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“Not Quite a Ghost” by Anne Ursu. (Ages 8-12. Walden Pond Press. $19.99.)

As the school year starts, Violet finds her life in a hopeless tangle. Middle school is starting, she’s moving into a new house … and she’s wary of spending time alone in her spooky attic room because there’s something haunting it, hidden behind the serpentine vines of the wallpaper: “This was going to be hard to explain to her parents.”

Violet’s old friendships seem to be curdling, and she is stuck in a merry-go-round of social awkwardness: a disastrous sleepover, cafeteria conflicts and — the horror! — gym class. Her response: “She might vomit. She might have a heart attack. She might vomit and have a heart attack at the same time.”

And then things get worse. When a mysterious illness colonizes her body, Violet struggles, suffers — and doubts herself, because her friends and doctors seem to think it’s all in her head.

Something spooky in the house senses her confusion and pain, and begins needling her: “They haven’t been able to find anything wrong with you, have they?”

The supernatural villain is scary, but Violet’s undiagnosed illness might be even scarier, and the parallels between a haunting no one else can see and health problems that elude doctors are painfully clear. As it turns out, Violet is stronger than that voice, and stronger than the doubters — and with a little help from new friends and a family who believe in her, she finds a way forward.

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“Wicked Marigold” by Caroline Carlson. (Ages 8-12. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

Princess Rosalind is so delightful that flowers spring up in her footsteps and animals become tame at her glance, and when she is kidnapped by an evil wizard, the kingdom goes into mourning.

But this is not Rosalind’s story. This is the very funny, slightly spooky, thoroughly entertaining story of her not-so-perfect sister Marigold, who comes face-to-face with that perfection when Rosalind mysteriously returns from captivity.

“Rosalind’s perfect. Rosalind doesn’t sneak through walls or clamber on rooftops, and she certainly doesn’t stomp,” Marigold laments as she stomps as hard as she can.

The answer, obviously, is that Marigold needs to balance that sweetness and light by being as wicked as she can possibly be — in other words, by presenting herself on the doorstep of the wizard who had held Rosalind and declaring herself ready for an apprenticeship in magical mayhem.

What could go wrong — other than the fact that wizard assistance is mostly housework, and she perhaps turned her wizard into a blob of goop by accident, and his friends and associates are horrible? “Of course all the clients are awful,” sighs Pettifog, the nattily dressed demon who holds the magical household together. “Who else do you think would hire an evil wizard?”

In the end, of course, Marigold figures some things out — among them, how “evil” she really is, how to make peace with a perfect sibling, how to undo a spell gone awry, and how it feels to be turned into a beetle. She does indeed find her happy-ish ending, but the great joy of this novel is in the saucily funny details of life in the service of evil (or, truthfully, in the service of the somewhat naughty), and readers will be cheering for Marigold — and wishing for a longer stay in her magical world.

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

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“Superdads!: Animal Heroes” by Heather Lang and Jamie Harper, illustrated by Jamie Harper. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

Dads are good at much more than corny jokes. In this cheerful book about fantastic fathers in the animal world, vibrantly colorful cartoon-style illustrations highlight the sometimes surprising roles they play.

Among the “devoted, hardworking, fierce, and fun” dads on display are the seahorse and Darwin’s frog, who carry around their little ones, brown kiwis who incubate eggs, and wolves and owl monkeys, who teach their offspring skills through play.

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“Find Out About: Animal Tools” by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Jane McGuinness. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

Conservation biologist Martin Jenkins — author of a sterling collection of children’s books about animals — returns with an introduction to animal tool use, filled with inviting, softly colored illustrations.

From tailorbirds using plant fibers to sew together nests, to archerfish using jets of water to plunk bugs into the water, to mugger crocodiles using sticks to help them catch birds, Jenkins’s portrayals of these animal innovators add up into a fascinating book for young animal fans.

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“The Mighty Pollinators” by Helen Frost, illustrated by Rick Lieder. (Ages 2-5. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

From the humble bumblebee to the night-flying bat, Helen Frost’s poems explore the lives of pollinators “small and mighty, holding the world together.”

This lyrical look at the creatures “on the front lines,/ keeping fruit and flowers alive” is illustrated with stunning, up-close photography that makes specks of pollen glow like gold and creatures like the emerald-green sweat bee shimmer like jewels. An afterword by the author discusses what pollen actually is, how pollination happens, and how to observe and help pollinators, offering next steps for young scientists entranced by this peek into a crucial corner of the natural world.

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“Super Swifts: Small Birds With Amazing Powers” by Justin Anderson, illustrated by Clover Robin. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

Readers will never again take the small, nondescript swift for granted after reading Justin Anderson’s tribute to this avian champion.

The book follows the epic journeys of these little wonders, who can reach speeds of 70 mph, fly up to 10,000 feet high, napping while they soar, catching falling raindrops to drink. And when they reach their destination and are ready to nest, they celebrate: “Kreeeeech! they cry as they shoot low overhead, screaming like fireworks, chasing, diving, darting.”

They lay their eggs, then start all over again with their record-breaking migrations, flying faster, higher and for longer than any other bird.

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“Clever Crow” by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

The sprightly text and gorgeous art in this ode to crows — full of glistening black feathers and ebony eyes with the glint of intelligence — will encourage readers to think again about an easily overlooked bird.

“Wherever you are right now, there’s sure to be a crow or two nearby,” croaking and cawing, flapping “steadily on,” a smart survivor who has adapted to environments around the world. They have great memories, can use twigs as tools, and even play.

“Crows may not be graceful to look at or lovely to listen to,” the book reminds readers. “But crows are smart, clever, crafty, and playful … just like you!”

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

Soak up some new knowledge (without getting your fingers all pruny) with these four gloriously illustrated picture books.

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“Dive! The Story of Breathing Underwater” by Chris Gall. (Ages 5-8. Roaring Brook Press. $19.99.)

Author-illustrator Chris Gall starts deep in the past, when traveling under the water was all about how long people could hold their breath.

“What’s down there? There is only one way to find out,” he writes — and begins his chronicle of how human ingenuity has allowed deeper and deeper dives. Among the fascinating episodes he diagrams and describes are the first diving bells, how underwater work on bridges caused early encounters with decompression sickness, and the invention of the bathysphere by amateur divers with dreams of the deep.

In this densely illustrated history, Gall makes the science understandable but also captures the wonder of exploring the planet’s last great frontier.

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“Else B. In the Sea” by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Melodie Stacey. (Ages 5-7. Cameron Kids. $19.99.)

This portrait of an artist who painted stunning pictures of the newly discovered astonishments of the deep sea in the 1930s opens a window into a little-known chapter in the history of ocean exploration.

“Else B.” is Else Bostelmann, who was born and educated in Germany, emigrated to America, and for decades set aside her dreams of being an artist — but was then hired by the scientist William Beebe to document his momentous bathysphere expeditions in the Bahamas. Already in her 50s, Else B. embraced the challenge, experimenting with painting underwater and capturing the colors of the undersea world, and using Beebe’s notes and specimens to create watercolor sketches, charcoal drawings, and oil paintings of “bizarre fish, with their own built-in lights, like alien creatures.”

The book is filled with elegant watercolor, pencil and ink illustrations that bring the endeavor to life — and, delightfully, an author’s note that includes reproductions of some of Else B.’s remarkable paintings.

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“Aqua Boy” by Ken Wilson-Max. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

Aaron adores the beach, just like the rest of his family, who not only swim and explore but also clean up their beloved piece of nature. He has one problem: He’s afraid to put his head under the water.

“One day, I’m going to swim with the dolphins and whales,” he vows. But it’s not until a storm strands an octopus on the shore that he makes the leap.

“He kept looking at the octopus, and the octopus looked back at him,” as Aaron’s father gently helps the creature back into the water, and Aaron, entranced, puts on his goggles and follows its return to a watery home.

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“The Den That Octopus Built” by Randi Sonenshine, illustrated by Anne Hunter. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

This poetic introduction to the life cycle of an octopus embraces the crafty creature’s many skills, from clever hunting to stealthy camouflage, and its surprising weapons.

“This is the stream of blinding black ink/ she shoots at the seal, then she’s gone in a blink,/ back to the den that Octopus built.”

As sprightly as the rhyme is — following the pattern of “This Is the House That Jack Built” — it doesn’t shy away from the end of the story, as the octopus protects a den full of eggs, then dies after her offspring hatch and float away. In-depth notes at the end (appealingly titled “Arm Yourself with Octo-Knowledge”) add more information about this amazing animal.

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

“Bunny’s Most Fabulous Vacation Ever!” by Brian Fitzgerald. (Ages 4-8. Red Comet Press. $18.99.)

Bunny has the perfect vacation planned: collecting rocks alone, stargazing alone, swimming alone, and putting up a fence to keep out intruders. And then, disaster: “A monster had set up camp … RIGHT! NEXT! DOOR!”

But it turns out that Bob the monster likes all the same things Bunny does, and after a storm ruins his plans, Bunny decides to share her space, and her vacation, with him, so they could be “two happy campers in a cosy caravan.”

It turns out that a shared vacation was just the break Bunny needed — and she and Bob “made plans to do it all over again next year.”

