Suggested Books

ADDED 3 February 2013: I'm building boards on Pinterest that list loads of resources for parents, teachers, homeschoolers, and unschoolers. Please hop over and check them out. On Pinterest I'm easily able to sort information into more meaningful groups (e.g. Favorite Recipes, Picture Book Biographies, Picture Books: Diverse U.S. etc.). I'll continue adding to these boards over time. My Pinterest Boards will replace this list.

If you have book suggestions, please email me. michelle(at)michellecusolito(dot)com

Note: I have read (and likely own) the books listed. Unless otherwise stated, no books were sent to me as review copies or free from an author. All are books I discovered on my own, by word of mouth, in the newspaper, on another blog, etc. I receive no compensation for listing them.

Nature
Picture Books
Big Night for Salamanders by Sarah Lamstein
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier
I'm in Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor
The Way to Start a Day by Byrd Baylor
If You Were a Hunter of Fossils by Byrd Baylor
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin (Also an introduction to Chines vegetables)
Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin, Jr.
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi and Kyrsten Brooker
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

Non-Fiction Picture Books
Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
While a Tree Was Growing by Jane Bosveld
A Place for Birds by Melissa Stewart
A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
A Place for Frogs by Melissa Stewart
Vulture View by April Pullet Sayre
The Bumblebee Queen by April Pulley Sayre
The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass
Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes
The Boy Who Drew Birds: The Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies and Melissa Sweet

Longer Non-Fiction books:
The Hive Detectives by Loree Griffin Burns
Citizen Scientists by Loree Griffin Burns (Especially great for homeschoolers and unschoolers).

Poetry
Red Sings from Treetops  by Joyce Sidman
Hey There, Stink Bug! by Leslie Bulion
At the Sea Floor Cafe: Odd Ocean Critter Poems by Leslie Bulion
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman

Culture
Picture Books
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho
Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley
Goyangi Means Cat by Christine McDonnell (international adoption)
A New Year's Reunion by Yu Li-Qiong (Chinese New Year)
Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore
Yasmin's Hammer by Ann Malaspina and Doug Ghayka
Even Higher (a Rosh Hashanah story) by Eric A. Kimmel
Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park

Non-Fiction Picture Books
Faith by Maya Ajmera, Magda Nakassis, & Cynthia Pon
Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier
Orani: My Father's Village by Claire A. Nivola
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis (Note: A book for older readers)

Chapter Books/ Novels
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
A Long Walk to Water by Lina Sue Park

Adoption
Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale by Karen Henry Clark and Patrice Barton

Resources for Parents/ Teachers/ Homeschoolers/ Unschoolers
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids by Todd Christopher
Hands-On Nature by Jenefer Lingelbach
Sharing Nature With Children by Joseph Cornell
Keeping A Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie
The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson