Tag Archives: Climate

Elem. – The House That Floated

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Guojing. The House That Floated. Random House Studio, 2025. 978-0-593-70905-4. $18.99. 38 p. Grades K-3.

This wordless picture book follows a family living in a small red house high on a seaside cliff. Through changing seasons, readers watch the couple welcome a child and enjoy everyday moments together—fishing, spending time outdoors, and caring for the wildlife around them. As the years pass, the ocean gradually rises, and a powerful storm eventually surrounds their home with water. Working together, the family builds a raft to move their house to safer ground. Their journey leads them to a supportive community where they can rebuild their lives and remain connected to the natural world they love.

THOUGHTS: This beautifully illustrated book is an excellent choice for school libraries, offering a powerful blend of environmental awareness, family resilience, and visual storytelling. The detailed chalk and digital artwork presented in graphic novel style panels, encourages close observation and invites students to interpret the narrative using the pictures alone. Its themes—climate change, adaptation, and the strength of community—make it well‑suited for discussions in classrooms and library programs. This title would be a meaningful addition to collections supporting SEL, environmental topics, and visual literacy.

Picture Book

Elem. – Baby Ballena

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Gundersheimer, Ben (“Mister G”). Baby Ballena. Illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025. 978-0-593-62484-5. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2.

Born in the warm waters of Mexico, Juana is a one-day-old gray whale. She and her pod head north towards Alaska, where they will be spending their summer. They pass landmarks like the Rocky Mountains and the Golden Gate Bridge, and they are careful to avoid ships, fishing nets, and orcas. After arriving in Alaska, Juana spends her summer eating and growing before she must make the return journey to Mexico to spend the winter. Beautiful illustrations accompany this extremely accessible introduction to the migration patterns of baleen whales.

THOUGHTS: Although the story itself is very straightforward and simple, I believe this book has a lot of potential uses in an educational setting. The book is written in both Spanish and English, so it would be a great selection for a bilingual storytime. It also could be used to introduce a unit on migratory animals. The story does manage to incorporate simple facts about gray whales, such as their sizing, their migratory patterns, and the fact that they eat shrimp. The author’s note at the end highlights some conservation efforts we can make to protect the whales in our oceans. Overall, the book seems like it would be a valuable addition to any elementary bilingual/science collection.

Picture Book

Elem. – The Snow Man: A True Story

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Winter, Jonah. The Snow Man: A True Story. Illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Beach Lane Books, 2023. 978-1-665-93239-4. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-3.

Based on a true story, this book tells the tale of billy barr (he doesn’t capitalize the first letters of his name), who has lived most of his life in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. When he first came to the mountains as a young man, billy’s only companions were wild animals. Without anyone to talk to, billy was bored, so he started measuring the snowfalls. Year after year, he recorded these measurements, along with the dates of the first snowfall and the first wildflower blossoms each year. He noted when animals came out of hibernation and when certain birds arrived each spring. After many years, he started to notice an interesting trend: year after year, there seemed to be less snow than there had been in past years. When he shared his findings with a local scientist, the scientist was amazed. Today, billy’s meticulous measurements and notes have proved to be a vital contribution to the study of climatology. An author’s note provides additional information about the real billy barr, as well as a list of sources for further reading and research.

THOUGHTS: Young readers will be fascinated by billy’s lifestyle and findings. This would be an excellent title for introducing climate change or measurement to elementary students.

921 Biography
508 Natural History  

MG – Two Degrees

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Gratz, Alan. Two Degrees. Scholastic, 2022. 978-1-338-73567-3. 365 p. $17.99. Grades 5-8.

