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The Clever Stick, written/illus. by John Lechner, (Candlewick Press, 2009), 40P, Ages 5-8.
"Once upon a time, there was a clever stick. Ever since he had fallen off the tree, he had been sharp." He calculates algebra, creates poetry, admires the music of birds, and appreciates the beauty of roses, however, he is unable to communicate and share his thoughts with the plants and animals, until one day he realizes that he is capable of drawing lines in the sand. From that time on, he creates tapestries of artwork and, sure enough, everyone takes notice. When rains wash away his masterpieces, good-natured stick creates more pictures to entertain and communicate with nature. He even fashions an umbrella from a fallen leaf to stay dry. With a clever and simple message of perseverance and finding one's voice, children will fall in love with this imaginative and ingenious little stick.

The Curious Garden, written/illus. by Peter Brown, (Little, Brown and Co., 2009), 40p, Ages 3-6.
One day while exploring his dreary neighborhood, Liam finds a few flowers on an old elevated train track. With several hits and misses, he begins watering, weeding, and pruning them. "But this was no ordinary garden. With miles of open railway ahead of it, the garden was growing restless. It wanted to explore." Over the next few months, the garden expands along the railway and into the drab city. Sidetracked by winter snow, the plants and flowers lay dormant until spring, when they pop up in every conceivable place. New gardens pop up on rooftops, windmills, and ponds along with new gardeners to care for them. The colorful illustrations are fascinating, and the message that one small dream can change the world is what children need to hear.

The Dandelion Seed, written by Joseph Anthony, illus. by Cris Arbo, (DAWN Publishers,
1997), 32p, Ages 3-10.
Afraid to leave the garden and venture out into the world, a small reluctant dandelion seed is carried away by the wind across farmland, cities and lakes to arrive as the winter snow begins. When spring comes, the little seed begins to grow and flower, and so begins the lovely cycle once again.

Monarch and Milkweed, written by Helen Frost, illus. by Leonid Gore, (Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008), 40p, Ages 3-7.
One of nature's wonders is the correlation between the milkweed plant and the monarch butterfly. In the spring as the milkweed plants begin to grow, the butterflies migrate northward from Mexico. When the plants are mature, the butterflies lay their eggs underneath the leaves, which not only provide protection for the eggs, but food for the caterpillars as they progress to the chrysalis stage, and finally become monarch butterflies. Once the butterflies emerge and fly off, the leaves begin to curl and fall off as autumn approaches. The pods turn dry and the seeds blow away to begin the cycle again in the spring. An Author's Note explains the migration routes and cycles of the monarchs, the relationship between the plants and butterflies, and scientific mysteries yet to be uncovered.

The Red Poppy, written by Irmgard Lucht, translated by Frank Jacoby-Nelson, (Hyperion Books
for Children, 1995), 32p, Ages 3-7.
Translated from German, this beautiful picture book begins in a summertime grain field and centers around the red poppies that grow on the edge of the field. During its one day in the sun, a bud unfolds and is visited by flies, beetles, and bumblebees that feed on its pollen to ensure the next generation of plants. The new seeds must survive through the windy autumn and harsh winter to begin the cycle again in spring.

The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tangle, written/illus. by Lynne Cherry, (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004), 40p, Ages 6+.
Mangroves begin in lagoons where a seed takes root and begins to grow, sending out roots to help it stand against storms. Over the years it becomes home to crabs, oysters, sea anemone, pelicans, and manatees. A unique look into an ecosystem that is endangered in many places around the world.