RESOURCES
Blue Dot Kids Press is pleased to provide free Teacher's Guides, Activity Kits, and Coloring Sheets to enrich readers' experience of our books. Our Teacher's Guides are developed by professional educators and offer extensive teaching ideas, curricular connections, and activities that can be adapted to many different educational settings.
In a quiet harbor, a young child hears the call of a right whale, the rarest kind of whale. He is the only person in his town to hear the whale’s moving song, and he waits by the bay to hear more of her story and shares in her joy and sorrow. At first her story makes the young boy sad, but he is soon filled with hope as she introduces her new calf to the world. Full of dreamy watercolors, Welcome Home, Whales shares the story of a boy who befriends a whale and offers her empathy and understanding.
View/Download How to Draw a Whale Guide
View/Download Whale Facts from Welcome Home, Whales
Christina Booth (author and illustrator)
now available for Virtual Events!
WELCOME HOME, WHALES
ISBN: 9781733121286
OUR WORLD OUT OF BALANCE:
UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND WHAT WE CAN DO
ISBN: 9781735000534
Encouraging and easily digestible, this illustrated nonfiction guide introduces children ages eight to twelve to the important topic of climate change with tips on “How You Can Help” and citizen scientist activities.
Filled with engaging big ideas that will inspire children to think about their role in keeping our world healthy, Our World Out of Balance details how humans have thrown the planet off-balance and ways we can work together to be part of the solution and create a healthier world.
SEEKING AN AURORA
ISBN: 9781733121279
A father wakes his child from sleep to beckon, "Come—we're off to find an Aurora." Through the silent frost, across fields, and up hills they climb... And then they wait. Together they share an unforgettable moment and the majestic splendor of an Aurora.
This moving and lyrical story is paired with scientific information about the awe-inspiring Northern and Southern Lights to further inspire readers to seek their own natural wonders.
JACOB'S FANTASTIC FLIGHT
ISBN: 9781733121262
When his parents plan a trip to the sea, Jacob says he will fly there himself. Along the way, he meets new friends and has wonderful adventures. And when is bird friends need help, Jacob and the flock work together to rescue their friend and outsmart the nefarious birdcatcher.
With gorgeous illustrations and a humorous resonant story about independence, kindness, and embracing the unknown, Jacob's Fantastic Flight shows what happens when a child uses their strength and differences to help others in need.
View/download Citizen Science Kit
Elisabeth Lauffer (translator)
now available for Virtual Events!
THE DAY SAIDA ARRIVED
ISBN: 9781733121255
What happens when a new friend arrives who doesn’t speak your language? A young girl searches for the words to help her friend feel welcome and happy in her new home, and along the way learns about differences and similarities in countries and words. The two forge a strong bond while they each learn the other’s language, exploring the world around them.
A joyous, lyrical text―including English translations and pronunciations and the complete Arabic alphabet―offers an accessible, fresh approach to talking about immigration. Paired with lushly vivid illustrations, The Day Saida Arrived demonstrates the power of language to build bonds beyond borders.
MY FAVORITE MEMORIES
ISBN: 9781733121248
This beautifully simple story about moving to a new home explores themes of change and permanence with warm illustrations from an award-winning illustrator.
A young girl is moving to a new country, and there’s so much that she wants to bring: an aquarium, a pear tree, her best friend, the ocean. As she moves through the list of the things she loves, she comes to understand that while we cannot always carry things with us physically—maybe they can travel with us in other ways.
Told with warm illustrations by an award-winning picture book illustrator, My Favorite Memories offers parents and educators a gentle, impactful way to discuss resilience and complex life events like immigration and moving to a new home.
Elisabeth Lauffer (translator) now available for Virtual Events!
IVY BIRD
ISBN: 9781733121217
A joyfully written celebration of birds and imaginative play from an award-winning author-and-illustrator team. Introducing an array of beautiful birds to young readers, Ivy Bird is a celebration of the natural world. Perfect for reading aloud, children will love the search-and-find element of the book, its bright illustrations, and the exuberant story. A non-fiction element, two pages bursting with colorful bird illustrations, encourages readers to seek out birds in their own backyards.
LEAFY CRITTERS
ISBN: 9781733121224
View/download Nature Crafts Guide
Artists of all ages will be awed by flower petal pigs, turtles, and snakes rendered in bright green leaves, and a full menagerie of clever, astonishing, and simply ingenious creative project ideas.
An exuberant call to head outside, Leafy Critters inspires a deep appreciation for nature, art, and animals. Perfect for parents, teachers, and anyone searching for novel projects to engage kids of all ages.
UNDER MY TREE
ISBN: 9781733121231
A modern take on Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree that celebrates the friendship between a curious child and her favorite tree. Under My Tree is a wonderful introduction to trees for young children gently cultivates an appreciation for nature. Interwoven in the fiction text are unique facts about trees and simple activities that encourage readers to touch, smell, and observe the world around them.
WHO WILL IT BE?
ISBN: 9781733121200
If gills appear, will it be a fish? From fish to frogs to humans, Who Will It Be? introduces the theory of evolution, exploring connections between humans and all life on Earth. Vibrant illustrations and eye-catching primary colors transition the story, driving the young reader’s curiosity as they try to discover Who Will It Be? An appendix includes in-depth information about evolutionary science—perfect for parents facing the age-old question: Where did I come from?
