The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for grade 3 require students to create models that describe how organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, such as birth, growth, reproduction, and death. A Salmon Story: Protecting the Future is the perfect foundational read-aloud before developing these models.

Not only does it describe each of these stages in interesting rhyming couplets, but each page also contains effective, kid-friendly text features that explain vocabulary and other scientific information. The illustrations are bright, simple images that cover the pages beautifully while conveying the story details.

This meaningful picture book also conveys the importance of salmon in the environment as well as to the Indigenous Nations who have cared for the survival of the salmon for centuries. Students learn about a creature with a unique life cycle and also better understand the interconnectedness of every living thing on planet Earth.

Featured Picture Book:

A Salmon Story (2026)

Written by Willie Poll

Illustrated by Chantelle Trainor-Matties

From the Publisher:

A lyrical informational picture book about how open-net pen fish farms impact wild salmon and their ecosystems.

Salmon are central to their ecosystem and the lives of many Indigenous Nations, but the rapid rise of open net-pen fish farming has threatened these longstanding connections. Salmon have followed the same migration routes for thousands of years, but the fish farming industry has had a deadly impact on their annual journey. Open-net pen farms release harmful waste into the ocean that is lethal to the wild salmon forced to swim through it. Now, the salmon must battle against the human-made destruction of their habitat, and many Nations are advocating for change and creating calls of action to protect salmon for future generations.

As the young salmon journey from their gravel nests to the open ocean, readers learn about the life cycle of wild salmon, the effects of open-net pen fish farms, and the role of salmon as a keystone species.

Boldly illustrated with gorgeous Northwest Coast formline art, rhythmic poetry combines with supportive nonfiction content to illuminate the struggles faced by wild salmon populations.

Related Themes and Standards:

• Life Cycles
• Structures and processes related to survival
• Interconnectedness of living organisms
• Habitat destruction and conservation issues
• SEL: caring for nature, respect for tradition/heritage

STEM Ideas:

• Have students create a public service poster that could be displayed where salmon is sold, or script and record a video that could be shared on the class or school website.
• Have students engineer a way for salmon to get upstream in spite of a dam that has been constructed. Have them build a model using recyclable or natural materials.
• Students can create a model salmon habitat taking into consideration everything the salmon need to survive. Then have them pick a “habitat change” card (drought, dam is built, river has been rerouted, etc.) from a deck and re-engineer the habitat to help the salmon survive.
• Discuss the importance of clean water, reiterating how fish farming contaminates the water source. Have students engineer and investigate how water filters can clean polluted water. (HERE is my filtration lesson you could adapt to better match the story)
• After reading about how salmon swim upstream (often up small waterfalls) to reach their home breeding grounds, have students engineer a model salmon that will travel against flowing water. They could drag their model with a string and test various body, fin, and tail styles.
• Have students research Turtle Island and the Indigenous Nations that rely on the salmon. Create a class book using Book Creator.

Do you have other ideas for this story? Please share! #BetterTogether

As an elementary teacher who wants to incorporate non-fiction read-alouds into an almost nonexistent science time, the picture book must accomplish a lot quickly. This beautifully illustrated story of the Giant Cuttlefish does just that.

It would make the perfect addition to a life cycles unit, especially if the kids have heard year after year about all the usuals…the frog, the butterfly, the chicken. 

If you are a teacher looking for something just a bit unique, yet still want to hit all the standards related to adaptations, survival needs, patterns of behavior that allow offspring to survive, habitats, and predator/prey relationships, this book should be at the top of your list.

The narrative text with immersive, brilliant lyricism conveys all the expository information engagingly and fascinatingly. And Mike Orodán’s colorful illustrations truly bring the science to life.

Featured Picture Book:

Giant Cuttlefish, Chameleon of the Sea (2026)

Written by Elaine M. Alexander

Illustrated by Mike Orodán

Publisher’s Summary:

Follow the fascinating chameleon of the sea—a dazzling, hypnotic mystery that changes its appearance many times in order to survive and thrive.

Peering into the face of a giant cuttlefish is like gazing at a creature from another planet. Eight arms grow out of its head, two suckered feeding tentacles shoot out from pouches below its eyes, and a fearsome beak hooks its prey. In a blink, the giant cuttlefish changes the color and texture of its skin. Blending into its surroundings, the camouflaged fish evades predators, tricks prey, and throws rivals off-balance. With its otherworldly features, superior eyesight, and an ability to learn complex behavior, this remarkable cephalopod has survived for 500 million years. Elaine M. Alexander and illustrator Mike Orodán give readers a clear and close-up look at the smartest and largest of all mollusks, the rock star of the ocean, the chameleon of the sea: the giant cuttlefish. Back matter includes brief explorations into its life cycle, adaptations, hunting behavior, mating, and threats to survival, as well as a glossary and bibliography.

Related Themes and Standards:

• Adaptations
• Survival Needs (including camouflage)
• Life Cycles
• Habitats
• Animal Behaviors
• Predators/Prey

STEM Ideas:

• The Giant Cuttlefish has a unique way of attracting and grabbing its prey. Have students engineer a grabber using recycled materials. Have them test it on various objects.
• Have students create a stop-motion video that demonstrates how Giant Cuttlefish use a burst of ink to evade predators.
• Create a class Venn Diagram that compares and contrasts the life cycle of the Giant Cuttlefish to more well-known life cycles they’ve studied (frogs, chickens, butterflies…).
• Students may not have heard the term cephalopod. Have them research other members of the cephalopod class.
• Give students a colored photo of a Giant Cuttlefish. Have them design and build a three-dimensional habitat that helps the creature hide using what they know about camouflage.
• Since Giant Cuttlefish use jet propulsion to move quickly in the water, have students conduct a simple experiment to see how it works. HERE are some easy directions. They’ll get life science and physical science all in one lesson!

Do you have other ideas for this story? Please share! #BetterTogether