Geo Librarian

  BEANSPROUT written & illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul Charlesbridge, 2025 978-1-62354-475-1 Source: publisher for review Ages 5-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK What happens when you do everything right, but it doesn’t work out? When classmates start having success with their seeds, one student's just won't sprout. A picture book about planting and growing, where grown-ups and kids can talk about disappointment, emotions, and second chances. It's seed-planting time in Ms. Greene's classroom! One of the kids has big predictions for their mystery seed and does everything just so to make sure it grows. But as all the other seeds start to sprout, theirs . . . doesn't. So they proclaim they'll never try to grow another seed again! But when they learn the leftover seeds will be thrown out, they start to think about second chances and enlists their classmates to hel...

HELLO, I'M A TOUCAN Meet the Wild Things #5 written by Hayley Rocco, illustrated by John Rocco G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-85875-2 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Meet the toucan in this clever, funny, and informative nonfiction picture book, part of a series that focuses on endangered species. Did you know a toucan's bill is four times the size of its head? But you might be surprised by how lightweight and strong it is. And did you know that toucans use their bills to keep cool when it's hot outside, by increasing blood flow from the rest of their body to maintain the perfect temperature? You can't get much cooler than that. But did you also know the toucan is endangered and needs our help? With humans chopping down rainforests and taking toucans from their homes to make them pets, these unique birds need our protecti...

RAY: How Light Works A Science Pals Book written & illustrated by Emily Kate Moon Dial Books for Young Readers, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-85798-4 Source: Penguin Young Readers for review Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK The Science Pals series introduces the dazzling Ray, revealing how light works—from the creator of An Adventure through the Water Cycle and All About Air Meet Ray. He's light! And he's been shining since time began. Wherever there's life on Earth, there's Ray, helping everything under the sun thrive. And Ray can really move—fast. Have you ever hurtled through space? Become a rainbow? Made food for plants? Ray has! With brilliant wit and sparkling one-liners, Ray introduces readers to a light show like no other. Filled with awe-inspiring artwork, funny asides, and a spotlight on kid-enticing facts, Ray invites us to bask in his warmth, as he illumina...

ISLAND STORM written by Brian Floca, illustrated by Sydney Smith Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-8234-5647-5 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK In Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca and acclaimed illustrator Sydney Smith’s thrilling picture book, young readers will experience the sheer power of a violent thunderstorm and the calm of its aftermath. Can you tell when a storm is coming? Can you feel the wind coming and growing? Do you hear the branches bouncing together, hear the whispers of the wind through the leaves? Join in the journey as two siblings bear witness to the steady start, thrilling apex, and gentle end of this island storm. They’ll shelter soon, but first they want to feel it all. Sydney Smith is the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators o...

HURRICANE written and illustrated by Jason Chin Neal Porter Books, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-8234-5849-3 Source: purchased Ages 8 and up  Picture book nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin charts the thrilling saga of an island community’s brush with a category three hurricane, and the cutting-edge science that helps them prepare. It’s a beautiful day on Hatteras Island, North Carolina. But while all seems calm now, a hurricane is barreling across the Atlantic, and everyone is wondering when it will hit the U.S. coast. And where. Night and day, meteorologists use satellites to monitor the storm. Brave pilots fly directly into the tempest, dodging lightning bolts to gather crucial data. Back on the island, families board up windows, drag furniture upstairs, and stock survival kits to prepare for what may come. From its dramatic opening, Hurricane alternates be...

MARJORY'S RIVER OF GRASS: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Fierce Protector of the Everglades written & illustrated by Josie James Christy Ottaviano Books, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-316-44691-4 Source: F & G from publisher (Little, Brown and Co) for review. Ages 7-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A picture book biography of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the remarkable conservationist and naturalist who worked tirelessly to protect the Florida Everglades. As an environmental journalist and conservationist, Marjory Stoneman Douglas spent her life fighting to preserve the Florida Everglades. Now celebrated as a subtropical paradise with a diverse ecosystem, the Everglades was once considered a worthless swamp. Marjory recognized the wetlands as a treasured river, home to an array of species unlike anywhere else in the world—and she was determined to help protect it. This is the story of how Marjor...

  BRUCE SAVES THE PLANET written & illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins Disney Hyperion, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-368-09020-9 Source: purchased Ages 7-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From unwitting mother to unwitting . . . environmental activist? Save the planet with #1 New York Times best-selling author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins's beloved Mother Bruce. Bruce was a bear who liked to be by himself. But that wasn't easy for him, as mother to four geese and three mice. Luckily, he could enjoy a day of peace and quiet while fishing. But his quiet haven is full of beetles stealing his lunch. And protestors loudly trying to save the forest from the construction of a factory. Will Bruce and the residents of Soggy Hollow manage to save the planet? REVIEW Bruce finds himself inadvertently at the heart of a protest to stop the destruction of the local forest. As per the norm for this grumpy bear, B...

  ALPACAS HERE, ALPACAS THERE written by Carrie Tillotson, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri Beach Lane Books, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-6659-4202-7 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 4-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Learn all about alpacas in both North and South America in this rhyming nonfiction picture book full of these darling fluffy friends! Alpacas here, alpacas there depend on people for their care. Thousands of years ago, people living high in the Andes Mountains of South America domesticated alpacas from wild animals. Today, millions of alpacas are still raised in the Andes, but alpaca farming has also spread to North America and around the world. Find out all there is to know about the lives of alpacas, here, there, and everywhere! REVIEW Alpacas Here, Alpacas There introduces young readers to alpacas that live in North America and South America. A vibrant combination of poetic and expo...

  HELLO, I'M AN AXOLOTL by Hayley & John Rocco G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-61821-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Meet the axolotl in this clever, funny, and informative nonfiction picture book, part of a series that focuses on endangered species. “Wild, fun, and truly eye-opening, Meet the Wild Things gets us up close and personal with some of the world's most amazing creatures. With this series, Hayley and John Rocco are doing more than entertaining our kids—they’re inspiring them to care about the future of our planet.” —Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of the Ordinary People Change the World series Did you know that axolotls have a superpower? They can regrow lost limbs, tails, and even parts of their hearts and brains! And they sparkle! That's because they have special cells in their bodies that reflect light lik...

MY ANTARCTICA: True Adventures in the land of mummified seals, space robots, and so much more written by G. Neri, illustrated by Corban Wilkin Candlewick Press, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-5362-2332-3 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary are provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Antarctica is a land of extremes—the coldest, windiest, highest, and driest place on the planet. It’s a world where the sun stays hidden half of the year and where visitors must undergo a week of special training before it’s safe to go outside (watch out for lava bombs!). It’s also a place of stark beauty, history, and endless scientific research. Join beloved author G. Neri on his long-dreamed-of voyage to the ice, where he taps into his inner child and encounters sea angels, mummified seals, space robots, inquisitive penguins, and so much more. Abundant full-color photographs (many by the author) and annotated comics and illustrations fr...

  TO SEE AN OWL written & illustrated by Matthew Cordell Random House Studio, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-64989-3 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK An endearing story about a girl’s efforts to spot an owl from the Caldecott Medal winning creator of Wolf in the Snow. This gorgeous picture book that encourages patience and perseverance will resonate with readers of all ages who have longed to see one of these elusive creatures in the natural world. When will I find you? Where could you be? What will it take? To see an owl. Silent and wide-eyed, owls are hidden creatures of the night. Janie has always dreamed of finding one. She searches everywhere for signs of an owl – on the open prairie for short-eared owls, on the beach for snowy owls, and for great horned owls in the woods near her home. But months go by, and she sees no owls. She wonders, what will it take to ...

LIFE AFTER WHALE The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall written by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin Neal Porter Books, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-8234-5228-6 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Follow a blue whale’s enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish. All living things must one day die, and Earth’s largest creature, the majestic blue whale, is no exception. But in nature, death is never a true ending. When this whale closes her eyes for the last time in her 90-year life, a process known as whale fall is just beginning. Her body will float to the surface, then slowly sink through the deep; from inflated behemoth to clean-picked skeleton, it will offer food and shelter at each stage to a vast diversity of organisms, over the course of a century and beyond. Caldecott Medalist Jason Chin’s astonishing...

OVER AND UNDER THE WETLANDS by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal Chronicle Books, 2024 ISBN:   9781797210872 Source: author & publisher (Thanks!) Ages 4-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Discover the hidden magic of the Everglades in this fascinating and beautiful exploration of the wetland habitat from the New York Times bestselling author and award-winning illustrator of the beloved Over and Under series! Part of the acclaimed nature book series that includes Over and Under the Pond, Over and Under the Rainforest, and Over and Under the Snow, this volume takes readers on a journey into the magical and mysterious reaches of Florida’s Everglades National Park. Over the swamp, the barred owl hoots, and the great egret swoops down on snowy wings. The slow mazes of waterways are quiet with the shush of reeds and grasses. But under the swamp’s soft shadows, there’s ...

  MYSTERIOUS, MARVELOUS OCTOPUS written by Paige Towler National Geographic Kids, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-4263-7667-2 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 Picture book nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Meet one of Earth’s most incredible ocean animals in this lyrical, whimsical picture book uniquely layered with photographs, rhyming text, and fascinating facts about octopuses. This playful book introduces young readers to the fascinating world of octopuses big and small, ink-squirting and shape-shifting, all around the planet. With their super smarts and awe-inspiring abilities, octopuses have captivated human imaginations. This book is a celebration of all things weird and wonderful about these beloved creatures—with their eight arms, nine brains, and one-of-a-kind personalities. Inside, find lyrical poetry paired with informational sidebars—perfect for a charming bedtime read or for pourin...

  BUTT OR FACE? Revenge of the Butts by Kari Lavelle Sourcebooks Explore, 2024 ISBN: 9781728271200 Ages 6 and up Picture book nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Are you ready for round two of the hilarious guessing game picture book? Discover fascinating facts about animals while guessing if you're looking at a butt or a face! Butt or Face? Volume 2 continues the delightfully cheeky challenge with a whole new set of animals from all over the world. Examine a close-up photo of an animal and then guess whether you're looking at the top or the…um…bottom. The answer is revealed on the next page with a compete photo of the animal! Also included are factual animal details along with how these animals use camouflage or other trickery to engage with their home. Readers will discover animals like the alien butt spider who turns leaves into burrito-like hideaways, the leaf-tailed g...

EVERYONE STARTS SMALL written by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Dominique Ramsey Candlewick Press, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-5362-2615-7 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Sun and Grass, Water and Tree, Fire and Rain—nature’s cycle of creation unfolds in a compelling lyrical text and striking illustrations. Sun grows beams and Grass grows blades and Cloud cannot contain herself. Spring rains change Water from a tumbling creek to a roaring river and bring Tree nutrients it needs to stretch toward the sky. As Sun’s rays intensify, the sprouts and fruits and insects of the forest grow and bloom and develop, all working together in harmony. Even Fire, whose work causes Tree to ache from the inside, brings opportunity for the next generation of flora and fauna. Paired with the vivid, organic imagery of Dominique Ramsey, Liz Garton Scanlon’s poetic tribute to our p...

MISS MACDONALD HAS A FARM written by Kalee Gwarjanski, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-593-56816-3 Source: Blue Slip Media/Publisher Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & illustrations provided by publisher through Blue Slip Media. Book summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK In this female-forward spin on the traditional children's song "Old MacDonald", readers can join Miss MacDonald on her vegetable farm and see all the work that goes into growing healthy and delicious produce."Miss MacDonald has a farm,She loves things that grow!"E-I-E-I-GROW! With a "weed-weed" here and a "pick-pick" there, young readers can follow Miss MacDonald as she tends to her vegetable farm. It's a rollicking, rhyming read-aloud that ends in a community feast and celebrates themes of healthy eating, plant-based meals, local produce, gardening, seasons,...

  HOME written & illustrated by Isabelle Simler, translated by Vineet Lal Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5620-3 Source: publisher for review (THANKS!) Ages 6 and up Picture book informational poetry All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A spectacular tour through the dwellings of twenty-seven different animals, from a hermit crab’s secondhand shell to a beaver’s lakeside dam to a comet moth’s silk cocoon. Acclaimed creator Isabelle Simler presents a poetic journey through amazing animal homes across the world. In Europe, alpine marmots stay safe in underground refuges. In southeast Asia, Sumatran orangutans doze off in treetop bedrooms. In Mexico and the southwestern US, elf owls nest in holes in saguaro cacti. On every continent but Antarctica, honeybees mold wax into palaces for their queens. No matter where you travel, some creature is making an extraordinary...