What the Macaw Saw by Charlotte Guillain illustrated by Sam Usher

Bookseller blurb: Told in gentle rhyming verse, this beautiful non-fiction picture book follows the story of a flock of colourful macaws as they live their lives in the Amazon rainforest. Through the voice of one of the macaws, we hear about the bounty of the rainforest, as well as the challenges they have faced – threatened by the destruction of their home through machinery and forest fires to make room for vast plantations. Still, there are some areas where the land is protected and they can live a life of freedom among the trees… perhaps in the future, humans will learn the true value of the forest once again Accompanying non-fiction pages at the end of the book include information on endangered macaws, the importance of the rainforest, and the causes of deforestation, as well as what we can do to help.

This book is a perfect example of a well-designed nonfiction book. Younger children will enjoy the first person narrative told in rhyme and then curious older readers can discover more from the four fact pages. 

In the wild Scarlet Macaws live from the south of Mexico, through central American countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras, to as far south as northeast Argentina in South America. Macaws are quite common in the Amazon rainforest but further north the bird is more endangered. 

A picture book that will link to classroom themes on protecting the environment, encouraging young children’s research skills to find out about endangered species, rainforests, birds around the world and to stimulate writing and discussions to persuade and inform on these topics. Just Imagine

What the Macaw Saw was published in 2022, and so I pleased to see it is still available for a really good price in 2026. This book could be a good addition to your library.

There are two other books in this series:

The name of the illustrator - Sam Usher caught my eye. I am a fan of his picture books:

Image source: Sam Usher

Publisher bio: Sam Usher studied illustration at the University of West England. His debut picture book Can You See Sassoon? was shortlisted for the Waterstones Prize and the Red House Children's Book Award. He lives in London with an ancient housemate, and when he's not holding a pen and wobbling at paper, you'll find him playing the piano, eating chocolate and trespassing.

Charlotte Guillain is the author of over 100 books. I need to say I had not heard of her - but now I will hunt out more of her books. She creates books with her husband Adam. 

The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

The hummingbird parable, with origins in the Quechuan people of South America, 

has become a talisman for environmentalists and activists who are committed to making meaningful change in the world. In this inspiring story, the determined hummingbird does everything she can to put out a raging fire that threatens her forest home. 

The hummingbird—symbol of wisdom and courage—

demonstrates that doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

"Here is the story of the great forest that caught on fire. The terrible fire raged and burned. All of the animals were afraid and fled from their homes. The elephant and the tiger ran. The beaver scurried and the frog leapt away. Above them the birds flew in a panic. The creatures huddled at the edge of the forest and watched. All except one."

The one is the little hummingbird. She picks up water, one drop at a time, and flies back and forth to the fire. One drop at a time. The other animals watch on convinced there is nothing they can do. The hummingbird tells them:

"I am doing what I can."

The after word for The Little Hummingbird is by Wangari Maathai - here are two books for children about her work:

The Little Hummingbird is a revised edition of a previous title: the award-winning Flight of the Hummingbird (2008) which had 64 pages (see the image at the bottom of this post). You can watch a two-minute animation of the story here. Do watch this it is fantastic. 

Bookseller blurb: This inspiring children's book is based on a South American indigenous story about a courageous hummingbird who defies fear and expectations in her attempt to save the forest from fire. The illustrated story is supplemented by a natural and cultural history of hummingbirds, as well as an inspiring message from Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. The evocative artwork by internationally renowned Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas complements this optimistic tale that encourages everyone to take responsibility for their home and the planet.

I said this very recently - even if I live a hundred more lifetimes I will never reach the end of new and old book discoveries especially those that reside in the library where I work as a volunteer. The Little Hummingbird seems like a fairly obscure book - published in Canada in 2010 and based on an indigenous folktale from South America. Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a Canadian visual artist with a very distinct style called Haida Manga. I am so pleased to have discovered this book but at the same time it reinforces my thought that there are SO many other fabulous books 'out there' that I may never discover. New copies of The Little Hummingbird do seem to still be available from several online sellers. 

Here is an example of the art style found in The Little Hummingbird:

“Haida manga,” a somewhat incongruous term, describes a hybrid form of visual expression where the artist not only celebrates Haida cultural memory and merges it with Asian brush techniques, but also engages with the challenges facing all modern societies: conflict, war, the impact of human activity on the environment, climate change and intercultural relations. Yahgulanaas brings to manga a visual and stylistic technique belonging to the cultures of the Pacific Northwest coast: the formline, or figurative line. The formline is a winding line painted in black that swells and contracts, outlining the contours of the picture’s subject. Read more here.

