​The animal kingdom is filled with wonders. Two picture books beautifully capture the magnificence of some of these creatures. Each volume features an innovative approach to subject matter as well as stunning design. 

Contrary Creatures can be used to introduce/explore such concepts as antonyms, comparisons, animal characteristics, and design in nature. An excellent choice for inter-disciplinary activities in reading, writing, science, and art.

Back matter is a rich source of additional information. Find facts about sea creatures, world oceans map, infographic of  ocean habitats, and introduction to current issues such as climate change, clean energy and plastic dumping.

How Many Hugs? by Heather Swain ill Steven Henry

For anyone who has loved and lost a treasured pet, this little gem offers solace and comfort. A stellar picture book that celebrates the capacity that art and color have to heal a wounded heart.
Thank you Laura for this treasure.

For those who have a loyal loving canine companion. For those who remember a dog who brought joy and contentment during a difficult time. For those who long for a dog but are unable to have a special pet of one’s own. For the vast community of dog lovers.
Two books to remind you of just why you love your dog.

In the course of her travels, her beloved teddy bear gets left behind. It's up to the dog to rescue the soft-sided little plaything and return it to its rightful owner. Sweet story, right? But here's the interesting twist. The entire tale is told with only two words per page. The text consists of the word dog, preceded by an adjective. Initial pages set the scene. "Stray dog.” “Lost dog." "Lonely dog." Progressively, the dog becomes "Hopeful dog.” and "Smart dog." Eventually the canine earns the title "Rescue dog. “and the ultimate appellation "Good dog."

Cori Doerrfeld's full-page illustrations enhance the story, offering heart-warming visual insights. For example: I love the "Thoughtful dog." who constructions a shelter from a discarded pizza box to protect the tiny stuffed bear.

The brilliance of this book is in the clever use of adjectives to describe the dog while simultaneously advancing the storyline. Winsome illustrations bring warmth and tenderness to every page. Good Dog is brimming with puppy love.

The book is divided into six sections: I Meet My Dog, Getting to Know My Dog, I Train My Dog, Going Out With My Dog, My Dog Plays, and I Love My Dog. Within each section, readers meet a variety of dogs and their owners. While the children, canines, personalities, and circumstances vary, the bond between animal and child shines through in every image. Isadora gives each dog a distinct personality.  The facial expressions of both pet and owners are priceless. 

My Dog Laughs captures the close and personal relationship between dog and owner. At the same time, Isadora conveys the universal experience of sharing one's life with a dog. Dog lovers know this. That's the heart of this book.

Consider opportunities to assist animal shelters by organizing a pet supplies drive. Contact local organizations including food banks and animal shelters such as Humane Society centers for basic donation information. Teens pictured here collected used clean blankets and towels. They donated them to a local shelter.

Hand-painted illustrations fill the page with over-sized animal images.  Little Lion's facial expressions cover a wide range of emotions.  He moves from pride to doubt, fearlessness to trepidation with each page turn. Animals roar, grunt, snap, and whisper. These descriptive verbs enrich the story experience and provide opportunities for dramatic reading. With limited vocabulary and repetitive text, this book makes an excellent read aloud. A chorus of young voices will joyfully join in the refrain, "Oh really?" 

German illustrator and author Constanze V. Kitzing hosts an interactive website and a newsletter which are chock full of interesting explorations for youngsters. There is one obstacle: the site is in German. However with the assistance of Google translate and some deductive reasoning, it is possible to share some of these creative activities with children everywhere.

Messer has created her own little hide-and-seek game within the pages of the books.  Discovering where Lazybones is hiding on each successive page is part of the book's charm.  Dog owners everywhere will delight in the antics of Lazybones.

Who knew that decaying matter could be intriguing? Leslie Bulion knew. She has created Leaf Litter Critters, a fascinating look at the ins and outs of brown matter, AKA the leaf litter layer. From the cover to the last page, this is one amazing little volume. Here are my top ten reasons to read and share a copy of this book.

10. Cover

Check this out: a blue bug-eyed frog with a humongous tongue, sitting on a pile of garbage with all kinds of crazy creatures twisting, turning, leaping, spying, escaping all around.
Wait! I think the frog has teeth. Really?  And what's with all those spinning things? Are they dive-bombing the frog or are they trying to escape that major-long tongue?
This looks like one wild read.
It's a slim book: only 56 pages. It slides easily into the front pouch of your hoodie. It can go wherever you go. Science made simple.

