The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller

"With stunning illustrations, Ruth Heller explains the different parts of a flower, pollination, and growth, using a rhyming text. One rarely finds such richness in a book at the low cost of Heller's extravagantly beautiful creation." Publishers Weekly

I love her books - with Spring on the way (we hope!) time to start thinking PLANTING! 
The reason for a flower is to manufacture seeds, but Ruth Heller shares much more about the parts of plants and their functions in her trademark rhythmic style..

Magic Tree House #52: Soccer on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne

Just in time for the 2014 Fifa World Cup, Magic Tree House #52: Soccer on Sunday will take Jack and Annie to a soccer field in Mexico where they must find the final secret of greatness for Merlin. On the field, they'll meet a young soccer player who dreams of one day playing in the World Cup just like his hero, the great Brazilian soccer player, Pelé!

The Magic Tree House books, with their fiction and nonfiction titles, are perfect for parents and teachers just starting to get into the "Core Curriculum." With a blend of magic, adventure, history, science, danger, and cuteness, the topics range from kid pleasers (pirates, the Titanic, pandas) to curriculum perfect (rain forest, American Revolution, Abraham Lincoln) to seasonal shoe-ins (Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving). There is truly something for everyone here!

Public Libraries

I have posted about the value of the public library, but saw this and just had to remind everyone!

The Watermelon Seed Book by Pizzoli

With perfect comic pacing, Greg Pizzoli introduces us to one funny crocodile who has one big fear: swallowing a watermelon seed. What will he do when his greatest fear is realized? Will vines sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? This crocodile has a wild imagination that kids will love.

With bold color and beautiful sense of design, Greg Pizzoli's picture book debut takes this familiar childhood worry and gives us a true gem in the vein of I Want My Hat Back and Not a Box.

The video, of course  . . .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYwWUarISLE