August 15 – World Greatness Day

About the Holiday

World Greatness Day was established in 2019 by Professor Patrick Businge as a day to highlight the greatness in every person. The holiday encourages people to acknowledge their own unique brilliance, engage in the pursuits that bring them happiness and fulfillment, and thank their mentors or teachers, family, friends, and anyone who has had a positive impact on their lives. Children are just getting started on discovering who they are and what activities excite them. Today’s book celebrates children’s creativity, ingenuity, friendships, and empathy. Why not make every day Greatness Day and discover your and your children’s full potential!

Thank you to Charlesbridge for sending me a copy of Sounds of Trash for review!

Sounds of Trash (STEAMWORKS)

Written by Tina Athaide | Illustrated by Neha Rawat

Pran, Raúl, and Mira couldn’t wait for the annual block party. This year, though, it was being held in the park. This meant no electricity, and “no electricity meant no booming bhangra beats.” What was a party without music? Pran’s grandpa suggested they make their own music. But how? They didn’t have any instruments they could carry along. The three friends weren’t sure what to do. That night Pran had a dream, and in the morning he woke up with a fantastic idea.

Illustration copyright © 2026 by Neha Rawat. Text copyright © 2026 by Tina Athaide. Published by Charlesbridge © 2026.

When Raúl and Mira heard Pran’s idea to make their own instruments, they were both excited. They had four days to think and tinker and create. First, they brainstormed ideas and drew designs. Then they set off through the neighborhood to find materials and recyclables to make their instruments. They came back with their wagons full of cans, bottles, jars, and small items to turn into shakers. The next day, they searched their homes for anything that could become drums and drumsticks.

While the three friends were testing their instruments, other kids in the neighborhood heard the sounds and were inspired to make their own instruments too. On Friday—one day before the block party—Mira, Pran, and Raúl made stringed instruments that twanged, pinged, and thrummed. Saturday finally arrived, and they brought all of the instruments they’d made to the park. When they looked at them now, though, they worried that there weren’t enough for everyone. They were in for a surprise! As more and more neighbors arrived, many were playing their own homemade instruments! “It was a marvelous mash, all these sounds made from trash.”

“Picking up STEAM” Back matter includes a glossary; a discussion on the science of sound and how the type, size, and material of an instrument affects vibrations and sound; the various steps of the engineering design process; and an invitation for kids to create their own instruments.

Tina Athaide invites children to become creators through her infectious, enthusiastic storytelling. As readers follow Pran, Mira, and Raúl as they brainstorm designs, gather materials, and experiment with prototypes, Athaide demonstrates the steps of engineering design in a natural way that will excite and encourage kids to try it on there own.

Neha Rawat’s expressive illustrations teem with clear depictions of the designs the three friends make, including the number of items needed, their size, how the instruments will be played, and so much more. They also show that part of creating is experimenting as well as rejecting and rethinking plans that don’t work. Rawat’s portraits of the children’s eager collaboration and persistence over the four days are joyful and applicable for demonstrating cooperation in group projects.

Sounds of Trash is an inspiring story of ingenuity, creativity, and friendship that will spark independent explorations into the sciences of sound and engineering as well as creative pursuits at home and in the classroom. The book is a top pick for any library’s STEAM/STEM or picture book collection.

About STEAMWORKS Books from Charlesbridge

STEAMWORKS features children of all backgrounds and abilities using scientific and mathematical thinking to solve everyday problems and answer questions that matter to them. Playful stories and extension activities ignite excitement for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) and empower children as thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators.

Ages 4 – 8

Charlesbridge, 2026 | ISBN 978-1623546847

About the Author

Tina Athaide is an educator and children’s book author who wrote the middle grade novel Orange For The Sunsets, which was awarded the Geoffrey Bilson Award by the Canadian Children’s Book Council, and Wings to Soar, as well as picture book Meena’s Mindful Moment. Tina was born in Uganda and emigrated to London and then Canada and now lives in Southern California. Visit her at tinaathaide.com.

About the Illustrator

Neha Rawat is a children’s book author-illustrator from India who loves stories that explore emotions, relationships, humor, culture, and diversity. She has illustrated many books, including Zuni and the Memory Jar, Masala Chai, Fast and Slow, and Buddha and the Rose. Visit her at neharawat.com.

You can purchase Sounds of Trash from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Cómo suena la basura (Spanish Edition) (STEAMWORKS)

Written by Tina Athaide | Illustrated by Neha Rawat | Translated by Anyeliz Pagan Munoz

Cuando Pran y sus amistades se enteran de que la fiesta del vecindario se trasladó al parque donde no habrá música, deciden encontrar la manera de que esta forme parte de la celebración. Después de algunas pruebas y más de un prototipo hecho con materiales reciclables, ¡están listos para ingeniar un día lleno de jazz y bhangra!

Illustration copyright © 2026 by Neha Rawat. Text copyright © 2026 by Tina Athaide. Published by Charlesbridge © 2026. Translation copyright © 2026 by Anyeliz Pagan Munoz.

