NEW!

THE WOLF EFFECT: A WILDERNESS REVIVAL STORY
Written by Rosanne Parry, Illustrated by Jennifer Thermes
Greenwillow Books, May 7th, 2024

A Voice of the Wilderness Picture Book

New York Timesbestselling author Rosanne Parry and award-winning artist Jennifer Thermes explore the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park—and the trophic cascade effect they caused—in this informative, timely, and reader-friendly picture book. Features a map and extensive backmatter, as well as humorous comic panels.

Here are the Rockies, their forests are bare. With only an echo of what once lived there.

From award-winning author Rosanne Parry and acclaimed illustrator Jennifer Thermes, The Wolf Effect is an interactive, educational, narrative nonfiction picture book chronicling the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the trophic cascade effect they caused. Featuring a blend of poetry, sidebars, and backmatter, as well as reader-friendly comic panels, this picture book explores wolves, food chains, habitats, animal behavior, the environment, the history of Yellowstone Park, the impact of human behavior on the natural world, and how bringing wolves back to the park ultimately rejuvenated its ecosystems.

The Wolf Effect is an accessible and rewarding picture book that will appeal to parents, librarians, environmental activists, and animal lovers of all ages. Features extensive backmatter, including a glossary, resources, an illustrated guide to the animals featured in the book, and notes from the author and artist.

 

★  “It’s pretty amazing how much this charming picture book manages to convey in just over 40 pages. . . . The vintage-looking watercolor and colored-pencil maps and illustrations are delightful, and the text begs to be read aloud. . . . A truly lovely addition to the Yellowstone wolves canon.” Booklist, starred review

♥ “A history of wolves in Yellowstone that offers a salutary lesson in how ecosystem management is no walk in the park. In both cumulative rhyme and a substantial prose afterword, Parry tracks what happened when the wolves of the area that became Yellowstone National Park were exterminated. . . . An illuminating account of a spectacular eco-success story.” Kirkus Reviews

♥ “Working in prose, rhyming verse, panel-style art, and sweeping spreads, Parry and Thermes tell the absorbing story of what happened when wolf packs were reintroduced into Yellowstone Park. . . . This rare work about successful environmental regeneration reveals how the reintroduction of a predator can rebalance a habitat.” Publishers Weekly

♥ “The story follows the effort to first rid the park of wolves. . . to the realization that they in fact were important to the delicate balance. . . . The text [is] complemented by exceptionally appealing pen and ink illustrations. . . . Parry makes the complicated subject of a trophic cascade accessible to young readers. . . . A worthy purchase for the animal lovers in the library.” School Library Journal

♥ “A wonderful book for little ecologists.” Washington Post

 

 Bookshop.org  |  IndieBound  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Add to Goodreads


 

A PLACE CALLED AMERICA: A STORY OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE
Abrams Books for Young Readers, August 15th, 2023

Through the lens of the land that has come to be known as America, award-winning picture book creator Jennifer Thermes captures centuries of history.

A Place Called America takes the long view of the land’s history, from its earliest formation and inhabitants up through today. Meet those indigenous to the deserts, prairies, forests, and shores of the land called Turtle Island and their relatives whose ideas founded the basis of the Constitution and who contributed in unique ways to World War II and more. Meet immigrant communities who came to the land from all around the world—at different times and against all odds, even with staunch United States immigration policies. And meet enslaved ancestors who were brought to the land against their will and whose labor and experience changed the story forever.

Expert picture book maker Jennifer Thermes deftly weaves the threads of these communities’ narratives together, while giving each the spotlight they deserve—using the land itself as a unifying lens. Illustrated with dazzling maps, A Place Called America is a visual delight. It is an info-packed read, with sidebars, an author’s note, and a timeline supplementing the accessible text.

A Place Called America will challenge its readers to think critically about the stories we tend to take for granted about our own history.

 

★ “A necessary addition to any educational institution or the personal library of any kid who wants to “work toward a better future for all who live upon the land.” History made relevant.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Manhattan (2019) author Thermes broadens her scope in this concise, inclusive, and handsomely illustrated tour of American history, which focuses on the land that came to be known as the United States and the diverse immigrants who came to populate it.” –Booklist, starred review

♥ “This book too has the look and feel of a classic that readers will revisit time and again to fully absorb the details in both text and illustration.” –The Horn Book Magazine

♥ Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books 2023/Best Informational Books for Older Readers list.

♥ Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2023 list.

♥ The Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education, The Best Children’s Books of the Year 2024 Edition list.

A PLACE CALLED AMERICA is A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

 

 Bookshop.org  |  IndieBound  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Add to Goodreads


The Indestructible Tom Crean has received the 2024 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
(younger readers)
and is included in the Bank Street College of Education
Best Children’s Books of the Year list for 2024

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TOM CREAN: HEROIC EXPLORER OF THE ANTARCTIC
Viking Books for Young Readers, January 24th, 2023

At the turn of the twentieth century, Antarctica is the last unexplored continent. The ice is unforgiving. It can break the human spirit. It takes many men willing to face hardship, danger, and years away from home to journey to this uncharted end of the earth. This is the story of one. His name is Tom Crean.

