Tag Archives: picture books

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re taking a trip outside to explore the outdoors and observe the world around us. Whether you’re listening for bird calls, searching for a giant sea creature, or watching a murmuration of starlings, there is always something amazing to discover in nature. In this week’s feature, A Forest Song by Kisten Hall and illustrated by Evan Turk, readers take a journey through the forest, noticing and appreciating the world around them. Hall utilizes the words of other famous poets in this cento poem to inspire young kids to think deeply about their natural world and observe the beauty that surrounds them. Featuring lines from writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Oliver, and Lucy Maud Montgomery, Hall’s poem beautifully illustrates the vast wonders of the forest. Turk’s stunning gouache illustrations pair perfectly with Hall’s poetry, using bright colors to bring the forest to life. With whimiscal poetry and immersive illustrations, A Forest Song will inspire readers to step outside and soak in the world around them.

Check out more books that showcase the outdoors below!

A Forest Song
Written by Kirsten Hall
Illustrated by Evan Turk
Published by Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now

The Pony and the Starling
Written by Jennifer McGrath
Illustrated by Kristina Jones
Published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
Available now

The Search for Carmella: What Mystery Lurks in the Deep?
Written and illustrated by Chloe Savage
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now

A Sky That Sings
Written by Anita Sanchez & George Steele
Illustrated by Emily Mendoza
Published by Lee & Low Books
Available now

Wave Warrior and the Reef Rescue
Written by James Sellick
Illustrated by Patrick Corrigan
Published by The Quarto Group/Ivy Kids
Available now

Butler Bookshelf

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This week’s Butler Bookshelf is all about being transported to new worlds with fantastical characters and creatures. In Lily the Pond Mermaid by Lucy Fleming, young readers have a look inside Lily’s world as she takes care of her pond and all the creatures who live in it. Lily spends her days helping damselflies and dragonflies strengthen their wings, finding yummy algae for snails, taking care of the butterflies’ plants, and protecting tadpoles from the hot sun. Occaisionally, Lily has to protect her pond from strange metal objects and save her friends from harmful traps. Even though Lily loves her job, her worries keep her up at night. After a big storm, Lily knows it’s time to speak up and ask her friends for help caring for the pond. Once she and her friends work together, Lily understands the importance of asking for help when you most need it. Told in simple text and whimsical, full-color digital illustrations, Lucy Fleming brings attention to pollution and seeking help when you need it. Lily’s determination to care for her pond will inspire young readers to work in their own ways to protect their environments from threats like pollution. Readers will also see the importance of leaning on others and asking for help when life gets too overwhelming as Lily learns that she doesn’t have to work alone. This sweet story about community and care will be a perfect fantastical addition to any picture book collection.

Check out more fantasy books for all ages below!

The Dragon’s Apprentice
Written by James Riley
Published by Labyrinth Road
Available now!

Fateless
Written by Julie Kagawa
Published by Harper
Available July 15, 2025

Lily the Pond Mermaid
Written and illustrated by Lucy Fleming
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!T

Tidemagic: Isla Flit and the Impossible Key
Written by Clare Harlow
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Wee Unicorn
Written and illustrated by Meg McLaren
Published by Charlesbridge
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re sharing books all about animals! From the timeless-ness of super-agers like tortoises to the unique qualities of different animal poop, these books hold interesting information for animal lovers of all ages. In this week’s feature, In the Desert, readers travel to the Sahara Desert through author David Elliott’s playful poems and Gordy Wright’s rich illustrations. Elliott uses creative poetry to place readers in the viewpoint of different animals that live in the Sahara Desert, like the Saharan cheetah, the Anubis baboon, and the dung beetle. The short poems entertain kids as they learn about what Saharan animals eat and how they spend their time through natural rhythm and fun rhymes. At the end, Elliot includes a few sentences that further explain the unique characteristics of these animals. Wright’s paintings beautifully illustrate the environment in the Sahara Desert with a full-color palette. Wright utilizes a realistic art style that gives young readers an accurate portrayal of how these animals look. Paired together, Elliott’s poems and Wright’s paintings are sure to fascinate and educate readers of all ages.

Check out more books about animals below!

In the Desert
Written by David Elliot
Illustrated by Gordy Wright
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Innovative Octopuses, Half-Brained Birds, and More Animals With Magnificent Minds
Written by Christina Couch
Illustrated by Daniel Duncan
Published by MIT Kids Press
Available now!

Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the National History Museum
Written by Melissa Stewart
Illustrated by Brian Lies
Published by Beach Lane Books
Available now!

Small World: Meet 30 of Earth’s Tiniest Creatures
Written by Nick Crumpton
Illustrated by Rosie Dore
Published by Wide Eyed Editions
Available now!