Here is a simpler explanation: Haida manga is a cool and unique art style that mixes traditional art from the Haida people with modern Japanese manga comics. It's like a blend of old and new, bringing together amazing stories and designs from the North Pacific region with the exciting look of Japanese comics. Haida manga has become popular in many countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Macao, France, and Canada.

This story has also been performed as an opera in Vancouver - perhaps that is how the Teacher-Librarian in the school in Sydney, Australia discovered this book? Here is the original version:

Over and Under in the Rainforest by Kate Messner illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

"At the base of a bridge, an orb spider weaver her web - 

a golden tapestry that will catch moonlight and insects tonight."

It is so wonderful when you make new discoveries about our world and the animals who share our planet though a glorious picture book or in this case Picture Non Fiction. Take a look at this article "Criteria for selecting nonfiction picture books."

There are twenty animals from the rainforest in this large format book. I knew or had heard of creatures such as leaf-cutter ants; three toed sloth; giant anteater; howler monkey and the famous toucan. But here are the others that are new to me.  I am so glad Kate Messner included some facts at the back of her book which I have now used as a starting point to discover even more. Read more here.

Montezuma Otopendola - this is a bird with a very distinctive nest shaped like a droopy sack

Long-nosed Proboscis Bat - they roost in trees, all in a line

Blue Morphos are among the biggest butterflies in the world with a 20cm wingspan. 

Eyelash Palm Pitviper is a small viper measuring 22-32cm. The name comes from modified scales that look like eyelashes. This viper comes in different colours  - red, yellow, brown, green and even pink.

Rufous Motmot are easy to spot because Kate Messner explains, their tails look like tennis rackets.

This is the fourth book in the nature series by Kate Messner illustrated by Chistopher Silas Neal. Kate first visited the rainforest of Costa Rica when she was in third grade on a school excursion.  Doesn't that sound amazing. Then she went back in 2010 with her family and again in 2017 partly to research this book but also to see all of these special animals again.

Part outdoor adventure, part animal nonfiction book, this exciting blend will delight children interested in fact and fiction. Kirkus

Blurb: "Under the canopy of the rainforest, hundreds of animals make their homes - from the slender parrot snake to the blue morpho butterfly. But up in the leaves hides another world, where toucans and pale-billed woodpeckers chatter and call, capuchin monkeys swing from vines, and slow-moving sloths wait out daily thunderstorms. Discover the wonder that lies hidden among the roots, above the winding rivers, and under the emerald leaves of the rainforest."

The Most Beautiful place in the World by Ann Cameron

An "absorbing narrative, careful use of authentic, concrete detail intrinsic to the story as well as illustrative of the culture portrayed, and sympathetic understanding of a child's world--all in a story that will be enjoyed by younger children"  Kirkus

In 1992 our CBCA slogan was Windows into Worlds.  This slim book (54 pages) The Most Beautiful Place in the World fits that theme perfectly. Even though this is a short story I think it would best suit readers of 9 and older.

Juan lives in Guatemala. Through no fault of his own, life is very hard for Juan. His father leaves the family when Juan is a tiny baby. He moves with his mother into his grandmothers house but when his mother remarries she leaves Juan behind. When Juan is five his grandmother decides he needs to earn money so she sets him up as a shoeshine boy. Juan works hard but he feels resentful when he sees other city children heading off to school. By asking questions he learns the basics of reading and finally when he is seven and a half he gathers enough courage to ask his grandmother to send him to school. He greatly fears she will say no or worse she will also reject him as his mother and step father have already rejected him. Thank goodness he is wrong on both counts.

Here are a few story quotes to give you a flavour of this really special writing:

"But best of all, my grandmother owns her house and the land it's on. She keeps the papers that prove it in an iron box under her bed, and she's sure of what they say because somebody she trusts read them to her ... "

"It got bad when I saw kids who were going past me on the way to school. I was sitting in the dust all smeared up with shoe polish, and they were all neat and clean, with their pencils and their notebooks, going to school."

