True Books for Young Children

A small sampling of staff picks for sharing realistic and/or non-fiction books with your young child:

The Seashore (a First Discovery Book) by Gallimard Jeunesse and Elisabeth Cohat, illustrated by Pierre de Hugo (Scholastic, 1995)
Turn the page and be amazed at the creatures hiding where land and water meet--crabs, sea anemones, starfish, and more. Colorful transparent pages open to reveal the unexpected--a young flounder hiding in the sand. Striking vivid illustrations and a simple factual text explore nature in this sturdy book with wipe-clean pages.
Tools by Taro Miura (Chronicle Books, 2006)
In this deceptively simple book, children will discover more than 60 different tools, both familiar and new.

Two Blue Jays by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Megan Halsey (Walker, 2003)
Miss Dana's class observes two blue jays as they make their nest, have babies, and teach them to fly. Includes information on the physical characteristics and behavior of blue jays.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley, photographs by Nic Bishop (Scholastic Press, 1999)
This frog found in the rain forest of Central America spends the night searching for food while also being careful not to become dinner for some other animal.

Puppies, Puppies, Everywhere! by Cat Urbigkit (Boyds Mills Press, 2006)
Simple rhyming text describes different puppies, from large to small, and their actions, from fighting to biting.

Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley, photographs by Nic Bishop (Scholastic Press, 2005)
Experience close-up the many moods (and colors) of chameleons. One brave chameleon ventures from the safety of his tree in search of a new home. On his journey, he meets other rain forest animals, not all of them friendly! Alas, the new tree he chooses is already home to another chameleon. She dons her aggressive coloring until she's sure that the visitor is friend, not foe. Then they welcome each other with brilliant, happy colors.Incredible photographs and simple text perfect for young children is rounded out with informative backmatter on one of the planet's most captivating creatures.

Actual Size by Steve Jenkins (Houghton Mifflin, 2004)
In this visually stunning book, seeing is believing as Jenkins illustrates animals both large and small at their actual size.

{Summaries c. Syndetics}