Amplía lo aprendido más allá de la historia con el material de apoyo elaborado por expertos que incluye información adicional sobre el sonido y el proceso de ingeniería de diseño y actividades STEAM divertidas.

STEAMWORKS presenta a niños de diversos trasfondos y habilidades que utilizan el pensamiento científico-matemático para solucionar problemas cotidianos y responder a preguntas que les interesan. Estas historias lúdicas y las actividades de extensión despiertan el entusiasmo por la ciencia, la tecnología, la ingeniería, las artes y las matemáticas (STEAM) y empoderan a los niños para pensar, solucionar problemas e innovar.

Tina Athaide (tinaathaide.com) es educadora y autora de libros infantiles. Escribió la novela para niños de 8 a 12 años Orange for the Sunsets, la cual recibió el premio Geoffrey Bilson otorgado por el Canadian Children’s Book Council, y Wings to Soar, al igual que el libro ilustrado Meena’s Mindful Moment. Tina nació en Uganda y emigró a Londres, luego a Canadá y ahora vive en el sur de California.

Neha Rawat (neharawat.com) es autora e ilustradora de libros infantiles, proveniente de la India, y le encantan las historias que exploran las emociones, las relaciones, el humor, las culturas y la diversidad. Ha ilustrado numerosos libros, entre ellos Zuni and the Memory Jar, Masala Chai, Fast and Slow y Buddha and the Rose.

Ages 4 – 8

Charlesbridge, 2026 | ISBN 978-1623546854

You can purchase Cómo suena la basura from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

July 22 – National Moth Week

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Did you know that some moths are even more beautiful than butterflies? It’s true! Adorned in vibrant oranges, greens, blues, and reds and with patterns more intricate than the finest fabrics, moths are some of nature’s loveliest creatures. There are even moths that mimic hummingbirds—right down to the fast-beating wings and a looong proboscis that looks like a beak. During the summer, moths love visiting fragrant flower gardens. National Moth Week celebrates these unique insects from July 18 through July 26. This week and all during the summer, take a little time to really look at the moths in your yard and learn more about them and their habitats.

Thanks to Sleeping Bear Press for sending me a copy of An Extraordinary Ordinary Moth for review!

An Extraordinary Ordinary Moth

Written by Karlin Gray | Illustrated by Steliyana Doneva

As a grayish-brown moth flits among the leaves framed by the full moon, he says, “I’m an ordinary moth, / as you can plainly see. / A dusty, grayish, dull insect— / nothing-special me.” Comparing himself to the Luna Moth “who floats in graceful green” and to the Spider Moth who’s “so cool at Halloween!,” he’s disappointed to be so much smaller than the Atlas Moth and not as pretty as a butterfly.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-an-extraordinary-ordinary-moth-luna — Image copyright Steliyana Doneva, 2018, text copyright Karlin Gray, 2018. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

But then a little boy runs through the yard shouting “‘A moth! A moth!’” The moth freezes against a wall, afraid and unsure and hoping to hide. But when the moth sees the excitement in the boy’s eyes, he moves “toward his joyful light.” He lands in the boy’s hands, uncertain still if he’ll be shooed away. And sure enough, the boy’s sister screams, “‘Ew, a bug!’” She swats at her brother’s hand, and the moth flies off.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-an-extraordinary-ordinary-moth-hiding — Image copyright Steliyana Doneva, 2018, text copyright Karlin Gray, 2018. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

The moth hears the boy correct his sister and insists “‘he’s my favorite kind!’” The moth then realizes that the boy is trailing him wherever he goes, watching. The boy’s sister thinks the moth is nothing special, but he disagrees. And as the moth alights on his finger, he shows her why. What looks like dust are really “‘scales that keep him warm at night” and have other beneficial features.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-an-extraordinary-ordinary-moth-web — Image copyright Steliyana Doneva, 2018, text copyright Karlin Gray, 2018. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Hearing these facts, his sister is a bit more interested, but she still thinks his color is “kind of blah.” The boy explains that the moth is the color of tree bark and can camouflage himself during the day while he sleeps. Then at night he’s ready to fly, guided by moonlight and the scents he smells through his antennae. Now the little girl thinks the moth is pretty cool. She calls their mom to come and see, and when Mom wants to know what bug they found, “the girl says, ‘Mom—a moth’s an insect, / and our favorite kind!’”

Suddenly proud, the moth soars through the moonlight with a new self image—“So how ‘bout THAT?! / I’m someone’s FAVORITE! / Little grayish me— / proof of how / EXTRAORDINARY / ordinary can be.”

Back matter includes Ten Extraordinary Facts about Moths as well as an activity for constructing a Moth-Observation Box.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-an-extraordinary-ordinary-moth-mom — Image copyright Steliyana Doneva, 2018, text copyright Karlin Gray, 2018. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Through her vivacious rhymes, Karlin Gray elevates the “ordinary” back-porch moth to star status with fascinating facts that will lure kids to discover more. The conversational verses echo a sweet sibling relationship while the moth, overhearing them, begins to appreciate himself. The bookending of the children’s story with the moth’s thoughts—first comparing himself to other moths and later realizing his own merits—will encourage readers to think about both the nature of nature and the importance of positive interactions with others. Told from the moth’s point of view, the story also has a deeper meaning, reminding readers that, like this moth, people also have special talents that make them exceptional. Taking extra time to really learn about another’s unique qualities and to get to know them is exciting and has benefits for all.