9. Subject matter

Are you into gross? Are you into slimy? Creepy? Crawly? Are you ready to venture into the dark and dank area known as the "brown food web" ?
​Welcome to the world of bacteria, fungi, mites, earthworms, millipedes, beetles and many more critters. Probably best not to read this while eating chocolate-covered gummy worms. Just sayin'.

8. Comparison charts & MORE

Just how big are these critters IRL? A comparison graphic gives you a good idea. Using a pin, and even the head of pin, scale renderings put relative sizes in proper perspective. You'll also find a glossary (with illustrations), specific information on how to conduct your own investigations, as well as additional resources you can access online. A selection of books will further your own  explorations.

7. Berlese Funnel

You want to see these critters for yourself?  You can!  Build your own equipment to view these creatures. You're gonna need a one-liter soda bottle, a light bulb, a small piece of mesh, ethyl alcohol to preserve your specimens, and some tweezers to pick up the little critters.  You'll find more information on page 53.
Note: The soda bottle should be empty. That means you get to drink a liter of soda.  But it’s okay because you're doing this for science. View the berlese video

5. Big words

Stop using those lame descriptions such as "those little white things with a ton of legs" and up your game by referring them as symphylan.
No no, my friend, that's not a squishy blob of oozing jelly. That's an amoeba.
​Amaze your teachers. Astound your friends. 
Bonus: that critter to the right is called a rotifer. 
​You're sounding smarter already!

6. Way-cool factoids

Every poem is accompanied by a Science Note. If you enjoy collecting factoids, this is the place for you. Did you know that: One hundred million to one billion bacteria might live in the water film of one teaspoon of soil? It has been estimated that four out of every five animals on Earth are nematodes?  Mites are no bigger than a grain of sand? Centipedes have between 15 and 191 pairs of legs, one pair for each body segment?  You can own the "strange but true" catagory.

4. Illustrations

Robert Meganck, how can you make such disgusting animals, living amid rot and ruin, so fascinating? The colorful comic-style illustrations are terrific.  Consider the expressive faces, especially those bugged-out eyes. Look at the springtale with multiple knives, forks, and spoons slurping up nematodes as if they were strands of spaghetti.  Check out the mites with ferocious features and sharp teeth for ravaging roundworms. Comics beneath your feet.

3. Poetry

Leslie Bulion can wax poetic on denizens of decay. Seriously, she is the Shakespeare of duff. Yup. That's a real word. She uses cinquain, free verse, shape poetry, triolet, kyrielle, two voices, ballad, and clerihew. She also explains words like stanza, beats, rhythm, and poetic form. Yeah, it sounds like a lot. But you can skip the explanations, AKA  Poetry Notes found in the back. You don't have to know how they are constructed to just enjoy them. They are fun to read aloud. Try one of these in science class. Or if you are especially daring, share one in English.

2. FUN! 

Why should science be boring? Seriously. Why should learning about your environment be an endless recital of textbook copy?
​Guess what. It's not. Remember when you were a little kid and used pick up rocks to discover what was underneath them? Did you ever squat down on the ground to play with pillbugs, watching them roll into a round little ball? Now you can do that for real. It’s called science.

1. STEM with a side of STEAM

You want multi-disciplinary? This book takes STEM to the next level. Find basic science information and ideas for further investigations.  Get your observation, experimentation, research skills on. But wait... There's more. Use the left side of your brain to design imaginative collages, comics, or infographics for stunning visual displays.  Then get your word nerd on by composing poems, raps, song lyrics, and more to share the wonder of the world down under.

This collection of fascinating rodents is arranged by size, beginning with the smallest. I found the answer to my first question on page one. The pygmy jerboa is the world's smallest rodent and possesses extremely long legs. The 1-inch leg and 1/2-inch foot can jump up to 10 feet! Yes indeed. I had my ruler with me, measuring these furry creatures as I moved through the pages. Each image is accompanied by a paragraph of fascinating trivia, not the boring stuff, but the information that kids love to memorize and rattle off. Did you know that chipmunks can collect as many as 165 acorns a day to store for the winter? How about an African giant pouched rat that detect tuberculosis lab samples with a "higher accuracy rate in ten minutes than a human technician can in a whole day." This is the stuff that young trivia enthusiasts thrive on.
Moving on to my second question: How to depict all these animals at actual size? The very clever Munro figured out a way. As the animals become progressively larger, we see parts of the animals, the beavers' webbed feet, a close-up of the capybara head in profile. Each body part is presented at an authentic size.

Back matter includes a brief description of each animal pictured with scientific species and genus name for most, body measurements, habitat, and an interesting fact or two.  Additional general information consists of a glossary, an index, and a list of sources and websites.