Little Tree and the Wood Wide Web by Lucy Brownridge illustrated by Hannah Abbo

This is a powerful book, that teaches children about a hugely important discovery in contemporary science, about a secret world beneath our feet and most importantly, about the strength that comes with asking for help, and discovering that you are not alone.  Quarto

Children will likely discover hidden treasures each time they read the book—from worms to burrowing moles to buried bones—and these discoveries can expand learning with ecological conversations about subterranean dwellers and decomposers. Importantly, this story calls our attention to organisms often overlooked in our environment—plants and fungi.

The Wood Wide Web is a network made from strands, or hyphae of fungus. It exists under the forest floor and connects a tree's roots to other trees in the forest. The network enables trees to share all sorts of resources and signals with each other.

This book was the 2024 winner of the Giverny Award. 

The Giverny Award is an annual children's science picture book award established in 1998 by Dr. Jim Wandersee and Dr. Elisabeth E. Schussler who was at that time affiliated with the 15º Laboratory at Louisiana State University.

1. This singular annual award is bestowed to the author and to the illustrator of the chosen book.
2. The book must be a children's science picture book written in the English language and published within five years of the award date. These books typically have ~ 32 pages and serve children between ages 4-8.
3. The book must teach its young reader at least one important scientific principle well, or encourage the reader toward specific science-related attitudes, pursuits, or inquiries.
4. The book's artwork, illustrations, photographs, or graphics must work in harmony with the text to tell an important story well.
5. The text must have a story with a plot and characters.
6. All other factors being equal, books about plants and/or plant science or biology will have preference. However, books on geobiology topics are also considered and have been chosen.
7. A book must be published in the English language to be eligible, but the award is international in scope.

Read the School Library Journal review. And here is the Kirkus review. 

Little Tree and the Wood Wide Web is a nonfiction book [582.16] told in the form of a narrative. It is so important to add books like this to your library collection both as a book for teachers to use but also as a terrific way to share an interesting aspect of nature with young children. I first heard about this phenomenon though, in a fiction story - Mikki and Me and the Out of Tune tree - and then I went on to find other story books linked with this topic:

Mikki and me and the Out-of-tune tree

Apple and Magnolia

Little Sap

Previous winners of the Giverny Award:

1998   Common Ground Molly Bang

1999   Sam Plants a Sunflower Kate Petty & Axel Scheffler

2000   A Log's Life Wendy Pfeffer & Robin Brickman

2001   Henry Hikes to Fitchburg D.B. Johnson

2002   Rare Treasure Don Brown

2003   The Hidden Forest Jeannie Baker

2004   Lonesome George Francine Jacobs & Jean Cassels

2005   Squirrel and John Muir Emily Arnold McCully

2006   Daniel and His Walking Stick Wendy McCormick & Constance R. Bergum

2007   The Snail and the Whale Julia Donaldon & Axel Scheffler

2008   The Prince of Butterflies Bruce Covile & John Clapp

2009   Forest Bright/Forest Night Jennifer Ward & Jamichael Henterly 

2010   Redwoods Jason Chin

2011   A Tree for Emmy Mary Ann Rodman & Tatjana Mai-Wyss

2012   Eliza's Cherry Trees Andrea Zimmerman & Ju-Hong Chen

2013   Green Laura Vaccaro Seeger

2014   Maple Lori Nichols

2015   Up in the Garden down in the dirt, Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal

2016   Frog in the House David Mather & Stephanie Mirocha   

2017   The Tree Lady H. Joseph Hopkins & Jill McElmurry 

2018   Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story Anna Forrester & Susan Detwiler 

2019   Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 Helaine Becker    

2020   They All Saw A Cat Brendan Wenzel

2021   Little Turtle and the Changing Sea Becky Davies & Jennie Poh  

2022   Old Rock (is not boring) Deb Pilutti

2023   The River that Wolves Moved Mary Kay Carson & David Hohn

2024   Little Tree and the Wood Wide Web Lucy Brownridge & Hannah Abbo

Green

Old Rock (is not boring)

Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Diana Sudyka

In this book you will discover so much about fungi and mushrooms. How spores are distributed and threads called hyphae which are a little like roots. The colours used on some pages almost look damp which are the perfect conditions for fungi to grow. The only extra I wanted in this book was a list of all the fungi they mention - so many have such quirky and interesting names. 

At the back of this book there is a glossary, a fact page, a list of sources, a further reading list for children, and a long list of websites. Kirkus say this book is thin on detail but I disagree - the really terrific thing about this book is that it is sure to be a jumping off point fueling more curious questions about all forms of fungi.

In a school library it can be easy to think of your nonfiction collection only in terms of syllabus topics but really your collection should be way more eclectic.  I don't imagine many classes study mushrooms, but they are so fascinating, and I am sure a curious child and their parents will thoroughly enjoy this book which is enhanced with scrumptious illustrations. If you visit a library and browse near Dewey number [579.6] I wonder how many other books you will find about fungi? Here's one that is quite old but it could easily be in a school library as these Read and Wonder (later called Nature Storybooks) are so fabulous and most school libraries added titles from this series to their collection. 

Just for fun here are some of the fungi Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari - cotton rot fungus; pear-shaped puffball; stinkhorn mushrooms; yellow morel; deer mushroom; chanterelle; and rusty-gilled polypore. See inside Fungi Grow here. 

