James Herriot wrote many wonderful animal stories for children, from his perspective as a veterinarian. While Herriot is present in his stories as the narrator, the focus is on his clients and their relationships with their unique pets and farm animals. One of my all-time favorites of his is The Christmas Day Kitten. It portrays both sadness at the death of an animal friend, as well as the joy of the new life of a unique and playful little kitten (I've also discovered that this may not be the best book to read while pregnant and feeling more emotional than usual!). 

As in Herriot's other stories, Ruth Brown's warm, realistic illustrations capture each scene and feeling perfectly. The text is a bit wordier than some picture books, so it might not hold the attention of very young children. While this story doesn't really get into the practical aspects of celebrating Christmas, it's still a sweet glimpse of the hope of life springing from sadness.

Scrounged From: My parents' house

Format: Hardcover
Author: James Herriot
Illustrator: Ruth Brown
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: Death of a stray/pet cat is described.

More Reviews at Amazon

The Bee Book is a visually appealing introduction to bees, focusing on the honey bee, and emphasizing how important they are to the world.

I love the full-page illustrations with the lovely contrast of blue and yellow, and the way the information is spread out -- the book covers a lot of bee-ish topics without becoming too verbose about any of them. (And for what it's worth, I think they hit the sweet spot as far as bee-related puns go -- a couple at appropriate times without overdoing it.)

We learn about the life cycle of the honeybee as well as the different roles of each type within the hive. I had no idea that worker bees' lives and tasks were so well organized based on age. At the end of the book are some ideas for ways to help bee populations such as making a "bee hotel" and planting more flowers. 

(Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley (and later Amazon)

Format: Kindle
Author/illustrator: Charlotte Milner
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None

More Reviews at Amazon

Dolphin Adventure is a short chapter book about a true experience Wayne Grover had while scuba diving. Two dolphin parents surprise him by bringing their baby to him with a hook stuck in its back, in hopes that he can help it. 

We get to experience Wayne's response and his thoughts during the process, the parents' anxiety, and the baby's fear, as well as an interruption by sharks! 

I found this to be an inspiring story that encourages compassion for animals, as well as giving us some very neat glimpses of dolphin behavior. If you enjoy this one, there is a sequel called Dolphin Treasure (though the dolphins don't feature as prominently there as they do in this one).

Scrounged From: HomeschoolClassifieds.com (Sonlight Core A)

Format: Paperback
Author: Wayne Grover
Illustrator: Jim Fowler
Pages: 80
Content Advisory: The baby dolphin's wound is described in order to detail how the hook is removed.

More Reviews at Amazon

The Elephant Keeper is a very thorough picture book with beautiful illustrations of Zambian landscapes, people, and of course elephants. This book is based on a true story about a boy named Aaron who finds an orphaned elephant struggling for its life in the pool of his workplace one morning. After rescuing it, he becomes invested in what happens to it, but also has to wrestle with his own fears as he has been taught that elephants are very dangerous creatures.

This book constructs a detailed narrative that follows Aaron to an elephant orphanage where he continues to observe and care for baby Zambezi (named after the river). The story is interspersed with occasional informational sections with photos and facts about elephants and their environments, as well as the organizations and systems in place to help orphaned elephants. 

There is a lot of information here, and this is an element of conservation I did not know much about, so I appreciate the opportunity to read this story and especially to get a glimpse into the daily lives of these "elephant keepers."

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Margriet Ruurs
Illustrator: Pedro Covo
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: An injured elephant that comes to the orphanage dies, but the subject is handled gently.

More Reviews at Amazon

Since we live in a Northern state with long winters and plenty of woods around, Over and Under the Snow is a very relevent book for our climate, but is still an appealing nature book for any child.

The narrative follows a child and parent skiing through the woods, and continually contrasts the visible world that is over the snow with a "hidden kingdom" under the snow, where some animals hibernate, while others eat, sleep, and even make tunnels.

From bull frogs to queen bees, and from deer mice to bears, we are shown a variety of different creatures that spend the winter under the snow, as well as others that spend it above, such as deer and foxes. 

One of the best things about this book is the artwork -- lots of earth tones matched with cool wintery blues, which provide a nice contrast to the bright red fox. 

At the end the book gives a brief description of each animal mentioned, as well as a list of suggestions for further reading.

Scrounged From: Our local bookstore

Format: Paperback
Author: Kate Messner
Illustrator: Christopher Silas Neal
Pages: 44
Content Advisory: None

More Reviews at Amazon