This brand new book (2025) is fascinating because it highlights the range of interesting creatures that have called the geographical area of Alaska home for hundreds of millions of years. Written by a paleobotanist and illustrated by an artist with several species named after him, it is filled with interesting facts, written in kid-friendly, engaging language.

Picture Book: ALASKA DINOSAURS, MAMMOTHS, AND MORE
Author: Kirk Johnson
Illustrator: Ray Troll

Things I loved about this book:

• I love that the focus is on one particular area (what is now Alaska) and all of the amazing creatures that have lived there over hundreds of millions of years.
• The format is very engaging. The illustrations are large and colorful. Most spreads focus on one creature, and include a timeline banner across the top of one of the pages (ie. Cretaceous Period - 73 Million Years Ago)
• The text is written in kid-friendly language with some awesome real-life comparisons, imagery, and scattered alliteration.
• The author has included wonderful details about the names of many of the creatures which honor various native languages and legends.

Some of my favorite lines:

• "These guys had very big eyes all the better to see you with in the darkness."
• "One little island in southeast Alaska has a shoreline that looks a lot like a stack of black pancakes."
• "Most ammonites had beautiful spiral-shaped shells, but some looked more like giant paperclips."
• "Numerous trackways are perfectly preserved in the fossilized forest floors of this long-vanished world."

Dinosaur lovers and young paleontology buffs are going to read this again and again! Make sure you check and it out and let me know what you think!

This treat of a mentor text is a little older (published in 2003), but I just love the way it is crafted, using a cumulative format mirroring the style of "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly" or "The House That Jack Built."

Picture Book: AROUND ONE CACTUS - OWLS, BATS, AND LEAPING RATS
Author: Anthony D. Fredericks
Illustrator: Jennifer DiRubbio

Things I loved about this book:

• The first page is a letter written to the reader by a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake introducing the desert habitat and importance of the saguaro cactus. It is interesting and inviting!
• The spreads that provide facts about the seven creatures who rely on the cactus are written in a cumulative fashion with wonderful rhyming couplets.
• Each spread ends with the lines, "Beside the cactus tall and grand, A haven for creatures in a waterless land," continually emphasizing the importance of the main character of the story.
• The Backmatter includes an illustration of each of the eight species (including the cactus) with a short fact-filled paragraph and a "Fantastic Fact". 

Some of my favorite lines:

• (On a gorgeous 2-page spread of the desert in early evening)
  

"He observed the giant in the fading light, But the critters were resting far from sight. So he turned and slowly walked away. Then the creatures woke to play and prey."

• (On the final spread)

"A world of survivors in a sun-baked land are sheltered and harbored by a cactus grand. The spiny plant with its weathered face is a noble guard in this busy place.

I just love the language and structure of this whole story, as it weaves in amazing facts about desert dwellers! Have you ever read it? You should!

Today I read two non-fiction picture books created by the late Steve Jenkins. One written with his wife Robin Page and the other written by Sneed B. Collard III, illustrated by Steve.

I loved them both so much for several similar reasons!

Things I loved about these books:

• They both use a similar format. Each page/spread starts with a simple statement or question. In ANIMAL DADS, each statement tells the reader one thing dads do like, "They build us homes to live in." In WHY DO ELEPHANTS HAVE BIG EARS?, each question is one many readers have probably had like, "Why do flamingos stand on one leg?"
• The rest of the information explains how, or answers the question using 4-6 simple fact-filled sentences.
• In both books there is an abundance of alliteration and other devices that make the facts interesting.
• I have always believed that children should be exposed to advanced vocabulary with proper scaffolding/context clues. WHY DO ELEPHANTS HAVE BIG EARS? does a fantastic job using rich language.
• The illustrations in both books are just glorious! Sparse backgrounds with huge, colorful collage-style animals make up each spread.

​Some of my favorite lines:
Here are some of the examples of the rich vocabulary I noticed.

• "...no energy is expended."
• "...accumulate fat."
• "The hippopotamus is territorial."
• "...inhabit underground burrows."
• "...where no light penetrates."
• "The sudden appearance of two bright red orbs can startle the predator..."

Just after reading these books, I was made aware of this awesome post Robin Page has on her website which shows her creative process. Make sure you check it out! Do you have any favorite Steve Jenkins and/or Robin Page picture books? I'd love to hear about them!