The Indestructible Tom Crean reveals the incredible true stories of Crean’s adventures on the Discovery, Terra Nova, and Endurance expeditions. He hauls eight-hundred-pound sleds full of supplies, escapes from drifting ice floes, and trudges miles alone across a treacherous ice shelf. When the Endurance becomes trapped in the frozen sea and sinks, it is up to Crean and several others to go for help. They sail a tiny lifeboat through the most violent seas in the world and cross a daunting glacial mountain range by foot in order to save their fellow explorers. Tom Crean’s heroic acts of courage, perseverance, and teamwork inspire the men to keep going.

Through dazzling mapwork and vivid illustrations, Jennifer Thermes brings a formidable landscape and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration to life.

 

★ “A story of bitter cold infused with warmth and with the fighting spirit of its courageous subject.”  –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “Thermes’ past work as a map illustrator is employed to great effect here . . . Created with watercolor, colored pencil, and salt, the artwork features a soft, sunny palette that keeps the story upbeat, even during blizzards and perilous times. With varied compositions, this is a detail-rich presentation not to be missed.”Booklist, starred review

★ “[E]nthralling . . . Thermes’s honed text, in a grabbingly immediate present tense, uses short, high-impact sentences that make the most of the inherent drama. Her illustrations (in watercolor, colored pencil, and salt) are full of detail, action, and atmosphere.”
The Horn Book Magazine, starred review

♥ “Poetic writing blends with watercolor illustrations that embody the limited palette of the Antarctic landscape to provide readers with a unique presentation of Crean’s adventures.”School Library Journal

The Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids 2023 list.

♥ Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2023 list.

♥ The Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education, The Best Children’s Books of the Year 2024 Edition list.

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TOM CREAN is a 2024 ALSC Notable Children’s Book!

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE TOM CREAN has won the 2024 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for Younger Readers!

 

 Bookshop.org  |  IndieBound  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Add to Goodreads


 

HORSE POWER: HOW HORSES CHANGED THE WORLD
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021

From their earliest evolution to the invention of the “horseless carriage,” this picture book captures how—for much of human history—horses powered the world! For thousands of years, horses and humans lived, worked, and played together, side by side. From the time they were first domesticated to the invention of the wheel, saddle, bit, and bridle; horses brought far-flung lands closer together at the speed of a gallop. Trade, agriculture, transportation, and more were expanded in new ways—all made possible by the power of the horse. In dazzling spreads packed with maps, sidebars, and other hidden gems, explore the special connection between horses and humans. Discover how horses evolved and track their migration as they come to live on six continents. See the everyday jobs done by horses for centuries. And consider the profound changes that came about when gasoline-powered engines arrived on the scene. An encyclopedic look at this magnificent animal, Horse Power offers a unique view of world history from the ancient past to today.

 

★ “The vibrant history that unfolds will hold children’s attention through repeated viewings.” –Booklist, starred review

♥ “With colorful illustrations drawn in a child-friendly style, the book intersperses double-page spreads, spot illustrations, and more than a few simplified maps showing small horse figures cavorting on continents” –Kirkus

Booklist Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth, 2021 list.


 Bookshop.org  |  IndieBound  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Add to Goodreads


Manhattan has been named a 2020 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book and is included in the Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year list for 2020

MANHATTAN: MAPPING THE STORY OF AN ISLAND
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2019

Told in dazzling maps and informative sidebars, Manhattan explores the 400+ year history of Manhattan Island. From before its earliest settlement to the vibrant metropolis that exists today, the island of Manhattan has always been a place of struggle, growth, and radical transformation. Humans, history, and natural events have shaped this tiny sliver of land for more than 400 years. In Manhattan, travel back in time to discover how a small rodent began an era of rapid change for the island. Learn about immigration, the slave trade, and the people who built New York City. See how a street plan projected the city’s future, and how epic fires and storms led to major feats of engineering above and below ground. Through dramatic illustrations, informative sidebars, and detailed maps inspired by historic archives, Manhattan explores the rich history that still draws people from all around the world to the island’s shores today. From the Battery downtown up to Inwood, every inch of the island has a story to tell.

★ “The vibrant history that unfolds will hold children’s attention through repeated viewings.” –Kirkus, starred review

★ “Like Manhattan itself, much is packed into this handsomely illustrated history.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Thermes, also a map illustrator, shows off her skills with detailed maps that reveal the origins of Broadway, Wall Street, and other
landmarks . . . This slice of American history is a gem.” –Booklist, starred review

★ “The maps, colorful illustrations, and accessible text present a comprehensive history of Manhattan as an island and a good introduction to the study of urban growth for students of all ages.” –School Library Journal, starred review

★ “A fascinating account of New York City’s development from the time of the Lenape people to the present day.”
Shelf Awareness, starred review

♥ “The history in the book is as much an abundance as its pictures . . . a splendid homage.” –The Horn Book

 

MANHATTAN: MAPPING THE STORY OF AN ISLAND is a Junior Library Guild Selection!

 Bookshop.org  |  IndieBound  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Add to Goodreads


Please click on covers for more information:

Picture Books

 

Illustrated Middle Grade Books

CSave

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save