Happy Book Birthday, We Leave No Trace! by Terry Pierce!

 

It's time to shout-out another book birthday!!! This year is amazing on that end...I do so love to celebrate.

Today's read comes from the Yosemite Conservancy, and I've reviewed a few books for them over the years. I have tons of fond memories of Parks and wildlife and more, and not only from my childhood. When we go on vacation, it involves tons of outdoor activities, hiking, and exploration. So, to have the chance to support anything in this direction is a treat for me.

Today's read is a board book for the youngest readers out there and is sure to celebrate nature. So, let's take a look!

WE LEAVE NO TRACE!

by Terry Pierce

Illustrated by Nadja Sarell

Yosemite Conservancy

Board Book

7 pages

ages 2 to 5

The great outdoors could use some human kindness—and even the youngest children can help! Little hikers, picnickers, and campers will see how they can pitch in for nature by using the Leave No Trace principles modeled here, such as loving trees gently, leaving natural items in their place, using quiet voices to reassure shy creatures, and putting trash where it belongs. The bouncy, rhyming text and vibrant illustrations in this sturdy board book show tiny kids they, too, can easily help protect any wild or natural place while having fun outside.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON    /    BOOK ORG.

MY TIDBITS

This little board book is perfect for the youngest readers out there, who are going to be heading outdoors for camping, picnicking, hiking and more. It centers around the message that visiting nature also means respecting it. The Leave No Trace principle remains the main point of this read—the hope that by not disturbing nature more than necessary, others can enjoy it in the future as well.

The illustrations are full of details, which allow young readers not only to visualize various, natural scenes, but also give them something to discover when revisiting the book again. The depictions include lakes, forests, and more, while showing activities such as walking, picnicking and many others. The people enjoying these activities display a wide variety of individuals. And there are some cute animals included as well.

The text is only a couple of lines on each two-page spread. The first pages open with a rhyme, which then turns into a repeated phrase as the various ways to Leave No Trace are explored. These are simple suggestions, which are easy for even the younger readers to understand.

The fun of being out in nature and the joy of experiencing the outdoors is never forgotten, either. There's a calm and happiness on each page, showing how enjoyable it is to be outside. In other words, it's a lovely read.

And here they are...

Terry Pierce is the author of twenty-five children's books, including Eat Up, Bear!, Hello, Meadow!, Mama Loves You So, Mother Earth's Lullaby, and My Busy Green Garden. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and teaches for UCLA Extension Writers' Program. Terry is an outdoor enthusiast, enjoying backpacking, hiking, rock climbing, and, of course, bear sightings near her home in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Nadja Sarell has a degree in illustration from the North Wales School of Art and Design as well as an MA in dance from Theatre Academy Helsinki. She is the illustrator behind Eat Up, Bear!, Hello, Meadow!, and The One and Only Wolfgang, written by Instagram sensation Steve Greig aka @wolfgang2242 and author Mary Rand Hess, and the Frankie Sparks, Third Grade Inventor series. She lives in Helsinki, Finland.

Today's read... Hello, Meadow! by Terry Pierce

If you're an outdoors family like we are, then you'll understand the already mounting urge to head outside and explore. Today's read is exactly about that. For the youngest readers out there, this one will introduce the world of meadows...but from what I understand, it's not about the facts surrounding meadows. Rather, it should be more inspiring and have a few other lessons along the way. But let's just head in and see what it's all about.

HELLO, MEADOWs

by Terry Pierce

Illustrated by Nadja Sarell

Yosemite Conservancy

Board Book

14 pages

ages to 5

COMING...

APRIL 11th!!!

"We can help our meadows, too!"

Grassy, flower-filled meadows are really pretty! It’s oh-so tempting to hike and skip right through them. But meadows are actually fragile, and human footsteps and picnics can cause them harm—and then they cannot do their important work of providing habitat for creatures and plants, filtering water, and even storing carbon. The bouncy text and vibrant illustrations in this sturdy board book show little nature lovers how to easily protect meadows while enjoying one of Earth's loveliest features.