Steliyana Doneva’s gorgeous illustrations of moths and butterflies will dazzle insect-loving kids and convert the more squeamish. Doneva captures each delicate marking and texture of the little grayish moth as it flits in the light and camouflages itself on the wall and tree. The moth is also well spotlighted against Doneva’s vibrant backyard oasis where the little boy and his sister discover him. Nighttime scenes sparkle with starlight, and the full moon brings out the rich blues of an evening sky. The boy’s enthusiasm for moths and nature is infectious and will captivate young readers, enticing them to look closer at the world around them.

An Extraordinary Ordinary Moth is a beautiful, eye-opening book that would spur further discovery for nature and science lovers at home and in science or STEM classrooms.

Ages 4 – 8

Sleeping Bear Press, 2018 | ISBN 978-1-58536-372-8

Karlin Gray is not a lepidopterist―a scientist who studies moths and butterflies. But when her son announced that the moth was his favorite insect, she decided to take a closer look at the little creature. When she did, she learned some extraordinary things and was inspired to write An Ordinary Moth. Karlin is also the author of Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn’t Sit Still. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit her at karlingray.com.

Steliyana Doneva is a children’s book illustrator living in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her love of painting and drawing started in early childhood. Steliyana studied applied arts in Sofia, specializing in children’s toys. Then she graduated with a degree in graphic arts, where she found her love for children’s book illustration. Steliyana is very happy to be an illustrator for children’s books. By doing this she is immersed in a beautiful fairy-tale world where the soul can fly without restraint. Follow her on Instagram.

National Moth Week Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-tree-branch-with-white-cocoons

Beautiful Moths Board Game

Moths go through many stages of metamorphosis—from egg to caterpillar to cocoon— before they finally emerge as a moth. In this game, help six moths emerge from their cocoons to win!

Supplies

Printable Tree Branch Game Board Template
Printable Moth Cards
Printable Moth Playing Die

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-moth-cards

Directions

Print a Tree Branch Game Board and set of Moth Cards for each player
Print one Moth Playing Die
Choose a player to go first
The first player rolls the die and places the matching moth card on one of the cocoons on the Tree Branch Game Board
Play then moves to the player on the left
Players continue to roll the die and place moths on each cocoon
If a player rolls a moth that they already have placed on their game board, they pass the die to the next player and wait for their next turn.
The player who fills their Tree Branch with moths first is the winner

You can find An Extraordinary Ordinary Moth at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

May 15 – National Inventors Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Today we celebrate the creative minds who devise new products, better ways of performing tasks, faster methods of communication, and all kinds of innovative ways to interact with our world. Established in 1998 by the United Inventors Association of the USA, the Academy of Applied Science, and Inventors’ Digest magazine, this month’s holiday encourages people to embrace their creativity and go that extra step toward producing their invention. If you’re a tinkerer, who knows—your product or service could make the world a better place! Today’s book introduces readers to an innovator in the medical field.

Thank you to Beach Lane Books and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy of this book for review!

A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas

Written by Joan Schoettler | Illustrated by Steffi Walthall

Vivien Thomas had always loved figuring things out. As a teenager he worked in his father’s carpentry shop, always making and guiding pieces to fit together perfectly because “that’s how things were done in his family.” While in high school, Vivien decided to become a doctor. When the financial crash of 1930 wiped out his college savings, Vivien got a job as a lab assistant for Dr. Blalock at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He was a quick learner, and within a month was performing surgery on dogs.

Illustration copyright © 2026 by Steffi Walthall. Text copyright © 2026 by Joan Schoettler. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

Even though his job entailed much responsibility, as a Black man he was only paid as much as a hospital custodian. When Vivien considered returning to “his better-paying carpentry job,” Dr. Blalock procured a raise. Dr. Blalock thought so highly of Vivien’s work that he took Vivien with him to a new job at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

There, Vivien and Dr. Blalock began working on heart defects in babies that led to “blue baby syndrome,” in which the “babies’ blood lacked oxygen” because their lungs did not work properly. After the two designing a shunt to reroute the blood from the heart to the lungs and Vivien’s extensive experimental surgery on dogs, the new procedure was ready to apply to a child. Vivien designed tiny surgical tools to use on the first patient, a toddler. When it came time to perform the surgery, however, he had to watch from above as only white doctors and nurses were allowed to work on white patients.

But Vivien had much more experience performing the surgery than Dr. Blalock, and Dr. Blalock called him down to “guide him step-by-step.” This first open-heart surgery on a child was a success, leading many parents of similar children to come to the hospital for treatment. Some of these children arrived in wheelchairs, some being held by their parents. Following their surgery, these once-sick children thrived.

Vivien taught other surgeons the procedure and went on to teach many medical students who became renowned cardiac surgeons as well as training Black lab technicians, some of whom went on to medical school. At the age of 66, Vivien Thomas was awarded an honorary doctorate and named an instructor of surgery in the School of Medicine.

