While I was spending some time outside on the Fourth of July, a variety of wildlife stopped by to say hello. Two crows stood in my birdbath cooling their feet; a cottontail rabbit sprawled itself under a Rhododendron bush; a butterfly and a dragonfly passed by; and a deer (a young buck) curled up under an apple tree. I tried to come up with a joke that started with “A crow, a rabbit, a butterfly, a dragonfly, and a deer go into a store…” but the punchline failed me. Then I thought that maybe I have magical powers and called in these wonderful creatures to enjoy the comforts of my yard. Yes, you’re right, probably not. But it was still a delightful day and a “magical” connection to nature.
There is one thing that could have made this experience even better: sharing the moment with my great-niece and great-nephew. Ages four and two, they are little sponges, absorbing everything they encounter. They live in Colorado (sadly not next door), but how fun it would have been to point out the wildlife to little ones!
Today’s reading list is meant for young minds who are learning the joys of nature. All of these titles are intended for kids, but I hope that all ages will find something to read together.
- Cottontail Rabbits by Kristin Petrie.
- Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World’s Brightest Bird by Pamela S. Turner.
- Deer by Amy McDonald.
- Dragonfly written by Aimee M. Bissonette, illustrated by Catherine Pearson.
- Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons.
New at the Library
Fiction
- The Happiness Plan by Susan Mallery.
- I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore.
- Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea.
Nonfiction
- A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan.
- The Green Dumb Guide to Houseplants: 45 Unfussy Plants That Are Easy to Grow and Hard to Kill by Holly Theisen-Jones.
- Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Matika Wilbur.
Children
- Angelina Ballerina’s Ballet Tour written by Katharine Holabird, illustrated by Helen Craig.
- The Bedtime Book of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life: Meet More Than 100 Creatures from Long Ago by Dean R. Lomax.
- My Dad is a Tree written and illustrated by Jon Agee.
This is just a small sampling of the many new titles added each week to the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries collection. Find more in our catalog, or call 360-906-5000 to reserve titles or find additional listings.
Jan Johnston, Collection Manager
Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries
You can email Jan at readingforfun@fvrl.org.
