Schulz “Millions of fans love Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comics. Now you can draw Peanuts comics, too! If you enjoy Peanuts half as much as Snoopy likes root beer, you’re going to have a blast with this step-by-step guide to illustrating your favorite characters.” Purchase the book here: https://charles-m-schulz-museum.myshopify.com/products/how-to-draw-peanuts

Miró’s Magic Animals

Author: Antony Penrose

There is a wonderful book about the Spanish artist Joan Miró, his observant demeanor and his fascination with animals. Author Antony Penrose actually met Miró as a child so his telling of the story felt very personal and meaningful.

From the website: Miró’s Magic Animals is a delightful story, chronicling Antony’s encounters with the great Spanish artist Joan Miró.

Do All Indians Live in Tipis

Author: National Museum of the American Indian

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has put together this 256 page book with over 60 illustrations for the curious reader.

Here is a brief description: Do All Indians Live in Tipis Questions & Answers from the National Museum of the American Indian, Second Edition “From Pocahontas to popular film, and from reservation life to the “urban Indian” experience, the experts of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian debunk the most common myths and answer the most frequently asked questions about Native Americans.”