Young Readers Spring Forward at the NYBG Library!
Posted in From the Library on April 8 2019, by Samantha D’Acunto
Samantha D’Acunto is the Reference Librarian at The New York Botanical Garden‘s LuEsther T. Mertz Library.
This spring the LuEsther T. Mertz Library would like to encourage young readers to try reading above their reading level. New 2019 titles added to the library’s circulating children’s collection aim to encourage readers to challenge their reading abilities, enhance vocabulary, and learn new facts about the natural world—and have fun doing it!
When Spring Comes to the DMZ by Uk-Bae Lee
In When Spring Comes to the DMZ, author Uk-Bae Lee warns readers about the environmental and societal impacts of wars. The border between North and South Korea is illustrated carefully in delicate watercolors depicting juxtaposing scenes. As the seasons change along the DMZ, readers will experience the flora and fauna awaken with spring alongside series of military exercises. The people and the surrounding habitats, though impacted by the wall, remain resilient and hopeful for future reunification. The back matter offers a brief summary about the history of Korea’s split for readers who seek additional information on the topic.
Plough Publishing House, 2019.
The Boy Who Grew a Forest is the inspirational true story of Jadav “Molai” Payeng from Majuli Island in northeastern India. When extreme flooding from the Brahmaputra River began eroding the habitats of local wildlife in 1979, young Molai was concerned about their displacement. To help save the flora and fauna of the area, Molai began to cultivate a barren sandbar nearby by planting each day. As years went by, the plants matured and invited various wildlife to make the new forest their home. Molai spent his life cultivating, maintaining, and protecting the forest and it’s ecosystem. The Molai Forest, named after him, is still thriving with life to this day! Illustrations by Kayla Harren capture the soft hues of daylight and the transformation from earthy soil to lush forest. The book’s back matter invites readers to plant a forest of their own with simple instructions and words of encouragement. After all, if Jadav “Molai” Payeng can plant a forest on his own, you can too!
Sleeping Bear Press, 2019.
Caterpillar and Bean by Martin Jenkins; Illustrated by Hannah Tolson
Caterpillar and Bean by Martin Jenkins is the perfect science introduction for early readers. As the bean seed develops roots and sprout leaves, the butterfly lays eggs. As the egg hatches a tiny caterpillar, the leaves offer delicious food! Readers experience the different stages of plant and insect life cycles page by page. The simple narrative gently introduces new vocabulary and has illustrations to aid readers’ comprehension of these new concepts.
Candlewick Press, 2019.
The Night Flower by Lara Hawthorne
Author Lara Hawthorne celebrates desert life and the remarkable saguaro cactus in her new book The Night Flower. The lyrical narrative animates the desert scene as readers learn about the plants, birds, animals, and insects that live in the desert. Illustrations throughout the book capture the vibrancy of the desert’s colors from dawn to dusk. Readers are encouraged to spot wildlife as they advance through the pages. The book highlights the night-flowers of the saguaro cactus that display their bright white fragrant blooms only once a year. Pollinators like the Lesser long-nosed bat and the White-lined sphinx moth are attracted to the flowers’ sweet smell and tasty nectar. The back matter includes an illustrated saguaro life cycle, saguaro anatomy, wildlife profiles, and a glossary.
Big Picture Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2019.
A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park by Ashley Benham Yazdani (2019)
Author Ashley Benham Yazdani invites readers to delight in the remarkable origin story of Central Park in A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park. In 1858, Calvert Vaux and Fredrick Law Olmstead teamed up to pitch an idea for a new public park in New York City. Today, Central Park is bustling with visitors and bursting with greenery, but before Vaux and Olmstead’s plan was implemented, the park was not a park at all. It was swamps, bogs, and rocks. Their design plan included fields, lakes, walking paths, roadways, bridges, buildings, and, of course, plants. As the park grows page by page, readers can enjoy carefully looking at the illustrations for gray squirrels or even the ghosts that haunt the skaters at the Lake! Vaux, Olmstead, and their team of workers labored tirelessly, digging, moving, and planting, up until the very day the final section of the garden was opened to visitors in 1872. Readers can use the additional information in the back matter to learn more about Vaux and Olmstead, bridges, gray squirrels, and elm trees.
Candlewick Press, 2019.
Caterpillar to Butterfly: Fold Out and Find Out by Frances Barry
Caterpillar to Butterfly, authored by Frances Barry, invites early readers to discover the extraordinary transformation of tiny caterpillars to glorious butterflies. Unfold each page to reveal illustrated stages of the life cycle and memorable facts. The pages form a flower as readers progress through the book. Early readers will enjoy the excitement of unfolding new facts and watch as the tiny caterpillar grows into a beautiful butterfly.
Candlewick Press, 2019.
All titles mentioned above are available for checkout to library cardholders. Don’t have a library card? Stop by the library with your NYBG Membership Card and sign up. Happy reading!