In his newest book, blockbuster historical fiction author Alan Gratz takes on climate change, and hits it out of the ballpark. In a now familiar format, Two Degrees highlights three teenagers experiencing three different, yet equally devastating disasters incited by climate change. In the Sierra Nevada range of  California, Norwegian-Japanese-American Akira Kristiansen and her father are horseback riding when Akira spots a wildfire. Her father, a climate change denier, insists there is no concern, until they find themselves surrounded by flames. In Churchill, Manitoba, white Canadian Owen Mackenzie and his Indigenous buddy, George, are heading out on a weekend trip to George’s family ice fishing cabin when they find themselves in mortal danger from a polar bear. In Miami, Puerto Rican Natalie, unhealthily obsessed with storms since terrifying Hurricane Irma just missed Miami a few years ago, is watching television weather reports of Hurricane Reuben when the category five storm suddenly changes direction, heading directly for Miami. The Big One is here. The point of view rotates between the three characters as tensions quickly mount. Akira, separated from her father, must try to outrun the wildfire and escort an injured girl to safety. After Owen makes a number of thoughtless mistakes, he and George find themselves fending off a hungry polar bear with limited resources, while Natalie, swept out of her home by surging flood waters, struggles to stay alive. In each situation, the teen comes to grips with how climate change is responsible for his or her dire situation. Gratz does an excellent job elucidating the chain reaction effects of climate change, particularly in Owen’s story, where the connections are less obvious. In typical Gratz fashion, all three stories eventually intersect with an emotionally satisfying, soul-stirring conclusion. 

THOUGHTS: This book is a call to action on climate change. Students will be on the edge of their seats until the end of the book. The nonstop action makes it perfect for reluctant readers or those who need an immediate hook to grab their attention, as well as an excellent classroom read-aloud. A first purchase for libraries serving intermediate grade readers and older. 

Realistic Fiction                Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor SD

MG – Inquire and Investigate (Series NF)

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Inquire and Investigate. Nomad Press, 2021. $17.95 ea. $71.80 set of 4. 128 p. Grades 6-9.

Danneberg, Julie. The Science of Fashion. 978-1-64741-027-8.
Danneberg, Julie. The Science of Weather and Climate. 978-1-61930-850-3.
Taylor, Daian C. The Science of Natural Disasters. 978-1-61930-858-9.
Wood, Matthew Brendon. The Science of Science Fiction. 978-1-61930-470-3.

Science, especially STEM, is a hot topic in all educational institutions. This set of four books reveals the science behind topics such as fashion, science fiction, and natural disasters. This reviewer had the opportunity to read The Science of Fashion. Each chapter, six in total, is chock full of information, comics, experiments, photos, facts, and timelines. The author makes sure to include the science behind textiles, design, accessories, and even color. Another interesting feature in each chapter is the QR codes leading to primary sources on the topic discussed on the page. Throughout the book, the author prompts thinking and encourages the reader to work through the engineering design process. Perhaps the most interesting chapter explains how fast fashion causes damage to the environment but with science and engineering, sustainable, environment-friendly fashion is possible. Back matter includes a glossary, metric conversions, resources, and an index.

THOUGHTS: The titles in this collection would be a good purchase for a library serving upper middle grade students. These books also would serve as an instructional tool in a science, engineering, or even a consumer science classroom.

746.9 Engineering and Technology           Danielle Corrao, Manheim Central SD

Elem. – Feel the Fog

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Sayre, April Pulley.  Feel the Fog.  Beach Lane Books, 2020. 978-1-534-43760-9. Unpaged.  $17.99. Grades K-3.

Similar to her other works Best in Snow and Raindrops Roll, Sayre has created a beautiful photographic nonfiction book on the topic of fog. The images depict this “cloud, ground level” in a variety of settings, like the mountains, forests, valleys, and iceberg laden seas. Using spare rhyming text and personification, the author explains how fog develops, how it affects visibility and sound, as well as its appearance in different seasons. The reader also learns how animals like birds and deer adapt to their habitats when this phenomenon occurs. The words and images work together to provide a treat for the senses like this phrase, “Silhouettes sing from wires and fences,” which appears on a page with images of resting birds. The back matter contains additional information.

THOUGHTS: This lyrical and sensory depiction of this weather marvel is a first purchase. It works well as an introduction to weather units and also serves as a mentor text for the use of personification. Children will be fascinated by the images. After reading this book, they will experience fog in a different way the next time it rolls in.

551.575 Rainfall          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member
Moisture