Picture Perfect: 5 More Picture Books that Capture History
I now notice that most of the picture books I selected this time are about nature or something of the sort.
I did manage to wander outside once this week. I must have encountered a tree. Clearly it was inspiring.
So without further ado, here are 5 picture books about those who loved nature more than people!
1. Jane Goodall by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
I think 99% of people know who Jane Goodall is by now, but the series Little People, Big Dreams always has the cutest illustrations that I want everybody to admire.
And really, how many people can say that they’ve spent 40 years in the same career AND still love it?
From her stuffed gorilla Jubilee to her wildlife activism, Jane Goodall is a lovely bedtime story.
2. The Boy Who Grew a Forest by Sophia Gholz
What can one person really do? Especially when they are a young teenager?
Luckily for the world, Jadav Payeng didn’t stop to think about that, he just started planting. Jadav grew up near the Brahmapurtra River in northeastern India. Because of the frequent flooding, the sandbar islands he lived on were slowly disappearing under the water, taking the life-sustaining trees and wildlife with it.
Most people would give into despair and curse their government for not doing something. Not Jadav. He asked for a few saplings. And then he planted them.
Years later, local authorities discovered Jadav’s forest- all 1,300 acres of it.
If one boy can plant so much, how much can you?
3. Saving the Countryside: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit by Linda Marshall
The first thing to catch my eye was the beautiful cover, and the pictures get prettier as you read. Hopefully, the illustrations remind you of Beatrix Potter’s drawings.
I think most people know about Benjamin Bunny, but most don’t know what Beatrix did with the money she made off of Benjamin Bunny.
And if you are about to tell me, “But Maren, haven’t you watched the movie about Beatrix Potter? They tell you at the end.” I stopped watching the movie after her first fiancé died. It made me feel too much and it had to stop.
But I digress.
Beatrix Potter used her money to buy up farms, creating the beautiful Lake District that England’s National Trust oversees. It looks almost exactly as it did when Beatrix was alive and inspired by it. She also invested in many farmers and small businesses surrounding her farms, and you can read all about it in Saving the Countryside.
As if we needed anything else to endear us to Beatrix Potter!
4. Planting Stories by Anika Aldamuy Denise
Pura Belpre didn’t plan on staying in New York, but her sister was getting married there, and once she landed on the shores, she never left.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1899, Pura was incredibly bright. She’d started training as a teacher, but her passion was stories. So when the New York Public Library needed a bilingual assistant (she spoke three languages), Pura took a chance.
She not only designed her own puppets for story times but became the first author to publish mainstream Latinx storybooks in America. Four of her favorite stories are mentioned in this book. Now I have to see if my own library carries them.
5. Oliver: The Second-Largest Living Thing on Earth by Josh Crute
Last summer my family visited the redwoods for the first time. I loved it! Utah is extremely buggy in the summer, so it was surreal to walk through a forest for days and emerge without a single mosquito bite. I wish we’d had enough time to visit the Sequoia National Forest too, because Oliver was the book that inspired the whole trip.
Read about Oliver, the second-largest tree in the forest. General Sherman is a fabulous character, but he’s also based on the real tree. Who knows? You might laugh at this book so much you'll plan a road trip out west…
Voila! Five new picture books for you to read, with or without children.
Maybe make it an immersive experience and read them outside?
*All links are simply links, I don't get any money if you click them. I just want to make finding great stories as easy as possible for you!*
Other Posts You May Like:
Picture Perfect: 5 Picture Books that Capture History
6 Picture Books About Practically Perfect Women
5 Picture Books on the Best Female Olympians
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