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“If You Spot a Shell” by Aimée Sicuro. (Ages 4-8. Random House Studio. $18.99.)

Summer is all about beach trips, and Aimée Sicuro’s beautiful flight of fancy takes readers on a voyage of discovery, turning beach finds into gorgeous illustrations (made with real shells).

A shell “could be a pirate’s patch, a raft that floats, or a magical kaleidoscope,” and Sicuro turns shells into all of these things, as well as umbrellas, swim caps, kites and rocket ships. “If you spot a shell, you could imagine most anything” — proof that summer is a wonderful time to let your body and your mind roam free.

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“Found” by Sam Usher. (Ages 3-7. Templar Books. $17.99.)

It starts off as just another beach day for a boy and his grandfather as they pack their snacks and towels and buckets — full of the delights of building the “best sandcastle in the world” and enjoying “the best ice cream I’d ever eaten.”

And the day only gets better. When the boy discovers a seal in distress, he and his grandfather take off on a grand, imaginative adventure across the ocean, under the sea, through a shipwreck, and then back home again.

It was an amazing day, they agree at the end of it, leading to just one question: “Can we go again tomorrow?”

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“Heatwave” by Lauren Redniss. (Ages 4-8. Random House Studio. $19.99.)

Nothing captures those relentless days when the sun has baked you to a crisp as perfectly as the nearly monochromatic illustrations in “Heatwave,” glowing red like the burner of a stove.

“No way. Too hot. Game cancelled. 100 degrees in the shade,” the text puffs, too hot and exhausted to say any more, as a boy and his droopy dog seek relief.

There’s a subtle environmental message here, about how it feels to live on a warming planet — but also a simple, evocative diary of a summer day when it’s nearly too hot to think or move, at least until a downpour and sunset offer a bit of relief.

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“The Truth About the Couch” by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Liniers. (Ages 3-7. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. $19.99.)

In the summer, beaches and swimming pools and amusement parks may get all the attention — but what about the humble couch, a beloved destination on many a lazy, happy summer day?

Adam Rubin’s tongue-in-cheek ode to the couch offers cheerfully bogus baloney about everything from what couches eat (spare change, remotes, and occasionally a grandmother) to where they come from (couch farms and spaceships, obviously). But don’t take my word for it: Check out this handy guide … just make sure you don’t run afoul of the dinosaur-riding furniture police.

As the book says, “The truth was right there under your butt the whole time.”

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

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“The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith!” by Dean Robbins, illustrated by Susanna Chapman. (Ages 7-9. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

Viola Smith might not have planned to play the drums. But in her family’s jazz band, it was the only instrument that wasn’t taken, so she gave it a try — and it was love at first CRASH. “She lost the beat, made a terrible racket, and had more fun than she’d ever had before!”

Bold, flashy and dedicated to learning more about her accidental instrument, Viola kept drumming when the rest of the family dropped out of the band — even though the idea of a female jazz drummer seemed out of sync with 1930s attitudes. Undeterred, she launched a band with female musicians — The Coquettes — and put her skills on display, mounting her massive drum kit on a platform and showcasing her flash with flying drumsticks.

Not content with her own success, she lobbied during World War II for established bands to give “girl musicians” a break, continued to study music, launched a solo act with an even more spectacular drum kit, and learned to play in symphony orchestras as well.

Paired with Dean Robbins’ thoughtful text, Susanna Chapman’s kinetic illustrations capture the whiz-bang enthusiasm and power of Smith’s drumming, bringing glorious life to the story of a woman who played her own beat from age 13 to 107.

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“Lucy! How Lucille Ball Did It All” by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville, illustrated by Brigette Barrager. (Ages 4-8. Abrams. $19.99.)

On Monday nights at 9, Lucille Ball did it all: She broke television barriers with a massive hit show that she starred in and produced, creating a comedy legacy that’s still inspiring people today. But it didn’t come easy. When she was a sassy, silly, attention-seeking child, “girls weren’t allowed to be loud, and they weren’t supposed to be funny.”

Through the ups and down of her youth, including her father’s death, financial struggle, school plays, and trips to vaudeville shows, Lucy nurtured a dream of performing — even though acting school and her early bit parts didn’t capture her special comedic gifts. She pushed and pushed, through dozens of movies, studying comedy, dyeing her hair its signature red to stand out in Technicolor — until she muscled a wise-acre role in a radio comedy into a groundbreaking entertainment deal, heading her own TV studio and starring in her own show, “I Love Lucy.” The rest, of course, is hilarious history.

