The holiday season is soon upon us and there is no better gift than a book. Each November, I write two columns of suggestions for gift giving for children and teens. This column is of interactive books and nonfiction.
Take a journey Into Starry Outer Space (Joel Stern, illustrated by Vivian Mineker, Little Simon, 2024, 12 pages, $12.99) in a clever pop-up book that visits each of the eight planets that circle our sun. A verse connects each page, and there is a brief discussion of each planet.
This is a good introduction for younger children. What happens in the sea at night? Take a Dive, Dive into the Night Sea (Thea Lu, Candlewick Studio, 2024, 32 pages, $19.99) and explore the creatures and the coral reef.
The text on the uncovered pages tells a simple story of the magic of a hidden world at night. Lift the flaps however, and smaller text gives more sophisticated information on plankton, bioluminescence and fluorescence. The muted illustrations create an atmosphere of mystery and adventure.
More than half of the life on earth lives under water. Paper World: Ocean (Gail Armstrong, Big Picture Press, 2024, 30 pages, $24.99) is a stunning exploration of the water world, shore, mangrove forest, kelp forest, coral reef, ocean zones, ocean depths, polar waters, tides and waves and human impact.
Colorful illustrations, die cuts and 40 flaps keep readers engrossed! It is hard to find a creature more intriguing than Dinosaurs (Ingela Arrhenius, Candlewick Press, 2024, 12 pages, $19..
