It's A Wonderful World by Jess French (Children's Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

 We received a temporary digital copy of this picture book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

 

It's A Wonderful World:
How to Protect the Planet and Change the Future
by Jess French
Published by DK Publishing
on May 3, 2022
Genre: Children's, Nonfiction
Length: 72 pages
Ages: 7 - 9 years

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Synopsis:
Our world is wonderful, and it's up to us to take care of it. You may feel small, but your actions can make a big difference.

This title encourages children to take care of the planet, but it doesn't just focus on the problems--it teaches practical solutions to the issues facing our world today. Veterinarian, author, and TV host Jess French guides kids through taking care of our planet, from living a sustainable lifestyle to using their voice in politics. Unlike many books about the environment, Jess not only covers how to take care of plants and animals but also the positive contribution that humans can make to each other's lives.
Discover how to reduce your carbon footprint, understand the importance of preserving our forests, oceans, and endangered animals, and learn the best ways to stand up for what you believe in. 

Bright, cool illustrations by Aleesha Nandhra combine with photography to create vibrant, engaging spreads. Jess French's encouraging and instructive text empowers kids to look after the environment, themselves, and each other.



Our  Thoughts:

An exploration of Earth and our place in it, combined with how we can help take care of our one and only home. 

Learn all about our wonderful world in this fascinating nonfiction about Earth and everything that makes it unique, from its place in our solar system to its atmosphere and soil to its animal biodiversity, life cycles, landforms, and more but with a focus on learning how the planet renews itself as well as how we impact it and how we can help preserve it for generations to come. 

This is a fantastic resource for learning about planet Earth, with tons of great facts and photos to peruse and tons of helpful hints and tips on how to help conserve, recycle, upcycle, support your local wildlife, and more!

It's A Wonderful World would be a great addition to any home or school library and perfect for any aspiring environmentalist or conservationist. 

Many thanks to DK Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read this fascinating children's nonfiction. It was the perfect Earth Week read! 

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StarWars: Be More Leia by Christian Blauvelt (Nonfiction Book Review)

[Star Wars]
Be More Leia:
Find Your Rebel Voice and Fight the System

by Christian Blauvelt
Published by DK Books
on October 3, 2019
Genre: Nonfiction
Length: 72 pages

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Our Thoughts:

This empowering book is full of guidance, positivity, and motivation to go beyond and kick butt doing it! With Princess Leia as the main inspiration for this book, there's a heavy focus on being a leader and doing what it takes to make your vision a possibility.

There's great advice on defining your goals and working toward them, choosing your path, finding your voice, believing in yourself, and so much more! 

Each spread has a color photo of a Star Wars character (with Princess Leia featured the most) with a quote from that character that goes well with and ties into the positive subject at hand. 

This cute little book is the perfect novelty gift for StarWars fans and would make a great addition to any empowered young girl's personal library. 

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How to Make A Better World by Keilly Swift & Rhys Jefferys (Children's Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How To Make A Better World:
For Every Kid Who Wants to Make A Difference
Written by Keilly Swift
Illustrated by Rhys Jefferys
Published by DK Publishing
on March 5, 2020
Genre: Children's, Nonfiction, Picture Books
Length: 96 pages
Ages: 7 - 9 years

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Synopsis:
If you are a kid with big dreams and a passion for what is right, you're a world-changer in the making.

There's a lot that can be changed by just one person, if you know what to do. Start by making yourself into the awesome person you want to be by learning all about self-care and kindness. Using those skills, work your way up to creating activist campaigns to tackle climate change or social injustice.

This fun and inspiring guide to making the world a better place and becoming a good citizen is packed with ideas and tips for kids who want to know how to make a difference. How to Make a Better World is a practical guide to activism for awesome kids.

My Thoughts:
Have you ever wondered what it takes to make the world a better place or how you could personally make a difference?

How to Make A Better World gives young readers the knowledge and encouragement to start right away, beginning with you, the reader! 

It is made up of four chapters that focus on 'you', 'community', 'humanity', and the 'environment', and is illustrated in fun and expressive ways that keep the extra information entertaining and easy to absorb.

The 'You' chapter focuses on self-care, understanding and overcoming difficult emotions, the power of positive thinking and more! Because you can't help the world if you're not at your best and ready to do so!

The 'Community' chapter encourages making friends, joining clubs, volunteering, celebrating heritage, and shares how your interactions within your community can influence others to change the world as well!

The 'Humanity' chapter focuses on showing kids how they can speak out and express themselves and how to learn about and join in on causes that are important to them, from creating campaigns, fundraisers, or even participating in a protest or march.

The 'Environment' chapter shares how you can make a positive difference through animal activism, green living, and raising awareness about serious issues like plastics in our oceans.

This book is a treasure trove of information! 

There's so much great advice about social interactions, both positive and negative, and how to maneuver them, from friendship fallouts to simple disagreements to bullying. There's lots of positive encouragement to find something you're passionate about and how to get started on making a big difference in the world through small actions.

