Elem. – Buffalo Fluffalo

Kalb, Bess. Buffalo Fluffalo. Illustrated Erin Kraan. Random House Studio, 2024. 978-0-593-56453-0. 40 p. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Buffalo Fluffalo lives in a stunning valley that features a distant mountain range, majestic pine trees, and a beautiful turquoise lake. But Fluff is a “surly old buffalo / Who was ever so snarly and gnarly and tuffalo.” He stomps on flowers, snorts in warning, and wears his fluff like protective armor. His number one request? “Leave me alone because / I’ve had enuffalo!” Despite his grumpy demeanor, affable critters approach with offers of a handmade hat, a race through prairie dog tunnels, and a friendly chat. Fluff meets each offer with a resounding rebuffalo. But when a sudden thunderstorm soaks Fluff to the skin, his true (very diminutive) form is revealed. Embarrassed, Fluff defensively asserts his toughness, until the animals whose friendship he denied step in and assure him that they like him just as he is. The sun comes out and shines on Fluff, surrounded by all of his new, affectionate friends. Readers may even spot a happy tear in his eye! Author Bess Kalb has written Buffalo Fluffalo in playful, rhyming couplets with vocabulary that is somehow both nonsensical and perfectly descriptive (rain lands with a “spluffalo”). Erin Kraan’s delightful illustrations are rendered through hand-carved woodcuts, Photoshop, and acrylic gouache, creating engaging scenes with a variety of textures.

THOUGHTS: Young readers will identify Mr. Fluff’s guarded posturing and root for potential friends to break through his “gruffalo” persona!

Picture Book

Elem./MG – Force of Nature

Burg, Ann E. Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson. Illustrated by Sophie Blackwell. Scholastic Press, 2024. 978-1-338-88338-1. 304 p. $19.99. Grades 3-7.

Ann E. Burg’s well-researched historical novel-in-verse explores Rachel Carson’s life and research. Rachel Carson is best known as the groundbreaking American environmental conservationist who wrote Silent Spring. This fictionalized account follows Carson’s life through her first-person perspective. The story begins with Carson’s childhood during World War I and ends with her death in 1964. Throughout this telling, we also follow Carson’s family and collegial relationships through time, including the close bond she held with her nieces and great-nephew (although she had no children of her own). Carson journeys to college and then onward to obtain her masters degree at Johns Hopkins University. There, she marries her talent of writing with her scientific expertise in order to produce widely read and understood arguments about nature. She wins a National Book Award for The Sea Around Us (1952), and Silent Spring follows in 1962. Carson’s work largely catalyzed the modern environmental movement.

THOUGHTS: Force of Nature’s accessible format will allow upper elementary and middle school students to explore Carson’s story and her legacy. Students who love nature and biology will feel inspired by Ann E. Burg’s novel in verse long before they may actually read Silent Spring or other full-length nonfiction books about climate conservation. The story is also filled with moments highlighting nature’s quiet beauty. Burg does an excellent job of humanizing Carson and framing her as a pioneer for future female scientists. While this story can be read and enjoyed by anyone, students without background knowledge or strong inference skills may miss historical references in Force of Nature because they are written so subtly. Recommended for addition to upper elementary and middle school collections where historical fiction and verse memoirs are popular.

Historical Fiction

Elem./MG – Silverwing

Oppel, Kenneth. Silverwing. Simon & Schuster, 2023. 978-1-665-93848-8. $23.99. Unpaged. Grades 3-7.

Shade is the smallest bat in his silverwing colony, and while his size may be small, his curiosity looms large. He wants to know why he is not allowed to see the sun. Of course, he knows about the law established by the owls millions of years ago: bats may only rule the skies at night while birds rule during the day. One day, he stays out at sunrise, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sun. An owl catches him and later comes to his colony to tell the silverwing leader that retribution must be made since Shade broke the rules. The leader refuses, and the owls burn down their roost. The colony has no choice but to migrate south to their Hibernaculum a bit earlier than expected. Shade sticks close to his mother during the beginning of the journey, but he gets blown off course by a strong storm. He finds himself lost and alone until he meets Marina, a brightwing bat who vows to help him get back to his colony. Together, they journey to Hibernaculum but not before many dangerous encounters with cannibalistic jungle bats, sewer rats, and vengeful birds. 

THOUGHTS: The graphic adaptation of Oppel’s novel by the same name is sure to be a hit with readers who love animal stories filled with adventure. The illustrations are detailed and colorful and the story, while action-packed, also weaves in details about bat life, including diet and echolocation. 

Graphic Novel

Elem. – Fungi Grow

Gianferrari, Maria. Fungi Grow. Beach Lane Books, 2023. 978-1-665-90365-3. 40 p. $18.99. Grades 2-5. 

Fungi grow all around us, and this book introduces readers to their mysterious world. Fungi grow from spores which form threads that spread and create a complex network of roots. Mushrooms are the fruit, and they can be found both above and below ground. The lyrical text is supplemented by fact boxes that share additional information about how spores are spread, how some mushrooms can absorb enough water to crack cement, and how fungi are also used to create antibiotics. The gouache watercolor and digital illustrations include a wide variety of labeled fungi. Additionally, many pages also feature word art visualizations of how spores move and grow, detailing how they puff, plop, poof, sprout, branch, poke, splash, swirl, and multiply. Backmatter includes a warning to never eat wild mushrooms until their identity is confirmed by an expert as well as a glossary and a list of blogs and websites for further reading. Information about how fungi help the environment, fun fungi facts, and a diagram of the fungi life cycle are also featured. 

THOUGHTS: There are many books about the life cycles of animals and plants, but this title will fill gaps about how other living things grow, change, and impact the environment. This is a visually interesting title to browse, or share it with science-loving students.  

579.5 Fungi

Elem. – The Animal Song

Howley, Jonty. The Animal Song. Random House Studio. 2023. 978-0-593-38146-5. $18.99. Grades PreK-3.

A bear, crocodile, and a weasel. What do they have in common? They love music and are in a band together! From spring to fall, these animals play music for their forest friends. When winter hits and their forest friends go to sleep, they don’t have anyone to play for, and they aren’t ready to go to sleep! This musical animal band moves and continues playing through the winter, until finally, everyone is ready to sleep!

THOUGHTS: A fun musical story with a fun rhythm to read. The back of the book contains the lyrics and musical score for The Animal Song, allowing musical readers to play and sing along!

Picture Book

Elem. – Evergreen

Cordell, Matthew. Evergreen. Feiwel and Friends, 2023. 978-1-250-31717-9. unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Evergreen is not a brave squirrel. She is afraid of loud noises, heights, swimming, and thunderstorms. Buckthorn Forest, where Evergreen lives in a tall red oak tree with her mother, is full of scary things. But Evergreen’s mother needs her to deliver an acorn full of healing soup to an ailing Granny Oak. Evergreen has never traveled through Buckthorn by herself … until now. Along the way, she encounters a fluffy white rabbit trapped between two rocks, a red-tailed hawk, and an old toad and his great-grandson. Each new character needs Evergreen’s help, and she must find her courage to solve her fellow forest critters’ problems. What will happen when she meets the fiercest of all the animals in Buckthorn, a grizzly bear? Matthew Cordell’s ink and watercolor illustrations are characteristically wonderful. Evergreen’s expressive eyes and tentative posture reveal her anxiety; she practically quivers on the page! Full-page spreads featuring Buckthorn Forest’s predators add high-stakes drama to the story. A color palette of green, blue, and brown represents the natural world perfectly. 

THOUGHTS: Readers of Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen and Cordell’s own Cornbread and Poppy series will love this woodsy adventure story. The ending hints at future Evergreen excursions!

Picture Book

Elem. – Emile and the Field

Young, Kevin. Emile and the Field. Illustrated by Chioma Ebinama. Make Me a World, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, 2022. 978-1-984-85042-3. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades K-2.

