For my recent posts, I’ve just randomly picked books I like. I realized this week that, though the topics, vary, there is a theme for the books in this post. Each of these books takes a creative approach to their story, an approach you don’t see everyday. I hope you enjoy them too.
Flowers Are Pretty Weird
Author: Rosemary Mosco
Illustrator: Jacob Souva
Publisher/Date: Tundra Books 2022
36 Pages
Recommended age: 4-8 years
First, vibrant digital collage style illustrations create an inviting vibe. Then you have the cutest bee narrator-a little bit sassy-that talks directly to the reader. Then add in the weird flowers and the facts included about them, lots of wordplay, and you have a recipe for an enjoyable picture book. The tie ins for elementary science are a plus. I think kids would love hearing this as a read aloud. This books is part of the publishers Nature’s Top Secrets series that also includes Butterflies Are Pretty Gross. Here is a quote for your enjoyment. “If you want me to show you some even stranger flowers, turn the page. If you don’t, shut this book and I’ll mind my own beeswax.”
This Book Is Full Of Holes
Author: Nora Nickum
Illustrator: Robert Meganck
Publisher/Date: Peachtree 2024
40 Pages
Recommended age: 6–9 years
The creative touch of this book comes from the approach to the topic. Nickum covers the expected like sink holes and holes in your socks but adds some unusual examples and some not so unusual ones that we just don’t pay attention to. The holes are paired around opposites like “made by a human” and “made by another animal” or “empty or filled”.
A short explanation of each hole gives the reader more to think about. I think reading this book might open minds to looking at ordinary things in new ways. A further reading list is provided in the back matter.
Search For A Giant Squid
Authors: Amy Seto Forrester and Andy Chou Musser
Publisher/Date: Chronicle Books 23
96 Pages
Recommended age: Early elementary
There is a lot to like about this book. Starting with different jobs on a research vessel and different kinds of submarine vessels to choosing your own path through the book, all with the goal of finding the giant squid. The first quarter of the book gives some background about the expedition and about giant squids. From that point the reader makes decisions , and each choice gives a page number for the reader to go to next. Reading this book with such a creative format is a real adventure. And if you like this one, there is a second book “Searching for a Mysterious Mushroom”.
The Iguanadon’s Horn
Author/Illustrator: Sean Rubin
Publisher/Date: Clarion Books 2024
48 Pages Multi award winner
Recommended age: All ages
I have read some excellent books about dinosaur discoveries, but I really like how Rubin covers the history and process of discovery that happens around excavating dinosaur bones. When you only have a few bones, how do you figure out what that animal looked like? Science is all about changing ideas as new evidence becomes available. I also really like how he tied in art as well. As scientists developed new ideas, artists helped them visualize their ideas. The illustrator gives the reader a series of Iguanadons that change over time as scientists learned more. One creative thing was the seven pages BEFORE the title page that really gets the reader invested before the story actually starts. It’s a perfect book for an introduction for Nature of Science. The Author’s Endnotes include some information about each spread in the book.