Back matter includes an Author’s Note that expands on Vivien Thomas’s life and experiences as well as a list of book, video, and internet sources and further reading for children. A photograph of Vivien Thomas as a lab technician in the 1930s and his painted portrait at Johns Hopkins Hospital are also included.

In her inspiring biography of Vivien Thomas, Joan Schoettler presents a fascinating portrait of this brilliant and precise scientist who, along with his mentor and without formal medical training, pioneered open-heart surgery on children. Schoettler clearly explains medical terms and hospital conditions and reveals Thomas’s gentle and caring nature that made him beloved by patients, hospital staff, and his students. Through eye-opening examples, she helps children understand the times in which Thomas lived, the discrimination that constrained his advancement, and the challenges he overcame. Her book also serves as a reminder that these injustices and the loss of talent, both personal and for society, continue today.

Steffi Walthall’s stirring illustrations follow Vivien Thomas throughout his life from his father’s carpentry workshop to Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the operating room. Her realistic depictions of medical equipment and procedures help children see how “blue baby syndrome” affected children and how the shunt that Thomas and Dr. Blalock devised to reroute blood worked. Children interested in medical science and history will be especially drawn to Walthall’s compelling and educational imagery.

Ages 4 – 8

Beach Lane Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1481476669

About the Author

Joan Schoettler is a children’s author and professor of children’s literature and storytelling at California State University, Fresno. Her book The Honey Jar won the Gold Medal for Juvenile Books at the 2024 California Book Awards and was a 2024 Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year. Joan lives in central California with her husband. Visit her at JoanSchoettler.com.

About the Illustrator

Steffi Walthall is an illustrator and character designer born and raised in Virginia. She received her BFA in Game Development from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). Steffi focuses on crafting a diverse range of characters and unique stories and is the illustrator of Joan Schoettler’s A Doctor at Heart, Chris Barton’s Moving Forward, and J.E. Bright’s Wonder Woman: The Way of the Amazons. For more information about Steffi, please visit SteffiWalthallArt.com.

National Inventors Month Activity

Sparkle Test Tubes

Kids love inventing and experimenting! This activity lets kids use their imagination to create medicines, potions, or specimens to accompany imaginative play. Note: the contents of these test tubes is not for eating or drinking.

Supplies

Plastic test tubes with tight-fitting screw cap, available at craft or science supply stores. Having two or three will allow for more experimentation
Glitter glue
Hot water
Fine glitter
Chunky glitter
Small glass beads (optional)
Neon food coloring (optional)
Test tube stand (optional)
Whisk
Mixing bowl
Teaspoon

Directions

Fill a test tube 1/3 full of hot water and pour the water into the mixing bowl
Add 1 – 2 teaspoons of glitter glue (the more glitter glue that is added the thicker the liquid will be and the more the objects will be suspended in the liquid. To allow the objects to flow more freely when the test tube is shaken, add less glue
Whisk the water and glitter glue together
Add chunky glitter, glass beads, or try other small objects
Pour into test tube
Add more water to within a ½ – 1 inch of the top to allow for shaking
Experiment with amount of glitter glue, glitter, and colors

You can purchase A Doctor at Heart: the Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

May 7 – Get Caught Reading Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

When you love to read, you want to share all the excitement that books contain. The Get Caught Reading campaign was initiated in 1999 by the Association of American Publishers with the idea to promote literacy and language development through reading to children and spurring them to read on their own. All month long, people are encouraged to pass along their love of literature—from board books to Shakespeare and everything in between—by taking pictures of themselves reading and sharing them on social media. Movie and TV celebrities, sports figures, authors, illustrators, teachers, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, and kids of all ages take part in this favorite annual event. Why don’t you?! For more information, visit the Get Caught Reading website.

The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars

Written by Laura Alary | Illustrated by Yas Imamura

When Cecilia Payne was eight years old, she found a bee orchid in the apple orchid. This would not have been surprising had she lived in the south of France, but this was England, where the flower did not (normally) grow. The discovery led her to make two promises to herself: 1: “she would learn to see all the wonders in the world,” and 2: “she would always trust what she knew was right.”

Always intellectually curious, Cecilia explored the forests, learned the names of all the constellations, adopted the scientific method to her studies, and even read the encyclopedia. At school the other girls couldn’t understand her fascination with science. Later, when she went to Cambridge University, she was surrounded by renowned scientists who “were seeing what no one could see with their eyes, hidden things that were visible only to the imagination.” When she heard the famous astronomer Arthur Eddington speak, she decided to become an astronomer too.

She found an old telescope, and Arthur Eddington gave her a key to the observatory library. What she found there made Cecelia want to join the ranks of the greatest astronomers, but she was not as welcome in the classroom, where some professors ignored her and others told her she’d never become an astronomer. Cecelia packed her bags and moved to America to study at Harvard.

At Harvard she found freedom—and other women studying the stars. These women “shared with her their greatest treasure—thousands of glass photographs of starlight.” The mystery they were trying to solve was what stars are made of. Cecilia had brought new ideas from Cambridge that might help her find out. She learned to read the patterns of black lines in the spectrums found in the spectrums on the glass plates. These led her to believe that stars were not made of rock but of gases.