"School?' She said it like I'd said I wanted to go to Mars. 'You can't go. ... you're too young, you're five.' 'Grandma,' I said, 'I'm not five, I'm seven!"

"And she looked at me as if I were a man already, and said that maybe by studying I could find out why some people were rich, and some were poor, and some countries were rich, and some were poor, because she had thought about it a lot, but she could never understand it."

I first discovered Ann Cameron through her book Banana Spaghetti which features the characters found in her book series about Huey and his brother Julian. I also loved Spunky tells all - take a look at my review.

I would pair this book with The Paper House and for older students Figgy takes the City.  You could use The Most Beautiful place in the World with older students when discussing the Rights of the Child.

Finally from his description Juan does convince me Guatemala is one of the most beautiful places in the world - green hills, lots of flowers, flocks of birds and a happy evenings spent strolling and storytelling.

Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

Peppered with Spanish words Juana & Lucas is a delightful romp inside the world of Juana a young child living in Bogota, Colombia, South America.  Juana is a very forthright girl and early on we find out the things she likes including, of all things, Brussels sprouts (repollitas).

Take some time now and read this splendid review by Elizabeth Bird of Juana & Lucas in the School Library Journal.

I am always looking for simple easy to read books for our youngest students.  I have a 'box' full of criteria which include a good story, an attractive book, and a story with humour (done with a light touch) and Juana & Lucas more than meets my criteria. 

Brightly coloured illustrations are scattered throughout the book, there are words that pop out of pages either by size or font.  I especially like the pages with character diagrams - you can see one her about Juana's mother.

Juana reminds me of Clementine, Daisy Dawson and Anna Hibiscus.   She loves her city of Bogota, she loves reading and often reads late into the night and the best part of her school day is playing futbol.  Juana does not like her school uniform (boys can see her pink underpants), her hot classroom and most of all having to learn "the English."

I really appreciated the way Juana Medina weaves Spanish into her story and that she is not tempted to offer translations.  She allows her readers to use their intelligence and work out any unfamiliar words.  Of course Spanish speaking children will delight in knowing all these words.

Here are some examples :

"I can't stop pnesando about my crushed lunch box all morning."
"chances are you'll find me in bed with a book .. or dos, or tres!"
"Sitting with Juli is always good because we have mucho to talk about."

I also want to share some of the humour - and show how Juana Medina has such a light touch.

"I love my furry amigo Lucas.  He is the smartest and most amazing perro every born.  ... He is my absolutely-no-single-doubt-about-it best amigo.  Some say Lucas is neurotic. I do not think so.  He is actually quite calm, especially while sleeping."

Lucas "eats math homework like a pro.  The harder the homework, the faster he'll eat it."

"Juli is a very good friend. ... She has two brothers, one older and one younger. She's in a brother sandwich!"

Juana & Lucas is the 2017 winner of the Pura Belpre award which is  is "presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."

Here is an audio sample to give you an idea of this story.  Here is a video of Juana Medina showing her art processes.

I believe the book is a great choice for students who are seeking a new or greater understanding of global cultures as well as students whose experiences are similar to Juana’s, such as having to learning a new language yet maintaining a strong sense of cultural identity.   Mr J The Librarian

Ada's violin by Susan Hood illustrated by Sally Wern Comport

Picture books are given formidable tasks to perform for their young readers – to entertain, to offer new experiences, to expand emotional vocabulary and empathy, to explore their own worlds or the worlds beyond. 

Ada’s Violin accomplishes all with clear language, impressive story, and stunning art.  Nerdy Book Club

Everything about this book is important.  The wonderful vision of one man to form an orchestra, the making of instruments from materials found in the garbage, the possibility of a different life for these young orchestra members and the simply stunning illustrations.

Start with this little film.  You will hear the wonderful sounds these children can make using instruments made from an amazing assortment of recycled materials.  Here is a report from US Sixty Minutes.

Ada's grandmother sees an advertisement for music lessons.  There are no music instruments.  There are so many children who want to learn.  Favio Chavez is not defeated.  He enlists help to make instruments from the junk dropped daily at the dump near their town and so the orchestra begins.

This book is based on the true life story of Ada Rios and the children in her town of Cateura in Paraguay.  You can read more about this at the back of the book along with further reading and web links.

I would pair this book with Magic Trash, The paper house and the senior novel Trash by Andy Mulligan.