Kate

Fatima's Great Outdoors

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Fatima's Great Outdoors By Ambreen Tariq, Stevie Lewis (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Ambreen Tariq, Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781984816955
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Kokila - March 30th, 2021

It's finally camping season! Join Fatima and her family on an adventure in the forest in this charming and beautifully illustrated picture book, based on the author's own childhood. The joy in this book is contagious.

Kate


Goodbye, Again

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Goodbye, Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations By Jonny Sun Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780062880857
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Harper Perennial - April 20th, 2021

 

Jonny Sun has the amazing ability to write about anxiety in a way that makes you feel settled, and loneliness in a way that makes you feel less alone. From scrambled eggs to plants to jazz to the end of the world, these illustrated essays are deeply personal but encompass the universal. They made me laugh, cry, contemplate life, and breathe a little deeper.

Kate


The Radiant Lives of Animals

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The Radiant Lives of Animals By Linda Hogan Cover Image
$21.95
ISBN: 9780807047927
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Beacon Press - October 13th, 2020

I was torn between staff-picking this and Stefano Mancuso's fascinating new book, The Nation of Plants. (You should really pick them both up for a great pairing of books to make you contemplate the wonder & wisdom of intelligences other than our own.) In the end, Linda Hogan's writing won out--both earthy and elegant, and full of passages that I've dogeared to read for the rest of my life. Happy spring!

Kate


Drawn Together

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Drawn Together By Minh Lê, Dan Santat (Illustrator), Dan Santat (Cover design or artwork by) Cover Image
By Minh Lê, Dan Santat (Illustrator), Dan Santat (Cover design or artwork by)
$18.99
ISBN: 9781484767603
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - June 5th, 2018

I remember holding back tears in the store when I first read this touching picture book, based on the author's own relationship with his grandfather. But don't worry, it won't make kids cry!! It's driven by vibrant, action-packed illustrations by Caldecott award winner Dan Santat. Flip it open, and you won't be able to put it down :)

Kate


Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

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Fat Chance, Charlie Vega By Crystal Maldonado Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780823447176
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Holiday House - February 2nd, 2021

Charlie Vega will absolutely charm you. Her voice is smart, funny, and heartbreakingly honest, and ALL of the relationships in this book--between mothers and daughters, best friends, and, yes, an incredibly sweet love interest--are so well-drawn. I wish high-school-me could have read this book!

Kate


Earth Almanac

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Earth Almanac: Nature's Calendar for Year-Round Discovery By Ken Keffer, Jeremy Collins (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Ken Keffer, Jeremy Collins (Illustrator)
$24.95
ISBN: 9781680512823
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Skipstone Press - March 23rd, 2020

I've been reading this day-by-day since it came out in April. Each season, month, and day offers its own small but fascinating insight into the natural world. It's been such a balm to be able to mark 2020 in moments of wonder instead of just dates. Plus, it's full of beautiful illustrations by Jeremy Collins, one of my favorite artists to follow (@jer.collins on instagram!). A great gift for the nature-lover in your life!

Kate


Storm the Earth

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Storm the Earth (The Shatter the Sky Duology) By Rebecca Kim Wells Cover Image
$18.99
It's Complicated--Contact Us for More Information
ISBN: 9781534454507
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - October 13th, 2020

The finale of Rebecca Kim Wells's Shatter the Sky duology is even more exciting, smart, complex, and (most importantly) full of dragons! Missed the first book? It's Porter Square Books's 2020 Staff Pick of the Year, so you can currently pick them BOTH up for 20% off!

Kate


Okapi Tale

This story about an okapi-talist whose pursuit of profit ravages a community--and the noodle-loving animals who come together to stop him--feels appropriate for October 2020. Packed with puns, delicious food, cute creatures, and heart. Kids and adults alike should give it a read.

Okapi Tale By Jacob Kramer, K-Fai Steele (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Jacob Kramer, K-Fai Steele (Illustrator)
$18.95
ISBN: 9781592703043
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Enchanted Lion - October 6th, 2020

Wild Birds

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The Wild Birds By Emily Strelow Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781644282007
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Rare Bird Books - March 3rd, 2020

 

With a deft hand, Strelow weaves together three compelling stories, spanning a century and set in the grandeur of the Pacific coast.  Her prose is gorgeous, especially the way she lovingly renders the natural environment (including the titular birds). This is a book about both finding ourselves as individuals and the ways in which we are connected to the larger world around us. I adored it.

Kate


A HISTORY OF KINDNESS

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A History of Kindness By Linda Hogan Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9781948814256
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Torrey House Press - June 2nd, 2020

Linda Hogan, the current Chickasaw Nation Writer in Residence, is (in addition to being an incredible writer) an environmentalist, historian, and activist. These facets all shine through her newest poetry collection. A History of Kindness examines the violence that has been done to the American landscape and its peoples, and responds to it with beauty, compassion, and hope. If you enjoy Mary Oliver or Braiding Sweetgrass, or if you just need a book to feed your spirit and anchor you to the natural world right now, pick this one up.

 

Kate


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