... readers will come away dazzled by the kingdom’s huge variety of forms and colors, a bit more informed about fungi’s potential uses for industry and waste disposal, and properly warned off from eating any found mushrooms without an expert’s OK.  Kirkus

This vibrantly illustrated picture book sheds a comprehensive light on the often-overlooked mushroom. At first glance, this is a book for younger readers, but each page also features more detailed facts and information about the fascinating fungi world that older elementary students will appreciate as well. … A noteworthy addition to all collections and a book that is sure to enthrall young biologists. School Library Journal

Read more about the science of fungi here.

You can see other books by Maria Gianferrari here. I previously mentioned Diana Sudyka when I talked about this book:

All About the Heart by Dr Remi Kowalski illustrated by Tania Composto

This book has been long listed (Notable list) by our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) in the Eve Pownall nonfiction section. From this list, of 25 splendid titles all published in Australia in 2023, the short list of six will be announced next week. While I have not yet read all of the titles in this category, I am fairly sure All About the Heart will make the short list.

In recent years nonfiction books for children have changed exponentially. Many are a visual delight and present information in a way that goes far beyond anything you might read in a Google search.  This book is written by a Paediatric cardiologist so of course this book is filled with reliable and accurate information.  

The CBCA Judges said:

This vibrantly illustrated book takes us on a journey through all things ‘heart’ and ‘heart-related’. Fun-filled pages are packed with detailed illustrations which complement the simple, clear style of text. Information about the heart is innovatively presented. Factual and scientific information is expressed in a conversational manner which allows for the information to be absorbed without it becoming overwhelming or frightening. The physical details of the heart and how it operates are explored but so are the emotional aspects and the importance of socialising, good diet and exercise. The human heart is not the only one discussed. Curious facts about hearts in other animals are also covered, including the few animals who don’t have hearts and the animal which has the largest heart. The production is of the highest standard. No two pages are the same and the reader can delight in time spent exploring the detail on each page. A glossary is included as well as endpapers covered in hearts

I only have three very tiny criticisms of this book - I think the glossary could be on a page of the book and not pasted on the end papers; I would like to read a full bio of the author and illustrator; and I wonder why no mention was made of the wondrous ability we now have to complete successful heart transplants. I know the mum and dad of this special little girl - she has just started her first year of school which is so wonderful. Read more about Heart Kids here. 

Note from the publisher: This is the first book in a nonfiction series Berbay is launching, authored by paediatric medical experts in their fields. Presented in a kid-friendly, exciting way, these books – which can be read cover to cover – are designed to help kids better understand the way their bodies work and appreciate how incredible they are.

This is a fascinating book that will enable children of all ages to gain a greater understanding this precious organ. A wonderful resource for a school or public library. Read Plus

If the World were 100 Animals by Miranda Smith illustrated by Aaron Cushley

Here we go again - another groundbreaking fantastic nonfiction book with an idea that is fresh and original and so appealing. This is a book that is certainly going to spark the curiosity of your young reading companion or class of students. AND as a bonus, if you work with a group of older students, do take time to look at the very extensive reference list included at the beginning of this book - this could be such a brilliant way to talk about referencing and using websites with the right level of authority and also the importance of deep research. You will see websites such as CSIRO, Save the Koala, UNESCO, National Geographic and World Wildlife Fund.

There are 20,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 20 quintillion or 20 billion billion individual animals on earth but if you think of this as just 100 then ... 

6 are vertebrates; 94 are invertebrates = 100

Let's look at the vertebrates 23 are birds; 11 are amphibians; 9 are mammals; 14 are reptiles; and 43 are fish = 100

Drill down further to the Mammals 94 are placental; 5 are marsupials; 1 is a monotreme = 100

YES, those Monotremes are ours - one platypus and four species of echidna.

And what about pets? 33 are dogs; 6 are birds; 23 are cats; 12 are fish; 26 are other animals = 100

Image source: Bookwagon

Other topics explored in this book are deadly animals (81 are mosquitoes); extinct animals (90 are extinct); animals in danger (54 are fish) and the final double spread explores the big questions.

Big Questions:

• What can we do to stop the animals' habitats and ecosystems being destroyed?
• What can we do to reduce our use of plastic and recycle plastic that already exists?
• How do we make people think about the connections between animals and the food on their plates?

Now for the really amazing news - this book from 2022 is only AUS$20. It is a book that should be added to every school and public library. If the World were 100 Animals is also a NSW Premier's Reading challenge title Years 3-4 (903350). Make sure you spend time exploring all the animals on the end papers. 

Other books by Miranda Smith and books illustrated by Aaron Cushley (he is from Belfast) from this series:

Due for publication in November, 2023

Together by Isabel Otter illustrated by Clover Robin

Here is another book illustrated by my newest favourite illustrator (this changes every week) Clover Robin. I have previously talked about two books by Isabel Otter - I am a Fish; and Dear Earth. 

The subtitle of Together is: 

Animal partnerships in the wild

Blurb: Follow a flock of cranes on a migration by land and sea, and find out how animals forge unlikely partnerships to help each other in the wild. Simple haiku poems and fascinating facts give a powerful message of togetherness.

Here are a couple of examples of the haiku:

A vast migration.

Cranes take turns to lead their flock:

The feathered arrow.

The crocodile smiles.

Plover hops in for a snack,

Pecking the fangs clean. 

On each page there is also a small section of factual text which expands and explains the animal partnership. Cranes fly in flocks for thousands of miles and as each leader tires a new bird takes their place. Chamois live in herds and one member always keeps a look out for predators. The remora fish nibble parasites on the skin of sharks. The honey badger uses the song of honey guide bird to find a sweet treat which is them shared. Plover birds eat leftovers from inside the mouths of crocodiles. 

As you turn each page you will see the migrating cranes revealed through clever die cuts. Look closely at the cover at the top of this post and at the illustration above.