When she finally shared her research and conclusions, the men told her “it was impossible. That Cecilia must be mistaken.” For the first time Cecilia broke that long-ago promise she’d make herself and “backed down.” Four years later, however, they admitted she was right. It took another decade for Cecilia to be promoted to the rank of astronomer at Harvard and another 18 years before she was appointed as Professor of Astronomy—becoming the “first woman to become a full professor at Harvard University.” One thing she taught her students was that “becoming a scientist . . . can be a tough climb up a steep hill. But if you keep going, the view is amazing.”

Extensive back matter includes an Author’s Note revealing interesting aspects of Cecilia’s life and how she can inspire children; a detailed timeline of Cecilia’s life; a timeline of pivotal dates in Astronomy, an introduction to the women known as the “Harvard Computers” and more about Cecilia’s work; Honors and Awards given to Cecilia; and a list of books for further reading.

Laura Alary draws children into the life and work of Cecilia Payne through her factual and lyrical storytelling that allows them to experience the wonder Cecilia saw in everything around her, especially the cosmos. Weaving in the observational methods that came naturally to Cecilia, Alary creates a well-rounded portrait of this trailblazing scientist who overcame the dismissals and discrimination of the time to prove her theories correct. The comprehensive information she includes following the story will spark much interest in Cecilia’s work and the history of astronomy and will serve young researchers very well.

Yas Imamura’s stunning gouache and watercolor illustrations welcome young readers into Cecilia Payne’s world with warmth and the excitement of discovery. Exciting collage-inspired images replicate Cecilia’s scientific vision and her fascination with the stars and astronomy. The pages introducing the other women astronomers at Harvard are a welcome depiction of their influence on science. Imamura’s colors are lush and deep, giving children the feeling of gazing into space along with Cecilia to unlock its mysteries.

An inspiring and illuminating biography of a premier astronomer, The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars is a must for all school and public libraries and will be an influential book on any young science lover’s home bookshelf.

Ages 7 – 12

Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-0802855152

About the Author

Laura Alary has written over a dozen books for children, including The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything (Kids Can), Here (Paraclete), What Grew in Larry’s Garden (Kids Can), and All the Faces of Me (Owlkids). She hopes that Cecilia’s story inspires children to follow their curiosity and find confidence in their own unique voices. Laura lives in Toronto, Canada. Visit her website at lauraalary.ca.

About the Illustrator

Yas Imamura is the acclaimed illustrator of many picture books, including Love in the Library (Candlewick), Can You Imagine? (Atheneum), Winged Wonders (Sleeping Bear), and The Bicycle (Balzer + Bray). She frequently works with gouache and watercolor, and she is often drawn to playful and slightly offbeat projects. Yas lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Follow her on Instagram.

Get Caught Reading Month Activity

Stargazing is Fun Maze

Look through the telescope to fine the stars in this maze!

Stargazing is Fun Maze | Stargazing is Fun Maze Solution

You can purchase The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

April 24 – Arbor Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Arbor Day, a national celebration of trees, began as a campaign by J. Morton Sterling and his wife after they moved from Michigan to Nebraska in 1854 and advocated for planting trees as windbreaks for crops, to keep soil from washing away, as building materials, and for shade. In 1872, Morton proposed that a tree-planting day be established in April. On the first Arbor Day nearly one million trees were planted in Nebraska. The idea was made official in 1874, and soon, other states joined in. In 1882 schools began taking part. Today, most states celebrate Arbor Day on the last Friday of April or day more suited for their growing season. To learn about events in your area, find activities to download, and more, visit the Arbor Day Foundation website.

Just One Oak: What a Single Tree Can Be

Written by Maria Gianferrari | Illustrated by Diana Sudyka

“Just one oak . . . from the tip of its crown down to the ground, with roots all around, sustains so very many creatures, from the teeny-tiny to the big and mighty.” So begins Maria Gianferrari’s fascinating exploration of all the ways oak trees contribute to and sustain the ecosystem where they live. From their distinctive leaves to their shaggy bark to their incredible acorns, oak trees are self-protecting while providing shelter and food for an amazing array of wildlife.

At ground level, Gianferrari shows how “leaf litter, the blanket beneath its boughs,” creates the perfect environment for snails, insects, amphibians, fungi, and more to hide, feed, and grow. And that little acorn nestled under the leaves? Gianferrari digs in to reveal how a mighty oak begins with just one taproot that branches and branches until its root system spreads “farther than the canopy is wide.”

And oh those acorns! They’re so much more than their tiny size may lead you to believe. Just one acorn can house one creature or hundreds. They are a universal “superfood” as well as a tidy seed that can reproduce where it drops or be carried far afield. When it grows up, “just one oak creates a microclimate,” with its impressive canopy and prevents flooding, erosion, and drought with its far-reaching roots. Yes, “just one oak is beautiful and bountiful to all.”