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/91374812-hello-meadow

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1951179250

B&N:

MY TIDBITS

Nature, outdoor, and exploration fans discover the wonders of visiting a meadow in a way, which will have them wanting to head out and discover one themselves.

Written in rhyme, this is a little board book for the youngest readers out there and heads off into beautiful meadows. Each page offers a bright and radiant meadow scene, portraying the various aspects, which make meadows inviting, peaceful, and fun. Along the way, readers learn how they should behave to best preserve these beautiful areas.

This book is brought out by the Yosemite Conservancy and releases right on time for the up-coming months, when outdoor explorers head into nature to discover whatever they can. So, it's rather fitting to have this one center around ways to discover the beauty and variety of life, while preserving it for others to see...and letting it thrive. Each scene has two short, poetic phrases, which not only describe something wonderful about a meadow but add a tip to help conserve it. This includes everything from staying on the path to not picking flowers and beyond. The purpose of the book is clear, but the author has done a nice job at letting the amazing life and vibrant variety a meadow holds radiate from every page, too. While there aren't informational details as to what a person finds in a meadow, the broad view also will have young readers ready to head out and experience a meadow, too.

It's a bright, happy book, which promotes the preservation of meadows but also radiates the wonders a meadow has to offer. I know my little hikers would have packed this one into their packs to read again and again as we headed on our own little escapades. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT...

https://yosemite.org/

Review: Eat Up, Bear! by Terry Pierce

Two weeks ago, we had more cold temperatures and snow than this area has seen in a very long time. Yesterday, I was out in the garden  getting it ready for the first seeds by the end of this week. Talk about a switch-over quick! At this rate, we'll be planning a camping trip and ready to hit the hiking trails in another few days....because Spring has decided to roll in, and it's coming fast. 

Today's book is perfect for those camping friends! And it addresses bears along the way. 

 

EAT UP, BEAR!

by Terry Pierce

Illustrated by Nadja Sarell

Yosemite Conservancy

Board Book

ages 2 to 4

A board book for the littlest campers about those curious, hungry bears.
Black bears just want to eat! Juicy berries, crunchy nuts, tender grubs, and sticky honey--that's good bear food. But if park visitors don't watch out, their food will be bear food, too! Bouncy rhyming text and vibrant pictures share how families can do their part to keep bears safe and thriving. 

BOOK DEPOSITORY   /    BOOK SHOP   /    GOODREADS   /    B&N  

 BOOK   BLINK

                               * rotates around camping

                               * demonstrates food handling in bear areas

                               * lovely illustrations

                               * teaches about bears

MY TIDBITS

Bears get hungry, and people do, too. But bears have their food, and people have theirs. The trick lies in how people keep their food safe from the bears, and what foods bears eat because nature holds enough for them.

Sturdy enough for small hands and for taking along on a camping adventure, this board book packs bright illustrations and tons of cute bears. It follows families as they spend time on a camping trip...and of course, they're depicted as having fun. But these families are storing away food, and this book shows the various and correct ways to do it. While the families do this on one side of each 2-page spread, the bears are on the other. They munch away on various bounties, which nature provides, demonstrating which foods bears eat and exactly how that looks like in nature.

The message in this one follows two paths. Firstly, it heightens young listeners awareness of the various possible food storage containers, which parks set out just for the purpose of keeping bears away from human food. This also, automatically, reminds readers that found shouldn't be left out and needs to be watched. On the other hand, this book follows bears and teaches what they eat in nature. It's never really pointed out directly...as in exactly mentioned what they eat. Instead, the illustrations take over that part. 

The text stays age appropriate and keeps to a maximum of two lines on each page. The page with the bears always holds the same phrases, giving a repetitive reminder to listeners. This also allows listeners to join in and repeat the phrases themselves along with the parent/guardian/caretaker. It's a subtle way to bring awareness and remind listeners of the joy of camping.

But mostly, these bears are sweet and show the bears in nature. That alone already makes this a winner in my book (no pun intended.)

This book supports the Yosemite Conservancy and helps fund the important work in Yosemite to repair trails, restore habitat, protect wildlife, and much more.

https://yosemite.org/