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One whirligig's journey reveals the delights of the natural world A stray whirligig, or maple key, is picked up by the wind and begins a long, wordless journey through a local neighborhood. It twirls and flips through a family's backyard. It slips beneath skateboard wheels and sneakers in the park. It falls into the hands of a few curious kids, who include it in their games and artwork. Eventually, the whirligig finds a place to rest. With the help of a nosy bird and a tender puppy paw, it is dropped into a forest and firmly planted in the ground. Years later, a family that encountered the whirligig on its journey takes a walk in the forest and meets the seed again--this time as a fully grown maple tree! This gentle meditation on the cycle of life wordlessly draws connections between humans and nature. The dynamic and detailed artwork supports visual literacy and will spark discussion about plant life cycles. And the whirligig's journey on the wind may encourage readers to venture into

A celebration of thinking outside the box--or cage!The Great Bird Circus is headed to a big show, but they run into trouble when they reach the border. Paloma and the ringmaster are allowed to cross--but their birds need paperwork, and lots of it! The situation seems hopeless, unless ... what if there's more than one way to get across?With Paloma's quick and creative thinking, she's able to outwit the bureaucracy and come up with a solution: they free the birds from their cages, and while Paloma and the ringmaster drive across the border in their truck, the birds fly overhead! When the circus is reunited on the other side, Paloma suggests the birds don't need cages--they can fly free.Minimal text, light humor, and loose illustrations work together to express big ideas simply in this uplifting story that prizes problem-solving and creative thinking.

Look around you and discover nature's incredible patternsBranching, spiraling, spinning--you can find patterns almost anywhere in nature, if you look for them. This book is a starting point that introduces kids to some major patterns in the natural world. Just as the branches of a tree spread upwards into the sky, roots branch deep into the ground. Branches also spread through our bodies, inside our lungs and veins. Storms and snail shells spiral; electrons and galaxies spin.With brief text and full-spread illustrations, this book is designed to inspire kids to observe, discover, and explore hidden structures and shapes in the natural world around them. Why are things the way they are? This question, key to scientific inquiry, runs throughout the text.Artwork in multilayered screen prints shows how the natural world is inherently beautiful, from the curve of your ear to the spiraling arms of our galaxy. Kids will come away with new STEM knowledge and a deeper understanding that we are

A perfectly pitched story about a bear, a bird, and a bond forged through musicSpring is here, and Bear is finally emerging from his hollow to greet his forest friends. Suddenly, he hears beautiful singing coming from above. It’s Bird, practicing for the forest Opera! When Bird tells Bear that she’s auditioning for a duet, Bear decides to try out as well, and asks if he can practice with her. Bird agrees, and as the pair rehearses their song, an unlikely friendship begins.After the audition, Bird is cast in the opera―but Bear is not. Devastated, Bear returns to his hollow to hide. Bird comes to comfort him and insists that the pair are still a duet, with or without a stage to sing on. Reassured of their close bond, Bear celebrates Bird’s success at the Opera, getting the best seat in the house and quietly singing along with his friend.This tender celebration of loyalty, friendship, and song is brought to life with Judith Henderson’s lyrical text and the soft, magical illustrations of N

A thrilling and hilarious game of jungle hide-and-seek...Ready or not, here it comes!Deep in the heart of the jungle, something is on the hunt... All of the animals have to run, hide, make no noise, and leave no trace. Fleeing in a frenzy, each animal dashes off to find a wacky way to hide from the mysterious hunter on their trail. Will they find a hiding place in time? More importantly, who or what are they running from? Featuring vibrant, eye-catching illustrations, Run! is both a suspenseful and an amusing jungle jaunt. The easy-to-follow format invites plenty of interaction from young readers, who will be delighted to identify animals and point out hidden details in each scene. As funny as it is thrilling, this tale will have readers of all ages waiting with bated breath to discover the surprising, laugh-out-loud twist at the end.