Picture Book: SLEEPY - SURPRISING WAYS ANIMALS SNOOZE
Author: Jennifer Ward
Illustrator: Robin Page

This adorable non-fiction picture book identifies the sleeping habits of seventeen different animals (including humans). It is filled with beautifully colorful, up-close illustrations of each of the creatures in their sleep settings. This would be a great book for educators who teach animal adaptations or just to use as the foundation of a compare/contrast lesson!

Things I love about this book:

• Each page/spread ends with "If you're a...", a very effective page turn device.
• I love rhyme, kids LOVE rhyme, and many of my ideas come to me in rhyme. I adore the way Jennifer Ward starts the sleep information for each creature with an AABB 4 line rhyme. She cleverly tucks in interesting facts.
• Then, elsewhere on the page, in smaller font, are 2-5 sentences with more related facts.
• The backmatter displays each creature's "Average Snooze Time" with eye-pleasing pie charts allowing the reader to easily see how many hours of a 24 hour period are spent sleeping. So clever!

Some of my favorite lines:

• "Everything works zippy-fast on a hummingbird--its breathing, its heartbeat, its wings."
• "If you're a... Snake, you lie still with open eyes, spectacles worn as a guise. Are you sleeping or awake? Hard to tell, you tricky snake!"
• "If you're a... Sloth, when you're not snacking, you are sleeping. That's the type of day you're keeping! Then--Yawn!--you curl into a ball, snug in a tree so you won't fall."

I absolutely love the combination of short fact-filled rhymes with a few sentences of other facts! What do you think?

Picture Book: WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL EYES!?
Author: Sandra Markle
​Illustrator: Howard McWilliam

Part of Markle's "What If You Had..." series with Scholastic, the cover of this wonderful non-fiction picture book alone, grabs your attention and makes you want to dive in to find out more!

Things I love about this book:

• The in-your-face layout is bright, colorful, and amazing! On the left page of each spread you have a real life photo of an animal and on the right, a caricature-like illustration of a child with the animal's eyes.
• With an average of 70 or so words on each page, the facts are presented in very kid-friendly, engaging language.
• The bottom of each animal page also contains an interesting one-sentence factoid.
• The only thing that appears (besides the amazing full-page illustration) on the kid page is a circle in the bottom right corner with an example of something you could see (or do) if you had that animal's eyes. All of them are related to things in which kids have an interest: shopping at a toy store, seeing in a haunted house, winning at laser tag, etc.
• The final few spread are all about how, yes, it would be cool to have those different eyes, but human eyes are just right and special in their own way!

Some of my favorite lines:

• "A golden eagle's eyes have a third eyelid that sweeps across the eyes like windshield wipers, keeping them clean."
• "When there is danger, its special eyes also help it spot escape routes!" (Yellow Mongoose)
• "A tarsier's eyes are a huge part of its little body."
• "Each eye is as big as a soccer ball!" (Colossal Squid)

What a great book for teachers whose curriculum includes animal adaptations! Running to the library to check out others in the series. Have you or your students read these? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

It's always so much fun to read and analyze picture books that help me become a better writer. I thought I'd share what I discover along the way in a new blog series, "Exploring Mentor Texts." Most of what I share will be non-fiction or informational fiction picture books as this is where my passion lies.

First Up: STONE AGE BEASTS
Author: Ben Lerwill
Illustrator: Grahame Baker-Smith

Things I love about this book:

• The first two 2-page spreads are filled with information introducing the topic. For example, what the world looked like, what humans were like, and how they interacted with the various animals that lived during that time.
• Every two-page spread after that introduces the reader to a different "beast." The illustrations are vibrant, large depictions of the animals.
• There is an info box on every animal which consistently shows the same data: scientific name, weight, when it became extinct, and a map showing where it lived. The illustration in each box also shows the animal in comparison to a human--very effective!
• Although it is non-fiction there are lots of metaphors and analogies to a child's real life. There is also alliteration, vivid verbs, and wonderful adjectives included in the narrative.

Some of my favorite lines:

• "...lumbered like a supersize ostrich."
• "...beak as big as a witch's hat."
• "...loping legs, muscly forearms, savage snout."
• "SHHH. Listen! Can you hear branches being torn and shaken?"

This book really makes the Stone Age come to life!