Summer Picture Books!

Here are a few new picture books we picked up from the library this late summer season and that were chosen family favorites:

A Butterfly is Patient by Diana Aston

Hardcover, 40 pages, Chronicle books, May 2011

I have been waiting for the next installment of this lovely series and this one doesn't disappoint! The pictures alone are just wonderful! We love butterflies and acreage living has only made us appreciate these creatures all

the more. A gorgeous boo with plenty of interesting, curious and scientific information for kids of all ages!

Energy Island by Allan Drummond

Hardcover, 40 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, March 2011

Environmental complexities aside, I have loved Alan Drummond's books and found this one very interesting. We can all be more responsible about using natural resources and the true story of Energy Island is inspiring! (Watch here Number Three reading aloud Alan Drummond's adaptation of Moby Dick in speech class).

The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss

Tricycle Press, July 2011

Number Six chose this title among some other biographical accounts we have at home, as she, like me, loves true stories of courage and inspiration. I asked her about the book and she said, "This girl worked in a lighthouse and saved people's lives!". So there.

Statue of Liberty by Elizabeth Mann

Mikaya Press, April 2011

OK, so there are lots of books for kids about the Statue of Liberty, but this one, as with the rest of the books in the new series, is especially informative and interesting. The whole process is well documented and written in engaging language. As it is, we found many new facts we did not know before--such as the fundraiser tours and dinners offered inside different parts of the statue in Paris during its construction! Check it out!

Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Catherine Paterson and illustrated by Pamela Dalton

Chronicle Books, June 2011

This is one beautifully illustrated book! The text is from Saint Francis' Canticle of Creation, and the illustrations are done by paper cutting using an old German tradition. Do visit the look-inside feature on its Amazon page it is worth it! I have also pre-ordered the illustrator's next publication to my amazon cart! I am thinking this will be a marvelous Christmas gift for a young godchild!