Karen Reczuch – Illustratör

All phases in the life of Sumi, a coho salmon, are shown from her trip down river to the ocean; her time as a fully mature fish swimming in the great seas; to the most fascinating and mysterious period in the life cycle of these magic animals, the determined return against great obstacles to her birthplace.Thousands of people come to witness these last great moments in the lives of salmon because it is such a moving and interesting phenomenon. As wild salmon become rarer due to our exploitation of their environment and the consequent destruction of their habitat, as well as from our abusive overfishing practices, their story engages us more than ever.This book is a plea for protection of salmon and of the natural world which they inhabit. A capsule life cycle presents the factual basis for the poetic text, and an afterward decribes the threats facing wild salmon today.

Celebrate the Pacific west coast with this gorgeous nature alphabet book.This stunning nature alphabet book explores the fascinating ecosystem of the Pacific west coast — a magnificent area that combines an ancient rainforest, a rugged beach and a vast, open ocean, and where whales, bears, wolves, eagles and a rich variety of marine species thrive in an interconnected web of life.Author Deborah Hodge has spent more than forty years on the west coast, frequently visiting the Pacific Rim region, and she knows it intimately. From A to Z she describes in vivid language the rainforest, ocean and beach, and a great variety of animals that a child might see walking along the shore — from tiny sea jellies to inquisitive sandpipers to leaping orcas. Illustrator Karen Reczuch brings her remarkable talent to the book, and has created image after image that is simply breathtaking. The text and art have been carefully checked for scientific accuracy.Includes a note about the Pacific west coast and suggestions for exploring the region and further reading.Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

A delightful tribute to turtles and turtle-watching, from a young child’s perspective.What is it about turtles that fascinates us? Is it how they hide inside their patterned shells, their wizened faces, their slow determination?In Turtle Pond, a child and his parents visit their local public garden throughout the year, observing the turtles as they play, dive, feed, bask, climb, hide and doze. James Gladstone’s lively prose poem reveals the pleasure and curiosity that come from spending time with the turtles. Karen Reczuch’s stunningly beautiful illustrations accurately portray these extraordinary creatures, both in and out of the water, surrounded by lush plants and the changing seasons beyond the greenhouse windows.An author’s note provides more information about turtles, including the Red-eared Slider featured in the book.Key Text Featuresscientific illustrationsauthor’s notefurther informationCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

A gorgeously illustrated, lyrical non-fiction picture book about loons.It’s summertime, and as darkness falls there is a haunting sound from the lake — Ooh-hoo-oo, ooh-hoo-oo. It is a loon calling to its family across the water.This lyrical story follows the life cycle of two loon chicks. We see them breaking out of their eggshells, then learning to swim, find food and avoid predators such as snapping turtles and big bass fish. After they learn to fly, they migrate to the ocean. And when their striking black-and-white feathers finally emerge, they fly inland, each to find a new lake territory and mate.Accompanying Susan Vande Griek’s poetic text are Karen Reczuch’s gorgeous illustrations, which show the loons as they grow from tiny downy chicks to majestic adult birds. An afterword provides more information on loons, including their amazing diving ability, the meanings of their calls, and the environmental threats that they face. Also illustrated are five different types of loons and other animals that can be found in their lake habitat. The illustrations were researched in the Ornithology Collections at the Royal Ontario Museum, and Ron Ridout of Bird Studies Canada consulted on the text.Key Text Featuresillustrationsauthor’s notefurther readinglabelsCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.5Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

In this second book in the West Coast Wild series, readers will meet the baby animals born in the pristine wilderness of the Pacific west coast, including land and marine mammals, fish, birds and amphibians.It’s spring on the Pacific west coast and new life is stirring! Wild babies are being born — in the ocean, on the shore and deep inside the ancient rainforest. Wolf pups, cougar kittens, bear cubs and whale calves all begin their life in the pristine wilderness of this magnificent place.Young readers will meet a fascinating group of fourteen wild baby animals — including land and marine mammals, fish, birds and amphibians — and learn about the special bonds between offspring and parents, and how the newborns move toward independence. Readers will see an extraordinary community of animals thriving in an interconnected web of life.In this second book in the West Coast Wild series, Deborah Hodge takes readers through the spectacular land and seascapes of the Pacific Rim region, introducing familiar animals such as sea otters and eagles, and lesser known species such as pelagic cormorants and rufous hummingbirds. Karen Reczuch’s beautiful illustrations are detailed and lifelike, and convey a lovely sense of warmth between the wild parents and their young. The text and art have been carefully checked for scientific accuracy.Includes a note about the Pacific west coast and the need to preserve its rare and awe-inspiring wilderness regions, as well as a list for further reading and exploration.Key Text Featuresfurther readingillustrationsinformational noteauthor's noteCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.5Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.

