Celebrate Earth Day With Books From National Geographic

Today I have three wonderful books from National Geographic that you and your little readers can enjoy while you celebrate Earth Day!

Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures (February 2017, ages 4-8, $15.99) by Newbery Medal-winning author Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess and Deanna Nikaido, featuring photos by National Geographic Fellow and photographer Joel Sartore.   

Animal Ark pairs Alexander’s mix of playful and powerful poetry with more than 100 of Sartore’s most compelling images of the world’s species to create a photographic ark for children that highlights the importance of conservation and celebrates the beauty, diversity and fragility of the animal world.  Animal Ark is inspired by the National Geographic Photo Ark, a multiyear effort with Sartore and the National Geographic Society to document every species in captivity—inspiring people not just to care, but also to help protect these animals for future generations.

125 Pet Rescues, From Pound to Palace: Homeless Pets Made Happy (ages 8-12, $12.99) is a collection of laugh-out-loud and heartwarming stories of animals in need who went on to become pampered pets. Just like the pit bulls featured on pages 16 & 17, though, don’t judge this book by its cover. The 125 vignettes of pets that have been rescued provides eye-opening insight into the power of compassion and kindness and  the amazingly positive impact that rescuing a dog, cat, pig, horse or even a goat can have on the humans that open their hearts and their homes to them.  125 Pet Rescues has been created in cooperation with the Best Friends Animal Society whose mission is to bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets.  Featuring a forward by Best Friends CEO Gregory Castle and tips and advice from animal rescue experts, kids can learn how they can make a difference and become a rescue ambassador.  

Cat Tales:  True Stories of Kindness and Companionship with Kitties (all ages, $12.99) features cats from around the world, each one with an amazing story to tell about their compassion, ingenuity and bravery. “Ask an Expert” sections throughout the book offer insight into understanding the curious world of cat behavior, ways to keep your favorite feline happy both mentally and physically and even the trick to taking great cat photos (because the internet does not have nearly enough!:)). And are you curious as to why we love those cute cat videos?  Page 57 explains the science behind the obsession.