Maria Gianferrari takes readers outdoors to get a close-up view of one oak tree, and by extension an enlightened understanding of the reach of this keystone species. Her lyrical introductions, capped with a repeated “Just one oak . . .”—a phrase that reinforces the contributions of these trees, give way to paragraphs of factual information. Each of these paragraphs are packed with specific information about the types of creatures sustained by just one tree and the benefits they enjoy. The numbers here are simply astounding and could inspire many cross-curricular lessons in math, science, language arts, art, and more.

Diana Sudyka’s nature illustrations are beautiful, exciting, and full of the kinds of small, impactful details readers love and that expand their understanding of the text (especially for visual learners). Animals scamper, birds feast, and an entire community of creepy-crawlies scurry through leaf litter and below in Sudyka’s action-filled pages. Each spread will have children lingering to discover all the wonders of an oak tree.

A glorious celebration of the oak tree and the species that rely on it, Just One Oak will spark curiosity and an appreciation for the interconnections among wildlife. The book will delight any nature lover and is a must for school and public libraries.

Ages 4 – 8+

Beach Lane Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1665961042

About the Author

Maria Gianferrari is a picture book reader/writer, tea-drinker, dog-lover, and birdwatcher. Maria writes books that honor our bonds with creatures both domestic and wild and that celebrate the natural world around us, including Fungi Grow and Just One Oak, illustrated by Diana Sudyka; Ice Cycle: Poems about the Life of Ice, illustrated by Jieting Chen; Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness, illustrated by Pete Oswald; Bobcat Prowling, illustrated by Bagram Ibatouilline; and Be a Tree!, illustrated by Felicita Sala. She lives with her family in Massachusetts in a house encircled by trees. To learn more about Maria, visit her website: MariaGianferrari.com.

About the Illustrator

Diana Sudyka is a Chicago-based illustrator. Early on, she created screen-printed gig posters for musicians but currently her illustration work focuses on young adult, middle grade, and children’s books. She has illustrated several volumes of the award-winning book series, including The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley, as well as the picture books Would You Come Too? by Liz Garton Scanlon, Sometimes Rain by Meg Fleming, What Miss Mitchell Saw by Hayley Barrett, How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward, and Fungi Grow and Just One Oak by Maria Gianferrari. Visit her at DianaSudyka.com.

Arbor Day Activities

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-paper-plate-tree-craft-2

Paper Plate Tree

On Earth Day children love planting trees in their yard or as part of a community project. With this easy craft, they can also plant a tree on their wall or bulletin board.

Supplies

Two paper plates
Paper towel tube
Brown craft paint
Green craft paint (using a variety of green paints adds interest)
Paintbrush, cork, or cut carrot can be used to apply paint
Glue or hot glue gun or stapler

Directions

Paint the paper towel tube brown, let dry
Paint the bottoms of the two paper plates with the green (or other color) paints, let dry
Flatten about 4 inches of the paper towel tube
Glue or tape the flat part of the paper towel tube to the unpainted side of one paper plate
Glue the edges of the two paper plates together, let dry.
Straighten the tree so that it can stand up, or hang your tree on a wall, bulletin board, in a window

Just One Oak Activity Kit from Beach Lane Books

Teachers and other educators can find a comprehensive Activity Kit with discussion questions, hands-on activities, and more to accompany Just One Oak on Maria Gianferrari’s website.

You can purchase Just One Oak: What a Single Tree Can Be from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

March 14 – National Learn about Butterflies Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Spring has sprung – or is right around the corner – so today’s holiday reminds us to watch out for butterflies in your area. With more than 20,000 species of butterflies around the world, these delicate beauties are one of the most recognized and beloved natural wonders. Beyond their wow factor, butterflies are an important part of our ecosystem, but habitat destruction and climate change are decreasing their numbers by alarming amounts. You can help! By planting milkweed and other plants as well as nectar-producing flowers in your yard or community, you can create an area where butterflies can find shelter, food, and a place to lay their eggs. To learn more about saving monarch butterflies, visit Save Our Monarchs.

Thanks to Beach Lane Books and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sending me this book for review!

Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal

By Melissa Stewart and Sarah S. Brannen

It’s impossible not to be captivated by the creative process. When we read, see, or hear something amazing, we want to ask the artist: How did you do that? The same can be said of metamorphoses in nature. Melissa Stewart and Sarah S. Brannen understand this fascination. In Monarch and Mourning Cloak, Melissa and Sarah give readers an immersive look not only into the lives of monarch and mourning cloak butterflies, but into their very own journal pages full of the research, notes, sketches, and multiple drafts of poems that became this stunning book. Images of papers stacked and taped together simulate the changes Melissa’s poems underwent while Sarah’s painted and rough-sketch images stand side-by-side along strips of watercolor tests and samples of flowers and leaves she used for reference.

Illustration copyright @ 2026 by Sarah S. Brannen. Text copyright @ 2026 by Melissa Stewart. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

With each page—many inscribed with the date, time, and wildlife sanctuary or garden where observations took place—young nature-lovers receive an incredibly in-depth look at the very different lifecycles of monarch and mourning cloak butterflies through factual information that accompanies Sarah’s glorious illustrations and is sweetened with Melissa’s evocative verses. Particularly stunning are the pages dedicated to the metamorphosis of both monarch and mourning cloak butterflies.

Illustration copyright @ 2026 by Sarah S. Brannen. Text copyright @ 2026 by Melissa Stewart. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

Young naturalists first meet Monarch perched on a purple coneflower at Davis Field on June 12 at 1:15 p.m. Mourning Cloak makes its first appearance on a white oak tree in Harvard Forest at 6:15 p.m. on June 15. While these two butterflies are similar in size and share many traits, their lives diverge in many ways. Readers learn all about these similarities and differences by following each throughout the year as they float, feed, hibernate, mate, and fly away leaving their progeny behind. But leaving their readers wondering is not Melissa and Sarah’s style. Through their enlightening words and images, they show children the eggs’ day-by-day transitions from tiny shell to larvae to caterpillar to chrysalis until the fully transformed butterflies emerge and soar into the sky.

Illustration copyright @ 2026 by Sarah S. Brannen. Text copyright @ 2026 by Melissa Stewart. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

After the butterflies take wing, this well-conceived book expands with a section that includes illustrated tips by Melissa Stewart on keeping a journal and Sarah S. Brannen on creating a sketchbook; extensive information that elaborates on each of Melissa’s poems with fascinating information about each butterfly’s defenses, food choices, migration paths (including map), surviving winter, egg deposits and survival rates, caterpillar growth and metamorphosis, and its final preparations before flying. Even the endpapers and title page provide enticing facts.

Illustration copyright @ 2026 by Sarah S. Brannen. Text copyright @ 2026 by Melissa Stewart. Courtesy of Beach Lane Books.

For young butterfly and entomology enthusiasts, as well as for nature lovers, writers, and illustrators, Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal is an absolute must. Inspirational and educational, this radiant nonfiction title will be a go-to resource throughout the year and a standout addition to all library collections.

Ages 4 – 8+

Beach Lane Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1665962711

About the Author

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 150 science books for children, including the celebrated Meet the Mini Mammals, illustrated by Brian Lies, and Can an Aardvark Bark? and Fourteen Monkeys: A Rain Forest Rhyme, both illustrated by Steve Jenkins. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Union College and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University, Melissa worked as a children’s book editor for nine years before becoming a full-time writer. While gathering information for her books, she has explored tropical rain forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. She lives in Acton, Massachusetts. Visit her at melissa-stewart.com.

About the Illustrator

Sarah S. Brannen is an award-winning author and illustrator of more than twenty books for children. Her authored works include the groundbreaking Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, illustrated by Lucia Soto, and her illustrated works include Melissa Stewart’s Sibert Honor book Summertime Sleepers. Sarah lives in Massachusetts. Visit her at sarahbrannen.com.

National Learn about Butterflies Day Activity

Chrysalis to Butterfly Craft

Make your own chrysalis and watch your butterflies emerge! Color your own butterflies and fold them into their own chrysalises. Once placed in the water, the butterflies will transform.

Supplies

Printable Butterfly Template
Paper
Markers/Crayons
Scissors
Shallow pan filled with water

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-very-impatient-caterpillar-craft-2

Directions

Print the butterfly template
Color butterflies
Cut butterflies out. Be sure to snip in between the wings
Gently fold butterflies. Do not fold hard or crease them, otherwise they will not unfold
Place in the shallow pan in water. Butterflies will open up on their own!

You can purchase Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

March 6 – National Women’s History Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Women have been inventing, discovering, questioning, challenging, and changing the world just as long as men have—but often without recognition, the ability to take jobs in their fields of expertise, or equal (or even any) pay. Established by the United States Congress in 1987, National Women’s History Month serves to educate people on the amazing women who have blazed trails in the past and those who are continuing that tradition today.

This year’s theme is Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future and encompasses a wide understanding of sustainability, including climate change, economic and financial sustainability, community resilience, healthcare disparities, leadership succession, intergenerational equity, and threats to democratic participation. In all these areas, women are at the forefront of sustainable transformation that will carry us into a supportive future for all. To learn more visit the National Women’s History Alliance website.

Thanks to Beach Lane Books and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sending me this book!

Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery

Written by Jane Kurtz | Illustrated by Giselle Potter

In the early 1800s, when Mary Morland was a child, girls were seen as “dainty, delicate decorations” who embroidered, arranged flowers, and played with dolls. Mary Morland had other ideas. From the first page, Jane Kurtz allies readers with the spirited Mary through cleverly posed questions that contrast the stifling conventions of her time with the freedoms of today: “Did [Mary] perch on her chair like a prim little miss?” Kurtz posits. “Well what would you do if the whole world was waiting outside? Mary tromped around, exploring. Wouldn’t you?”

“Of course!” kids will say, and off they go, following Mary as, following the death of her mother, her father sends her to live with family friends who encourage her curiosity and teach her to study nature and fossils. From there readers view her drawings of “everything that fascinated her,” and discover that instead of calling herself a “cork-brain” and spending mannerly afternoons sipping tea in a fancy hat, Mary tooled around in her donkey-pulled carriage to “collect shells and fossils.”

