Life, the universe, and everything

Stormy Night
by Michèle Lemieux


During a dark and stormy night, a young girl ponders life's mysteries. Her questions are recognizable to many children, who often express the same hopes, dreams, and fears. Whimsical drawings help to alleviate some of their worries.

A good book to read at bedtime, it also offers reassurance to adult readers. It shows that the questions and feelings swirling around in our heads are normal, natural and universal.







Really, Really Big Questions
by Stephen Law


What is nothing?
Is my mind my brain?
Can I always believe my eyes?
What is the meaning of life?


Stephen Law tackles these and other questions in this introductory philosophy book. Puzzling and thought-provoking, these are questions with no definitive answers. Law provides just enough information to foster debate and jump-start discussion. He concludes with a list of books for further philosophic research and a list of thinking tips so kids can formulate their own theories.

A stimulating book.

Why birds sing

Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why
by Lita Judge


Birdsong can be amusing or annoying, but what do they really mean? Whether trying to attract a mate, showing off their strength, claiming their territory, greeting each other, locating their chicks, or warning of danger, birds have a lot to say! An attractive layout and large, expressive pictures make for a very appealing book. 

Intelligent birds

As the Crow Flies
by Sheila Keenan
illustrated by Kevin Duggan


Real crow behaviour informs this rhyming picture book, which takes a close look at crows in the city. From the brightness of day to the darkness of night, the book ends on a dramatic, effective note.

Quite well done.





Crows! Strange and Wonderful
by Laurence Pringle
illustrated by Bob Marstall


Crows are among the smartest birds on earth. They use tools, have a complex language, and enjoy play. Informative text and detailed pictures introduce young readers to these fascinating birds.






Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
by John Marzluff & Tony Angell


As you can tell by the title, this is a scientific examination of crow behavior and their interconnectedness with humans. Stories of crow delinquency, playfulness, passion, wrath, risk taking, and awareness are funny and charming. However, the authors' discussions about the corvid's neurological and hormonal systems interrupt and weigh down the narrative. Many readers will also be challenged by the scientific jargon.

Bird songs

Bird Talk
overheard by Ann Jonas


Birdwatchers use memory phrases to help them remember the songs of different birds. From hiyah hiyah hiyah hiyah (herring gull), kit-kit-kitter-kitter (eastern kingbird), and eat-it-all eat-it-all, eat-it-all (mockingbird) to chick-a-dee-dee-dee (black-capped chickadee), drink your tea, drink your tea (rufous-sided towhee) and hot-dog-pickle-ickle-ickle (rufous-sided towhee), it'll have kids listening to nature sounds instead of their iPods.

Gardening fun

The Gardening Book
by Jane Bull

The perfect book for kids who don’t have yards. Most of the projects use plants that are grown in pots, and all are easy to do without parental supervision. They’re also fairly quick to do as well (using small plants instead of seeds). A fun and clever book.

Sustainable farming

The Good Garden
by Katie Smith Milway

Eleven-year-old Maria Luz and her family live on a small farm. This year their crop is poor, and they may not have enough to eat or to sell. When Maria's father must leave home to find work, she is left in charge of their garden. Then a new teacher comes to Maria's school and introduces her to sustainable farming practices that yield good crops. This allows her family to avoid the greedy "coyotes" -- the middlemen who make profits on the backs of poor farmers. 

Based on a true story, The Good Garden can inspire readers who are worried about food security in struggling countries.

Time to garden

Ready Set Grow!

An excellent book filled with easy projects for beginning gardeners. It uses fast-growing plants so kids can see early results. Section 1 is devoted to flowers. You can make flowerpot people, floral teepees, or a fish made out of marigolds. Section 2 is all about vegetables, herbs, and fruit. Here you can create a pizza garden or grow watercress, carrots, or leeks. 

Ancient tubs, toilets, and sinks

Toilets, Bathtubs, Sinks, and Sewers: A History of the Bathroom
by Penny Colman


Serious-minded kids will no doubt be fascinated by the history of the bathroom, especially when combined with archeological discoveries. The many black-and-white photos of ancient tubs and toilets will make any reader grateful for modern plumbing.

Toilets and tubs

What You Never Knew About Tubs, Toilets, & Showers
by Patricia Lauber
illustrated by John Manders


One of the world's earliest cities, Mohenjo-Daro in the Middle East, had underground pipes and sewers. It also had a huge public bath. The Greeks and Romans, and other non-European countries, also believed in cleanliness. But with the fall of the Roman and Greek civilizations, clean was out and dirt was in. It would be 1,400 years before bathing came back into style.

Lauber takes readers on a brief tour of bathing and plumbing history in her humorous book. The fun increases with the cartoon-like illustrations, complete with dialogue and naked bottoms.





Toilets in History
by Elizabeth Newbery


This is a brief look at the evolution of toilets in England. The language is full of British jargon, but some kids enjoy learning new words. They'll also like the cartoons, jokes, and photos. They can even make a garderobe chute from which a soldier can pop up. If you know what a garderobe is, you'll realize that it's a really disgusting thing to climb into.

For those interested enough to visit England, Newbery includes a list of historic places where you can view latrines and toilets.

Poop throughout history

Poop Happened! A History of the World from the Bottom Up
by Sarah Albee


In her preface, Sarah Albee writes that as a kid, she wasn't interested in dates of battles or names of queens, she was more interested in how people lived and what they did. The questions she wanted answered was what did they wear? What did they eat? And more importantly, how did they go to the bathroom?

It turns out that much of human history was influenced by the evolution of hygiene and sanitation. After all, you can't expect people to survive if they're surrounded by piles of poop and contaminated water. Add in overcrowded tenements, free-roaming animals, and the fear of bathing, and you end up with disease, pestilence, and death. Only civilizations that successfully dealt with sewage and waste were able to grow and prosper.

Poop Happened! is an enlightening and smelly trip through history that will delight and inform readers of all ages. Highly recommended.

The uses of poop and pee

The Truth About Poop
by Susan E. Goodman
illustrated by Elwood H. Smith


Goodman offers up interesting tidbits on how animals use poop in this cheerful book. She also knows disgusting facts about the history of toilets and the evolution of toilet paper.





The Scoop on Poop! Lifting the Lid on the Science of Poo and Pee
by Mary & Richard Platt
illustrated by John Kelly


Cartoon dogs and rodents present the many uses of poop and pee in this fact-filled book. Information is presented in individual boxes scattered throughout the pages, making for a somewhat cluttered look, but kids will no doubt enjoy it. They can use the book to hunt down all sorts of gross details, which invariably involve the eating, drinking, and handling of poo and urine.

Not to be read during dinner.