Whose Poop Is That? (Board Book Edition)
Written by Darrin Lunde
Illustrated by Kelsey Oseid
Published by Charlesbridge
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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Tomorrow is International Read To Me Day, and here at the Butler Center, we wanted to celebrate by sharing some new board and picture books that came out this year! Reading to young children has proven to be an important part of fostering literacy. Take a look through these delightful books and find the right one for your little one, like Your Island by Jon Klassen! In this charming board book, young readers build their own island that they can visit “whenever [they] want to go there” (25). Klassen introduces readers to their very own sun, palm tree, plants, and more items that bring their island to life. With whimsical ink and graphite illustrations, readers can learn about the basics of an island campsite and Klassen helps to build an imaginary oasis that young readers can enjoy while playing or reading the book again.

Check out more board and picture books below!

Maisy’s Planet: Maisy Loves Birds
Written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Our Gorgeous Baby
Written by Smriti Prasadam-Halls
Illustrated by Eve Coy
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

A Pocket Full of Rocks
Written by Kristin Mahoney
Illustrated by E.B. Goodale
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Seven Little Ducklings
Written and illustrated by Annette LeBlanc Cate
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Your Island
Written and illustrated by Jon Klassen
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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In the very first Butler Bookshelf of 2025, we’re taking a look at some of the new picture books in the Butler collection! Our first feature of the year is Mary Murphy’s Friends Forever. Two monkeys celebrate their friendship, climbing, swinging, and playing together in the trees. When they find themselves head to head with a hungry crocodile, they come away even more sure of their friendship than before. With charming full-page illustrations and bouncy prose, this book is a fantastic addition to any picture book collection.

Check out the Butler Center’s picture book picks below!

Are You a Hungry Monster?
Written and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten
Published by Happy Yak
Available January 21, 2025

Dinosaur Roar! (Simon Spotlight Edition)
Written by Henrietta Stickland
Illustrated by Paul Stickland
Published by Simon Spotlight
Available now!

Friends Forever
Written and illustrated by Mary Murphy
Published by Happy Yak
Available January 28, 2025

Heartfelt
Written by Elaine Vickers
Illustrated by Samantha Cotterill
Published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Willow Takes on the Weather
Written by Rachel Noble
Illustrated by Annabel Tempest
Published by Page Street Kids
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we’re highlighting a variety of youth literature in our collection. This list has something for all ages, fiction, nonfiction, and bilingual! The featured book for this week is Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea written by Andrew Hacket and illustrated by Kaz Windness. Ollie is tired of dealing with Everett’s constant bullying. One day, when Everett steals a sapling from Ollie, he has an idea — he will eat an acorn and grow into a mighty tree so that Everett will never be able to bully him again. But when Ollie becomes tall and strong and stands up to Everett once and for all, he realizes that he went about it all wrong. He burps everything up, and Ollie and Everett reconcile and start growing their gardens together. Windness’s colorful, lively illustrations compliment Hacket’s lively and expressive story about how to stand up for yourself and what it truly means to be mighty.

Check out more books for all ages below!

The Flower Shop/La Florería
Written by Lourdes Heuer
Illustrated by Zara González Hoang
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Love Is Hard Work: The Art and Heart of Corita Kent
Written by Dan Paley
Illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

My Father’s House
Written by Mina Javaherbin
Illustrated by Lindsey Yankey
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea
Written by Andrew Hacket
Illustrated by Kaz Windness
Published by Page Street Kids
Available now!

Paige Proves It!: The Curious Cove
Written and illustrated by Amy Marie Stadelmann
Published by Aladdin
Available now!

Zodiac Rising
Written by Katie Zhao
Published by Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we are sharing some dinosaur books in our collection that could make wonderful gifts for any dinosaur-loving reader! From nonfiction to a reverse heist at the Natural History Museum, these books will take readers on all kinds of adventures with dinosaurs. In this week’s feature, Dinosaurs in Space by Todd Sturgell, travel to space with dinosaurs to learn how pieces of dinosaur fossils could have made it to outer space. Sturgell introduces a few quirky dinosaur characters to tell readers the tale of the asteroid that made all dinosaurs (except birds!) go extinct. Mixing humour and fact, Sturgell talks about different dinosaurs that existed, how birds are dinosaurs, and the impact of the deadly asteroid that hit Planet Earth. The force of the impact caused huge earthquakes, devastating tsunamis, and even sent pieces of dinosaurs into space. Sturgell’s lively pen and ink illustrations animate the story, and he includes extensive backmatter, instances when humans took dinosaur fossils to space and a glossary of terms used in the book. Simultaneously informative and entertaining, Dinosaurs in Space is perfect for those who love dinosaurs, space, or both!

Check out more dinosaur books below!

A Dinosaur a Day: 365 Incredible Dinosaurs to Take You Through the Year
Written by Miranda Smith
Illustrated by Jenny Wren, Juan Calle, Xuan Le, Max Rambaldi, and Olga Baumert
Published by Bright Matter Books
Available now!

Dinosaurs: A Pop-Up Book
Written and illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius
Published by Candlewick Press
Available now!

Dinosaurs In Space
Written and illustrated by Todd Sturgell
Published by Sourcebooks eXplore
Available now!

Madame Badobedah and the Old Bones
Written by Sophie Dahl
Illustrated by Lauren O’Hara
Published by Walker Books
Available now!