Did teenage Mary keep her discoveries to herself? No! She corresponded with Georges Cuvier, a famous French scientist, impressing him with the drawings and specimens she sent. And instead of trying to find a husband, Mary spent her time with old fossils, labeling and mending them. Then one day, she did meet the man she would marry: William Buckland, England’s best fossilist. In fact, it was he who had theorized that a collection of bones had come from a “giant land reptile,” named it Megalosaurus (before the word dinosaur was even created), and asked Mary to draw them for an important meeting of England’s geologists.

After Mary and William were married, did she give up drawing and studying to keep a tidy house? Not at all! She kept exploring, writing, and drawing. She helped William turn his work into books—with her illustrations—and served as a curator for his collections of fossils. And, oh yes! She raised and taught their nine children and welcomed a menagerie of creatures—including a pony her the kids rode around the dining room—into their home! You might wonder: after all this, “did William say, ‘I am so fortunate that my wife is not a cork-brain?'” or acknowledge her contributions on his papers? Well, this was a time when women could not vote, own property, or go to college. So, what do you think? But that didn’t stop Mary from learning and using her gifts wherever she could throughout her life.

Back matter includes an Author’s Note highlighting other women intrinsic to the discovery and understanding of dinosaurs as well as how scientists came to accept that dinosaurs once existed, further resources for young readers, and a selection of resources.

Jane Kurtz combines pluck, humor, and illuminating cultural mores of the past to weave an absorbing biography of Mary Morland, a brilliant paleontologist, writer, and illustrator with whom children will immediately connect. Mary’s personality and intelligence shine from each page, drawing children not only into her life, but into this incredible time of scientific discovery. Readers will be inspired by Mary’s example of self-confidence to set their own path, buck the norm, and prevail over obstacles on their way to success.

Giselle Potter’s illustrations are always a delight, and here she perfectly captures Mary Morland’s singular affinity for exploration, scientific thought, and illustration. In her folk art, watercolor paintings, Potter recreates the fashions, transportation, and traditions of the 1800s as well as Morland’s and her husband’s work. Readers will envy Mary’s children when they get a glimpse of the rambunctious Buckland home. In several instances, Mary’s and William’s facial expressions eloquently (and comically) reveal their innermost thoughts.

Biographical storytelling at its best, Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery will captivate children with its verve and beauty. The book is a must for classroom, school, and public libraries and will become a favorite on home bookshelves as well.

Ages 4 – 8

Beach Lane Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1665955546

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but spent most of her childhood in Ethiopia. Jane speaks about being an author at schools and conferences and helped start Ethiopia Reads (EthiopiaReads.org), a nonprofit that has opened the first libraries for children in Ethiopia. She is the author of many books for children, including The Bone Wars, illustrated by Alexander Vidal; What Do They Do with All that Poo?, illustrated by Allison Black; Do Kangaroos Wear Seat Belts?, illustrated by Jane Manning; Anna Was Here; Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros, illustrated by Claire Messer; and the American Girl book Lanie. You can visit her to learn more at janekurtz.com.

Giselle Potter has illustrated many books, including Once Upon a Fairy Tale House by Mary Lyn Ray, Try It! by Mara Rockliff, All by Himself? by Elana K. Arnold, and Kate and the Beanstalk by Mary Pope Osborne, as well as her own Tell Me What to Dream About, This Is My Dollhouse, and The Year I Didn’t Go to School, about traveling through Italy with her parents’ puppet troupe when she was eight. She lives in Rosendale, New York, with her husband and two daughters. Visit her at gisellepotter.com.

National Women’s History Month Activity

Women’s History Month Coloring Page

Celebrate Women’s History Month with this coloring page! In the letters write the names of women from history and today that you admire!

Women’s History Month Coloring Page

You can purchase Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Sounds of Trash (STEAMWORKS)

Written by Tina Athaide | Illustrated by Neha Rawat

Cómo suena la basura (Spanish Edition) (STEAMWORKS)

Written by Tina Athaide | Illustrated by Neha Rawat | Translated by Anyeliz Pagan Munoz

Share this:

About the Holiday

An Extraordinary Ordinary Moth

Written by Karlin Gray | Illustrated by Steliyana Doneva

National Moth Week Activity

Beautiful Moths Board Game

Share this:

About the Holiday

A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas

Written by Joan Schoettler | Illustrated by Steffi Walthall

National Inventors Month Activity

Sparkle Test Tubes

Share this:

About the Holiday

The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars

Written by Laura Alary | Illustrated by Yas Imamura

Get Caught Reading Month Activity

Stargazing is Fun Maze

Share this:

About the Holiday

Just One Oak: What a Single Tree Can Be

Written by Maria Gianferrari | Illustrated by Diana Sudyka

Arbor Day Activities

Paper Plate Tree

Just One Oak Activity Kit from Beach Lane Books

Share this:

About the Holiday

Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal

By Melissa Stewart and Sarah S. Brannen

National Learn about Butterflies Day Activity

Chrysalis to Butterfly Craft

Share this:

About the Holiday

Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery

Written by Jane Kurtz | Illustrated by Giselle Potter

National Women’s History Month Activity

Women’s History Month Coloring Page

Share this: