Carol Schwartz – illustratör

This nonfiction picture book reveals the hidden lives of insects and other small creatures from one midnight to the next. The world may appear to be sleeping in the dead of night, but it is not. As moonflowers open and stars shine, nature goes about her business. The world never sleeps. Natalie Rompella’s lyrical text is vividly complemented by Carol Schwartz’s watercolors. A cat roams through the illustrations—silent witness, in the house and in the yard, to the myriad lives of night and day. A sense of mystery pervades all—even the backmatter natural-history portraits of the animals met in the book. This nature book invites children into a parallel universe, one that teems with life while they sleep.Lexile Level 700; F&P Level O

So begins this lyrical tribute to the bugs, bees, and birds that make the garden such a busy place. With each turned page, more visitors appear, and all the while the “surprise”—a chrysalis—changes unnoticed until, on the last page, a butterfly emerges and flies away across the garden’s well-tended borders. Back-of-book notes about the natural histories of the garden’s denizens complete this lovely and lively portrait of backyard nature, which is also a gentle meditation on the rewards of paying attention. A chipmunk hides on every page to divert and engage young readers.Fountas & Pinnell Level O

Join in on a surprising camping trip and discover the favourite meals of all your favourite forest creatures--from the wood frog (who loves a lunch of spiders and snails!) to the moose. Rich art illustrates the beautiful biodiversity found in our forests and expressive, repetitive text helps even the youngest naturalists learn all about herbivores, omnivores and carnivores--oh, my!

A bed filled with sharp sticks and mushy mud?! That is not MY bed! Whose could it be? Join in on a surprising camping trip and discover the favorite, cozy cuddle spots of all your favorite forest creatures--from the beaver (who loves a woody, muddy bed!) to the bat. Rich art illustrates the beautiful biodiversity found in our forests and expressive, repetitive text helps even the youngest naturalists learn all about the creatures who live--and sleep!--among us.