Explore the wild shoreline of the majestic Pacific west coast and discover the spectacular array of colorful creatures living in rhythm with the tides.At the edge of the Pacific Ocean, where land and sea meet, lies a narrow strip of beach called the intertidal zone. Endless tides move back and forth across the zone twice a day. A remarkable community of hardy shoreline creatures flourishes in this environment of ever-changing conditions. In this third book in the West Coast Wild series, readers will meet brightly colored sea stars, a giant Pacific octopus, busy hermit crabs, delicate sand dollars, fish that camouflage and other intriguing marine animals that a child might see on a beach walk at low tide. Author Deborah Hodge relates fascinating facts about each of the fourteen creatures, while Karen Reczuch’s vibrant watercolor illustrations bring the magnificent shoreline and its unique inhabitants to life.Includes a note about the west coast intertidal zone and safety tips for beachcombers, as well as a further reading list. Key Text Featuresadditional informationauthor's noteexplanationfactsfurther readingillustrations Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.1With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.3With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Thousands of beautiful tufted puffins arrive each spring to lay their eggs on the remote and rugged Triangle Island, a rare and protected habitat.In this lushly illustrated first book in the Wild by Nature series, young readers will meet a pair of puffins preparing a burrow on the steep cliffside of Triangle Island, off the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island. In this remarkable place, they will lay a single egg and raise their baby. Here, the birds are protected, and there is ample space to nest, and fish to eat.At summer’s end, the puffins, young and old, fly away to live at sea. The young puffins will live on the ocean until they are mature enough to return to their birthplace and lay their own eggs. If Triangle Island remains undisturbed, and the ocean stays cool, clean and full of fish, the new baby puffins will continue to thrive and grow.Includes an author’s note about Triangle Island and other sea birds that nest there.WILD BY NATUREA series for young readers that explores the unique links between ecologically sensitive species and their habitats, and encourages the preservation of the world’s wild places.Key Text Featuresillustrationsauthor’s notefurther informationfurther readingfacts Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.3Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.7Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.

Meet the wild baby animals of the Pacific west coast!Wolf pups, bear cubs, whale calves and eaglets are thriving in the ancient rainforest, rugged beach and majestic ocean of the Pacific west coast. This sweet introduction to baby animal names and behaviours, with gorgeous watercolor scenes, will delight toddlers and babies everywhere!Key Text Featuresillustrations

Step into the majestic rainforest of the Pacific west coast and discover a unique community of creatures thriving in an interconnected web of life.Towering over the sea, along the magnificent Pacific west coast, is an ancient and beautiful rainforest with a unique ecosystem that is linked in many ways. In this fourth book in the West Coast Wild series, you will find trees as tall as twenty-storey buildings, tiny seedlings sprouting on nursery logs and brightly colored salmon spawning in streams. The salmon, as a keystone species, connect the ocean to the forest and provide a rich source of food for the bears, wolves, eagles and other creatures that live in this pristine wilderness. The remains of the fish add vital nutrients to the forest, feeding the lush green plants and trees. In turn, the thick vegetation shades the streams and protects the baby salmon that hatch and swim to the sea.Author Deborah Hodge provides a clear and engaging look at the interdependence of the forest species and the fascinating cycles of nature in this rare ecosystem, while Karen Reczuch’s lavish watercolors show the rainforest teeming with life in shades of green that can only come from receiving more than ten feet of rain a year. Key Text Featuresillustrationsauthor’s notefurther informationfurther readingfacts Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.3With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.7With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.3Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.4Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

It’s spring in Grasslands National Park and burrowing owls are returning from a winter away to lay their eggs in this rare and protected habitat.Lush illustrations celebrate the magnificent wild prairie of Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan and feature the remarkable burrowing owls — the only owls in the world to live underground! Meet the owls as they prepare a burrow and lay their eggs. See tiny fuzzy owlets hatch and grow before flying south to Mexico and Texas for the winter.Sadly, these little owls who were once common in the grasslands of western and midwestern North America are now endangered. As the wild prairies were farmed and developed, far fewer places were left for the owls to nest and raise their young.Today, biologists, Indigenous groups, landowners and conservationists are working hard to restore the vital grasslands and help this precarious species recover.Includes an author’s note about successful burrowing owl recovery programs and other wild animals of Grasslands National Park.WILD BY NATUREA series for young readers that explores the unique links between ecologically sensitive species and their habitats, and encourages the preservation of the world’s wild places.Key Text Featuresillustrationsauthor’s notefurther informationfurther readingfactsCorrelates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.7Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.3Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

What seashore treasures can you find at low tide?Sea stars creep, anemones wave, sea urchins nestle and sand dollars burrow! Meet the bright and beautiful seashore creatures of the Pacific west coast. See them at low tide — before the ocean returns and they are hidden again. Toddlers and babies will be captivated by these colorful shoreline animals living in rhythm with the tides.The creatures in this book are commonly found on the coast from Northern California to western Alaska, with British Columbia, Washington and Oregon in between.Key Text Featuresillustrations