There's even a spread about Little Free Libraries! Swoon!

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The Bat Book by Charlotte Milner (Children's Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing us with an e-ARC of this children's nonfiction picture book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Bat Book
by Charlotte Milner
Published by DK Publishing
on February 6, 2020
Genre: Children's, Nonfiction, Picture Books
Length: 48 pages
Ages: 5 - 8 years

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Synopsis:
Take an amazing journey through the upside-down world of bats with Charlotte Milner's The Bat Book. 

Bright, bold and beautiful illustrations accompany fascinating facts about these furry flying mammals and their importance to the world we live in.
Following on from The Bee Book and The Sea Book, Charlotte Milner continues to highlight important ecological issues faced by our planet to children, this time focusing on the world's only flying mammals.

Our Thoughts:

We discovered Charlotte Milner's non-fiction picture books, The Sea Book and The Bee Book, just last year and loved both! They are gorgeously illustrated, packed full of interesting information, and make a great addition to any children's library!

The Bat Book is similarly fantastic, with scientifically accurate illustrations to go along with the plethora of information about our planets' 1,300 bat species.

Learn about the difference between megabats (some of which have five-foot wingspans!) and microbats and how they get around and catch their food in the dark. Find out how bats help the environment and keep ecosystems healthy by eating harmful insects, spreading seeds, and pollinating fruit trees!

Another thing I love about Milner's nonfiction books is how she explains the importance of these creatures and the effects that we have on them. She shares why bat populations are declining and what we can actively do to help, such as spreading seed bombs, growing bat-friendly plants in your gardens, and educating others about bats!

More from this author/illustrator:

The Bee Book
The Sea Book

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Celebrations Around the World by Katy Halford & DK Publishing (Children's NF Picture Book Review)

Celebrations Around the World:
The Fabulous Celebrations You Won't Want To Miss
Illustrated by Katy Halford
Published by DK Publishing
on August 27, 2019
Genre: Children's, Picture Book, Nonfiction
Length: 48 pages
Ages: 4 - 6 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
It's time to celebrate! From Christmas to Thanksgiving, to Diwali and Halloween, kids won't want to miss out on all the festivities.

Embark on an exciting journey through the most interesting and important festivals, celebrations, and holidays enjoyed by people around the world. Stunning original illustrations and fascinating facts will inspire and inform children about cultures and religions from the countries of the world. 

Children will love poring over artist Katy Halford's beautiful illustrations, which showcase every celebration in absorbing detail.  Engaging factual writing introduces young readers to the most interesting aspects of each celebration, from the costumes worn to the food eaten, and encourage an understanding of other cultures and religions. 

Our Thoughts:

Celebrations Around the World is a fantastic collection of holidays and festivities that people celebrate all over the world.

Starting with New Year celebrations, this colorfully illustrated picture book takes us through all of the important holidays and festivals and tells us about how they are celebrated in different parts of the world. Lots of neat traditions are included, such as smashing plates on their neighbors' doors in Denmark to wearing yellow underwear in South America for luck in the new year. 

We've previously read and enjoyed 'Around the World in 80 Ways' by the same illustrator (and in a similar style) but this is now our favorite of the two! It has all our favorite holidays like Halloween and Christmas but also included plenty of holidays and festivals that we knew little to nothing about, such as Holi, Las Fallas, Dongji, and Anzac Day.

The illustrations are fun and festive with lots of colors and details that really set the mood of each holiday. We especially loved the darker pages that made all the bright lights pop! 

A festive resource for learning about holidays and festivities different cultures, religions, and traditions!

Also, check out our review for Katy Halford's 'Around the World In 80 Ways'!

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Around the World in 80 Ways by Katy Halford & DK Publishing (Children's Nonfiction Book Review)

Around the World in 80 Ways:
The Fabulous Ways to Get From Here to There
Illustrated by Katy Halford
Published by DK Publishing
on November 6, 2018
Genre: Children's, Nonfiction
Length: 48 pages

Ages: 4 - 8 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

A fascinating and engaging children's book exploring 80 different ways to travel used from past to present--from the obvious, to the crazy!

Travel around the world by yacht, tram, train, unicycle, jetpack, camel...everything you can imagine! Each scene depicts various exciting things that go and provides a wealth of interesting information. The fun and charming illustrations will prompt discussion and the incredible facts on every page will amaze readers. 

My Thoughts:

Around the World in 80 Ways is an illustrated list of things that have helped people from all over the world to get from Point A to Point B throughout history.  

From the earliest forms of canoes and carriages and trains to more unique forms of transportation such as the unicycle, zipline, and even hot air balloons! This book covers everything that floats in the sea, flies in the air, and gets us across the land. 

We traverse different parts of the world in different eras and learn how transportation has changed over time.  Each subject listed is explained in a quick but educational paragraph and there is a handy index at the end!

If you could choose anything at all, how would you travel?

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