Emile, a young black boy, falls in love with a field. He loves everything about it–the bees, the flowers, the trees. The only thing he doesn’t like is having to share the field with other children in the winter, children who build snowmen and ride down the face of the field without his permission. Emile’s father explains that the other children love the field, too, and while no one owns the field, they will be able to enjoy it for many years to come if they all share it and take care of it. Impressionistic illustrations, rendered in watercolor and ink, are absolutely stunning and depict the field in various seasons and at various times of the day.

THOUGHTS: Nature and art lovers will absolutely adore this book. Its subtle message about appreciating nature and coming together to take care of it is an important one, and the gorgeous illustrations will not soon be forgotten.

Picture Book Julie Ritter, PSLA Member

Elem. – Dark on Light

White, Dianne. Dark on Light. Beach Lane Books, 2022. 978-1-534-48789-5. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-2.

As twilight arrives, three children head outside to explore. Equipped with a flashlight, they walk through the fields and into the forest, admiring the wonders of nature as they appear in the shadows of the night. Eventually, they make their way back home and snuggle into their cozy beds, where they will sleep until morning. Gorgeous illustrations and lyrical text make this a beautiful nod to nature’s hidden nighttime beauty.

THOUGHTS: I absolutely love the breathtaking artwork in this book. In the opening spread, twilight descends upon a farm in all of its colorful glory. Over the next couple of pages, the sky turns a color reminiscent of the most beautiful sunset and then eventually fades to black. Despite the darkness, however, the wonders of nature are illuminated by a flashlight and by the stars and moon. This book serves as a gentle, lovely reminder that even when things seem dark, there is always still beauty and light. Coupled with these gorgeous illustrations, the rhyming, repetitive text makes this a perfect bedtime read aloud for young children.

Picture Book          Julie Ritter, PSLA Member

Elem. – How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside

Percival, Kari. How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside. Rise x Penguin Workshop, 2022. 978-0-593-22679-7. $17.99. 40 p. Grades PK-1.

Simple storyline and text with adorable silkscreen collage depict a small group of diverse preschool/early elementary students exploring a garden bed. Together the children ask gentle questions about how to plant seeds, how to make mud, and say hello to a worm. As the tiny plants sprout and grow, the children learn how to support and care for different common fruits and vegetables. Their garden is harvested and enjoyed at the end of this delightful book. Additional information on growing your own garden is included for both kids and grown-ups. 

THOUGHTS: This title is a cute and quick introduction to gardening; plant life cycle; and exploring dirt, insects, seeds, and growing your own food.

635.083 Domestic Gardening          Anne McKernan, Council Rock SD
Picture Book

Elem. – A Leopard Diary: My Journey into the Hidden World of a Mother and Her Cubs

Eszterhas, Suzi. A Leopard Diary: My Journey into the Hidden World of a Mother and Her Cubs. OwlkidsBooks, 2022. 978-1-771-47491-7. 40 p. $18.95. Grades 2-6.

Wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas, author of Moto and Me, returns with A Leopard Diary! Eszterhas specializes in photographing baby animals, and she jumped at the chance to photograph a female leopard and her two cubs in Botswana’s Jao Reserve, located in the Okavango Delta. In A Leopard Diary she has compiled her diary of the adventure, from the day she arrived at the Tubu Tree Camp through various return trips over the next two years. Her diary entries conversationally document the female cubs’ development, accompanied by full-color photos and lively page spreads that showcase their journey from cubs to sub-adults. The narrative culminates in the arrival of the Camp Female’s new baby, a male cub. As in all of Eszterhas’s books, the photographs are the star of the show. Many include captions that further explain the scenes so skillfully captured by her camera. The closing pages include an interview with Kambango (a guide and tracker who works in the reserve), information on Children in the Wilderness, and a useful list of Words to Know. 

THOUGHTS: The author’s love of both her profession and the wildlife she photographs shines through on every page. Readers will come away from A Leopard Diary with a new understanding of these big cats and their “hidden” lives in the bush.

599 Wildlife          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD