By Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Beckie Prange

A Carle Museum "Top of the Shelf" Book.
Click here to read our book review.

Why is the beetle, born 265 million years ago, still with us today? (Because its wings mutated and hardened). How did the gecko survive 160 million years? (by becoming nocturnal and developing sticky toe pads.) How did the shark and the crow and the tiny ant survive millions and millions of years? When 99 percent of all life forms on earth have become extinct, why do some survive? And survive not just in one place, but in many places: in deserts, in ice, in lakes and puddles, inside houses and forest and farmland? Just how do they become ubiquitous?

By Kevin Henkes

The girl in this book grows chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color, and seashells in her garden. How does your garden grow?

By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

How to Clean a Hippopotamus, a book about animal symbiosis, offers readers a close-up, step-by-step view of nature's fascinating partnerships. Find out why a mongoose comes running when a warthog lies down, how a crab and an iguana help each other out, why ravens follow wolves, and more. Witness the ingenious lifestyles of some of the world's most unusual animal partners in this book of curious biology, a symbiotic collaboration by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.

By Ed Young

Hook, an eaglet adopted by a caring, if slightly perplexed hen, wasn't meant for earth. With his adoptive mother's encouragement and a young boy's help, he tries to fly time and time again, but doesn't quite succeed. Will he master this seemingly impossible task and rise to where he belongs? Caldecott Medalist Ed Young's spare yet eloquent tale of courage and persistence will leave a lasting impact on those who read it.

By Kevin Henkes
Illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Birds come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Birds are magic. Birds are everywhere. If you listen very carefully you will hear them, no matter where you live. And if you look very closely you will see them, no matter where you are. And if you can't go outside right this minute, you can always read this book!

By Andrew Chaikin
Illustrated by Alan Bean

July 20, 1969, marked one of the climatic moments in history - the day Apollo 11 landed on the moon. but it is only one piece of a remarkable story. This book brings to life America's space voyages from Mercury through Apollo 17, and beyond. It features full-color paintings by astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon, who has devoted his post-NASA life to creating art. Handsome, informative, and exciting, this is the tale of one of humankind's greatest adventures.

By Brian Floca

Simply told, grandly shown, here for a new generation of readers and explorers is the story of Apollo 11. here are the steady astronauts, the ROAR of rockets, and the silence of the Moon. Here is a challenge met, a journey made, and a view of home, seen whole, from far away.

By Jason Chin

When a boy riding the subway finds an abandoned book about redwoods, strange things happen. He reads that their ancestors lived during the Jurassic period as dinosaurs appear at the window. Discovering that redwoods alive today first sprouted during the Roman Empire, he finds himself seated between two Roman citizens. And when, still reading, he emerges from the subway, he enters the very forest described in the book he holds in his hands...

By Charles Darwin
Illustrated by Fabian Negrin

In 1831, a young English naturalist named Charles Darwin set sail aboard the HMS Beagle on a five-year exploration of the world, from Africa to South America. Digging for fossils and studying countless plants and animals, he came to believe that not only was life ever-changing, but that all life forms on Earth could trace their origins back to just a few primitive organisms - beliefs he announced in his revolutionary 1859 book On the Origin of Species. In The Riverbank, a picture book conceived and illustrated by artist Fabian Negrin, watercolor paintings accented with pencil and wax beautifully interpret this powerful paragraph on the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species' publication.

By Janice May Udry
Illustrated by Marc Simont

"Trees are very nice," says Janice May Udry in her first book for children. She goes on to explain that even one tree is nice, if it is the only one you happen to have. Some of the reasons why trees are so good to have around are funny. Some are indisputable facts. but in all of them there is a sense of poetic simplicity and beauty which will be sure to entrance any young child.

By Wendy Pfeffer
Illustrated by Robin Brickman

In this fascinating book, author Wendy Pfeffer and illustrator Robin Brickman collaborate to introduce readers to the life cycle of a tree. The informative, lyrical text is complemented by stunning, three-dimensional paper sculptures that showcase the forest ecosystem, inspiring readers to take a closer look at the trees - and logs - in their own backyards.

By Mary Newell DePalma

This is the tale of a grand old tree, whose roots ran deepp, and whose arms reached high. For years and years she flowered and spread, she grew and shed many millions of leaves. And her children grew tall beside her. This is the tale of a grand, beautiful cycle of life. A beginning. A middle. And yes, an end that leads on to many new beginnings.

By Jen Cullerton Johnson
Illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler

Seeds of Change: Plating a Path to Peace brings to life the empowering story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Engaging narrative and vibrant images paint a robust portrait of this inspiring champion of the land and of women's rights.

By Diane Muldrow
Illustrated by Bob Staake

In this simple poem illustrated by award winner Bob Staake, two young families in two very different parts of the world plant a tree. As the trees flourish, so do the families...while trees all over the world help clean the air, enrich the soil, and give fruit and shade. With a nod to Kenya's successful Green Belt Movement, Diane Muldrow's elegant text celebrates the life and hope that every tree everywhere - from Paris to Brooklyn to Tokyo - brings to our planet.

By Roxie Munro

Who is inside the eggs? All kinds of baby birds! Can you guess what kind of bird is like a superhero and can fly as high as a jet plane? Or which bird builds a nest that can weigh as much as a car? Or which bird sleeps on the water with one eye open? Read Hatch! and find out. Hatch! gives young readers a bird's-eye view into the fascinating world of birds and their unique eggs and nests.

By Lynne Cherry

In the Amazon rain forest, a man is chopping down a great Kapok tree. Exhausted from his labors, he puts down his ax and rests. As he sleeps, the animals who live in the tree plead with him not to destroy their world.