Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic by Candace Fleming

 

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic 

by Candace Fleming

Illustrated by Deena So'Oteh

Expected publication Oct. 22, 2024

Anne Schwartz Books

Nonfiction Picture Book

Hardcover

40 Pages

Review copy provided by publisher 

Goodreads Summary

Venture to the Arctic Ocean and discover real life underwater unicorns--narwhals--in this stunningly illustrated nonfiction picture book.You are a narwhal. Shy... Swift... Small... Humans call you unicorn of the Arctic.When winter ice covers the Arctic Ocean, a narwhal pokes his head through a patch of open water, his tusk--a six-foot long tooth--pointed to the sky.Join this mammal as he jousts with another narwhal, floats with his pod, and uses echolocation to find his prey. When warmer weather arrives, he will migrate towards summer ground. But he must be careful! Predators--orcas and polar bears--will be hungry and looking for a meal.... How will the narwhal escape? Will he be able to return to the winter bay? Paired with atmospheric illustrations by debut illustrator Deena So'Oteh, nonfiction master Candace Fleming delivers a picture book, uniquely told in second person, that expertly explores the mysterious and fascinating unicorn of the Arctic.

My Thoughts

I am a big fan of Candace Fleming's work. This book is just gorgeous! The facts are interwoven in poetic 2nd person narration. The pages are filled with color from edge to edge making the reader feel immersed with the narwhal. 

Trust me, you just need to add this to your collection. 

Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic by Margaux Meganck

Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic 
by Margaux Meganck

Published March 2024

Knopf Books for Young Readers

40 Pages

Picture Book

Library Binding

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Received a starred review from Kirkus

Goodreads Summary

Everything and everyone has a place in the universe, but for a little speck, lost at sea, it will take an extraordinary journey to find it.

Deep in a tide pool, too small to see,
Thousands of tiny specks go forth.
Each one searching
for a place to stay, and grow, and thrive...

The little speck does not know what it is, only that it wishes to find out. And so it embarks on a journey across the sea. From sun-flecked surf to darkest depths, past schools of fish, storm-tossed ships and hungry eels.... Until, at last, it finds exactly what it was looking a place to belong.

In vivid watercolor paintings, Margaux Meganck brings this tale to life, seamlessly shifting perspective to show how even the tiniest creatures—every barnacle, every child, every star in the sky—contributes to something greater than itself.

My Thoughts

The sparce text makes this book seem simple, but this beautiful picture book is more than it seems. On the surface (pun intended) it appears to be a story about little specks in the ocean finding a place to land. But it serves as a metaphor for each individual living thing having a place to belong. 

The illustrations are outstanding! Meganck uses colored pencil and watercolor to create a wonderous underwater world that readers will be drawn to. 

I will definitely be adding Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic to my school library. 

See What Others Have to Say

Kirkus

Cracking the Cover

Mom Read It

Learn more about the work of Margaux Meganck from her website. 

Bark Ship Bonnie by Stephanie Staub

 Bark Ship Bonnie 

by Stephanie Staub 

Art by Fiona Lee

Published March, 2023

Cameron Kids

Fiction

Hardcover

32 Pages

Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

A sailing adventure featuring a girl, her dog, and their boat, complete with a “Ship Slang” glossary and diagram of a real bark ship

Bonnie lass, bark sailor on a bark ship cast off, set sail, chase sea tales, befriend whales, scope islands, outwit squalls, and make it home in time to slip back into the slip and sleep, in this delightfully salty tale of a girl, her dog, and a boat.

My Thoughts

I did not know what a bark ship was prior to reading this book. Thankfully there is a diagram of a bark ship as well as a glossary of "ship slang" at the end of the book. 

The lyrical text is full of these slang and many more rich vocabulary terms that can be explored with children. 

The illustrations are simple and colorful, each page with a nautical feel. This book could make a nice addition to an ocean or boating unit. 

Image from Amazon.

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday-Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

My Friend Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a weekly link up to share Nonfiction Picture Books. Please visit her amazing website. 

Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers also shared this book a few weeks ago, but after I read it, I thought it worthy of another share. Click here to see their review.

Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
by Patricia Newman
Photography by Annie Crawley
Published 2014 by Millbrook Press
Genre: Nonfiction
48 pages
Disclosure: Review copy provided by Netgalley.com


Goodreads Summary
These scientists are on a mission. As part of a research expedition known as SEAPLEX, they're studying the massive accumulation of plastic in the Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. As they use the scientific method to conduct their investigation, their adventures will introduce readers to the basics of ocean science and the hazards of plastics.

My Thoughts

As I read Plastic, Ahoy! I felt ashamed that I don't do enough to help the environment and I immediately wanted to DO something. I think that was the main goal of this book, to make us take a hard look at what we have done, and are doing, to our planet. I was drawn into this book and just had to keep reading to see what the scientists found. The author does a terrific job breaking down some of the complicated information into manageable pieces that kids (and adults) will understand. She also makes the scientific process visible by showing the questions that each scientist was trying to answer and how they collected and analyzed data and modified their hypotheses. The information is accompanied by excellent photographs of the scientists at work on their ship in the middle of the ocean. I would recommend Plastic Ahoy for students in grades three through middle school. 

Use this book....

as a nonfiction read aloud.

during a unit on ecology or the ocean. 

near Earth Day.

before a school clean up day.

to demonstrate the scientific process.

for close reading of nonfiction. 

to discuss the use of plastics and recycling.

Resources

PBS Need to Know video: An Ocean of Plastic

Kids World: Pacific Ocean's Plastic Island

Kid Ocean: Ocean Pollution for Kids