Stomp, Soar, Dino Roar
Written and illustrated by Max Amato and McAuliffe
Published by Sourcebooks eXplore
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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It’s officially the holiday season, which means it’s time to start thinking about what gifts to give. For this week’s Butler Bookshelf, we have compiled a list of books that would make any nature-lover happy! From board books to nonfiction, this list has something for every young reader, including The World in Our Backyard, written and illustrated by Jami Gigot. In this picture book, Gigot encourages young readers to look for the nature in their backyards, whether they live in a rural, suburban, or urban community. Gigot uses a soft, light color palette to bring backyard nature to life, showing realistic scenarios, like playing as animals and bugs “play their gentle country songs” (pp. 9-10) and splashing in water flowing from a fire hydrant. She also adds whimsy to the book by including imaginary adventures, such as bugs hiking through thick forests and children diving through a pool into an coral reef. Throughout it all, Gigot emphasizes the importance of paying attention and delighting in the nature at our fingertips, reminding readers that “the whole world is made up of our backyards, full of wonder just waiting to be explored” (pp. 23-27). With its colorful charm and imaginitive scenes, this book will make a wonderful gift for teachers, parents, or librarians who want to share their love and appreciation for nature with the readers in their lives.

Check out more nature-themed books below!

Creaturepedia: Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth
Written and illustrated by Adrienne Barman
Published by Wide Eyed Editions
Available now!

I Bug You
Written by Dori Elys
Illustrated by Riley Samels
Published by Little Simon
Available now!

Peppa Pig and the Nature Walk
Part of Peppa Pig
Published by Candlewick Entertainment
Available now!

Magic Tree House: Windy Night with Wild Horses
Written by Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by AG Ford
Published by Random House Children’s Books
Available now!

The World in Our Backyard
Written and illustrated by Jami Gigot
Published by Paula Wiseman Books
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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This week’s Butler Bookshelf is all about dogs! These books feature dogs of all shapes and sizes, and feature doggy adventures in exciting locales real and imaginary, from New York City to Dog Town to Labrador, Australia, where out featured book Harriet Hound takes place. Written by Kate Foster and illustrated by Sophie Beer, this novel tells the story of Harriet Hound, an exceptional autistic eight-year-old who has the magical ability to summon dogs from her family’s rescue shelter. Whether she’s sniffing out missing vegetables, chasing away a surprise storm, or guarding the winter carnival from disaster, Harriet and her dogs are always ready to jump into action! In each of the three adventures featured in the book, Harriet shares her autistic experience and her love of dogs with the reader as she saves the day and unites rescue dogs with new forever homes. Plus, each story contains an illustrated guide to the dog breeds mentioned, and the book concludes with Harriet’s very own guide to rescuing a dog of your own.

Check out more books for dog-lovers below!

Harriet Hound
Written by Kate Foster
Illustrated by Sophie Beer
Published by Candlewick Press
Available December 3, 2024

101 Dogs: An Illustrated Compendium of Canines
Written by Nicola Jane Swinney
Illustrated by Romy Blumel
Published by Big Picture Books
Available now!

All the Best Dogs
Written by Emily Jenkins
Illustrated by Manuel Prietano
Published by Delacorte Press
Available now!

No, Nancy, No!: A Dog Chase in New York City
Written and Illustrated by Alice Tait
Published by Walker Books US
Available December 3, 2024

This is the Way in Dog Town
Written and Illustrated by Ya-Ling Huang
Published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

Butler Bookshelf

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November is National Native American Heritage Month, and a great way to celebrate is by reading some books that center Native American characters and history! This week’s Butler Bookshelf will highlight books by and about Native Americans, including Boozhoo!/Hello! written and illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley and translated by Mary Ann Corbiere. Boozhoo!/Hello! is a bilingual English and Anishinaabemowin picture book about forest animals found in Anishinaabe territories. Deers are eating, bees are buzzing, and otters are playing in this fun, whimsical story. The simple, rhythmic text engages with young readers, allowing them to learn both English and Anishinaabemowin simultaneously. The bold art in the Woodland style and bright colors will delight readers, drawing their attention to each animal and what they’re doing. Complete with author’s and translator’s notes about the inspiration and work behind the story and Anishinaabemowin language, Boozhoo!/Hello! is a wonderful addition to collections and storytime programs this month and throughout the year.

Check out more books about Native American history and characters below!

Boozhoo!/Hello!
Written and illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley
Translated by Mary Ann Corbiere
Published by House of Anansi Press
Available now!

Gold Rush: The Untold Story of the First Nations Woman Who Started the Klondike Gold Rush
Written by Flora Delargy
Published by Wide Eyed Editions
Available now!

On a Wing and a Tear
Written by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Published by Heartdrum Imprint
Available now!

The Ribbon Skirt
Written and illustrated by Cameron Mukwa
Published by Graphix
Available now!

This Land: The History of the Land We’re On (Race to the Truth)
Written by Ashley Fairbanks
Illustrated by Bridget George
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
Available now!