A Father’s Love

Hannah Holt

In this rhyming book for young children, Holt focuses on animals where the father plays a role in raising the young. She includes penguins, foxes, marmosets, lions, toads, sea horses, falcons, wolves, and emus. In each case she highlights the breadth and quality of a father’s love. The father fox “keeps them safe by digging chutes. This father’s love runs deep as roots.” The lion cub “charges Dad with baby claws. This father’s love has velvet paws.” The book ends with images of human dads holding their babies: “Kids fall asleep with fingers curled. A father’s love could hold the world.” (Ages 3-7)

Beware of the Crocodile

Martin Jenkins

This nonfiction book about crocodiles reads like a storybook. Illustrations often stretch across two pages, leaving plenty of room to emphasize teeth. On one spread, we see the shadow of a huge croc waiting in the water for a creature to come close. “And then? Then there’ll be a sudden lunge and a tremendous SPLASH. And then? Oh, dear. What happens next is rather gruesome. In fact it’s so gruesome that we should skip the details.” That kind of humor and page-turning suspense coupled with lots of interesting information about crocodiles makes this a great book for the young nature lover or reluctant reader. (Ages 5-8)

Noah Builds an Ark

Kate Banks

A big storm is coming, and a boy named Noah builds an ark in the backyard for small critters. First he removes the wheels from his red wagon and adds slatted sides, a roof, and a ramp. When he’s done, he calls in the animals: field mice, beetles, spiders, snakes, toads, and hummingbirds. When the rain falls, Noah is safe inside his house, and the critters are safe in the ark. Finally, the rain stops. A rainbow arcs across the sky. Noah and his dad say hallelujah. Pencil-and-watercolor illustrations give life to this reenactment of the Biblical story. (Ages 3-7)

Hummingbird

Nicola Davies

This lovely book tells of the heroic journey of tiny ruby-throated hummingbirds, which migrate 2,000 miles each spring. Davies includes factual information in story form. A granny and her granddaughter feed the hummingbirds that flutter around them. The little girl is moving north, and so are the birds. The book traces the birds’ flight from Central America to New York, showing what they eat and where they nest. By late summer it’s time for them to make the long flight back. An index at the end helps young readers locate information. Lush watercolor illustrations decorate each page. (Ages 5-8)

AFTERWORD

Jutta Hilpuesch’s An ABC of Flowers (Philomel Books, 2019) is lovely to look at. Each page features a large alphabet letter and a close-up photo of a flower that begins with that letter. A tiny stick-figure girl, Amelie, frolics on each page. The letter Q has a close-up of Queen Anne’s Lace with Amelie swinging from it. The details in the close-up photos highlight God’s incredible creativity. I’d never noticed how each blossom on a Queen Anne’s Lace looks like a tiny pansy.

Lara Hawthorne’s The Night Flower (Big Picture Press, 2019) offers a stunning peek into desert life. At the center is the saguaro cactus, which blooms only one night each year. She explains in rhyme the life cycle of the desert and the cactus. Watercolor illustrations depict a thriving place, abounding in wildlife. When the cactus blooms, even more creatures appear. The book includes at the back additional facts, a glossary, and a “Did you spot ...?” game. —S.O.