Books
Children’s Books that Encourage Empathy through the Wonder of the Natural World
Imagine what you could do with if. Build a tree house, ride your bike back in time, catch a firefly like a tiny star in the palm of your hands and let it go to make a wish--anything, when it starts with if. Because if is where your imagination begins, where the impossible becomes possible, if only you imagine. And if you do, just think of how much better our world could be. Thirty-one poets, selected by "poetic forever friends" and frequent collaborators Irene Latham and Charles Waters, begin each of their poems with the word if and imagine the possibilities the gift of if can hold. Olivia Sua's cut-paper and painted-mosaic illustrations add warmth and meaning to the poems, allowing the reader's mind to soar with possibility. In an end note, the anthologists offer insight into their selection process, aimed at gathering a comprehensive and representative collection of poems.
With poems by:
Lacresha Berry * Robyn Hood Black * JaNay Brown-Wood * Joseph Bruchac * Siv Cedering * Emily Dickinson * Rebecca Kai Dotlich * Nikki Grimes * Jolene Gutiérrez * Georgia Heard * Anna Grossnickle Hines * Irene Latham * Renée M. LaTulippe * Nancy Tupper Ling * Sylvia Liu * Rebekah Lowell * Vikram Madan * Guadalupe García McCall * Lilian Moore * Eric Ode * Bob Raczka * Lisa Rogers * Sydell Rosenberg * Laura Purdie Salas * Janice Scully * Teresa Owens Smith * Gabi Snyder * Sarah Grace Tuttle * Amy Ludwig VanDerwater * Charles Waters * Janet Wong
if I could Choose a best day
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Out March 4th, 2025
Intricately detailed birds seemingly fly off the pages of this poetic and encouraging picture book about hope and resilience. It’s the perfect gift for birdwatchers, graduates, or anyone seeking motivation.
Catch the current of a bird’s wing. Dance with hope into open skies.
From avid birder and acclaimed wildlife illustrator Rebekah Lowell comes a soaring message of encouragement. Readers will find inspiration in a Yellow Warbler greeting a sunrise, a flock of Canada Geese supporting each other by sharing the weight of the wind, a Red-Tailed Hawk trusting its own wings, and a plucky Northern Saw-Whet Owl braving a chilly night. Ending on the optimistic note of a new day, this book is a parable about enduring life’s setbacks, as well as a glorious celebration of the outdoors.
An afterword is included, with factual information about the ten birds featured in the book.
catching flight
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soared onto shelves
March 2023
This poignant debut novel in verse is a portrait of healing, as a young girl rediscovers life and the soothing power of nature after being freed from her abusive father. For most of her life, Lacey has been a prisoner without even realizing it. Her dad rarely let her, her little sister, or her mama out of his sight. But their situation changes suddenly and dramatically the day her grandparents arrive to help them leave. It’s the beginning of a different kind of life for Lacey, and at first she has a hard time letting go of her dad’s rules. Gradually though, his hold on her lessens, and her days become filled with choices she’s never had before. Now Lacey can take pleasure in sketching the world as she sees it in her nature journal. And as she spends more time outside making things grow and creating good memories with family and friends, she feels her world opening up and blossoming into something new and exciting.
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Rebekah Lowell is an author-illustrator whose curiosity about nature fuels her creativity. Her childhood, filled with wildflowers, finds its way into her work. A mother of two and survivor of domestic abuse, she is passionate about resiliency, freedom, and hope.
Meet The Author
Rebekah Lowell: writer, illustrator, artist