Brigette Barrager’s watercolor ink illustrations, with pops of color (like Lucy’s hair) highlight the effervescent nature of Lucille Ball’s star quality, and an afterword digs deeper into Ball’s pioneering work as the queen of comedy.

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“Signs of Hope: The Revolutionary Art of Sister Corita Kent” by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. (Ages 4-8. Abrams. $19.99.)

A “fearless explorer” of art, Sister Corita Kent, the ’60s-era “Pop Art nun,” preached a message of embracing the beautiful details of everyday life. “She sees nothing ordinary, nothing ugly,” and her vibrant prints were as big, bright and loud as she was quiet and thoughtful.

Packed with collage art reflecting the nun’s own work, this colorful biography is filled with quotations from Sister Corita’s ministry of peace, equality, art, love and joy. This tribute includes an author’s note and timeline at the end tracking her place in ’60s history and her eventual departure from her religious order to continue her artwork.

Bursting with encouraging words and rainbow colors — like her version of the U.S. Postal Service “love” stamp —  it’s a love letter to a surprising artist who “taught us how to SEE and play and protest joyfully, to make art all our lives and to make our lives ART.”

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

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“The Perfect Place” by Matt de la Peńa, illustrated by Paola Escobar. (Ages 4-8. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. $18.99.)

It’s a perfect day for Lucas, soaring through the school hallway, basking in the glow of a perfect grade on his perfect report. And then imperfect life intervenes: His father’s truck breaks down and he arrives home to find the electricity shut off again, his mother preparing for a night shift, putting on makeup by candlelight. Lucas’s triumph feels forgotten. This is home: “the paint peeling off the walls and the broken dresser drawers … the orange juice stain on the rug.”

That night, Lucas dreams of another place, a perfect place, where “a parade was arranged where the mayor presented him with the Medal of Perfection and recounted for the crowd each perfect thing Lucas had ever done.” It’s a glorious, sunny, clean, orderly place — until a little boy spills a cup of juice, and the tiny stain is all it takes to exile him from this world of perfection.

And with that, the spell is broken. Lucas backs away from the magical world and returns to his own “sagging old building” and bustling neighborhood, and wakes up to the messy reality of family love and a welcoming home that’s just “the right kind of imperfect.”

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“Being Home” by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Michaela Goade. (Ages 4-8. Kokila. $18.99.)

As the story opens, a Cherokee girl says farewell to city life, where “more houses go up. Fewer animal relatives visit. Our family is too far away.” But change — a new rhythm of life — is on the way, as she moves home “to our ancestors’ land and to our people.” Her arrival brings friends and relatives to help unpack, room to roam, the sound of a rollicking creek rather than the buzz of traffic.

Stunning pencil, gouache and digital illustrations capture the joy of exploration and connection as a family leaves behind the staccato drumbeat of city life for a new pace. The girl sighs, “I love the rhythm of being home.”

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“Back Home: Story Time with My Father” by Arléne Elizabeth Casimir, illustrated by Ken Daley. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

All of Daddy’s wonderful stories “begin with ‘lakay’ — back home.” And Lune treasures the tales her father tells of life in Haiti, stories based on childhood memories, stories with messages about truth and love, stories of the aspirations that led him to go to school and emigrate to a new country.

Lune loves these stories so much that she sneaks out of bed to wait up for her father, who is coming home late from his long shifts at work — and he understands right away what she wants. “His voice embraces me. He knows I am here for a story.”

The greatest gift Lune’s parents give her, though, is the understanding that she, too, has stories to tell, about her own life, stories to share with her parents and the world. A sensitive ode to immigrant families’ treasured connections to “back home” as well as the power of storytelling, Casimir’s book invites young readers to build and share their own stories about home, wherever it may be.

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“The Spaceman” by Randy Cecil. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

The spaceman isn’t impressed. In fact, “at first glance I thought this a rather ordinary planet,” he confesses, upon landing on Earth one starry night.

But when the petite traveler’s spaceship is stolen by a pesky bird, he’s forced to wander, admiring the plant life and encountering a “hideous beast” that at first seems to be a slavering monster but turns out to be an “unrefined … but charming” dog who just wanted to play.

After a joyous day of fun and exploration, the spaceman finds his missing spaceship and faces the sad task of returning to endless wandering. After all, “one does have one’s responsibilities.” Then again, if there were to be a mishap with the ship, he’d be forced to call this wondrous planet home, and continue “laughing and playing … and enjoying the gentle breeze with my friend.” It turns out this little spaceman knows an extraordinary home when he sees one.

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

Children with pets of all sorts know very well how strong that bond can be — and these three new books about special relationships between animals and humans will definitely give young readers a big dose of the warm fuzzies.

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“Just Like Millie” by Lauren Castillo. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

When a young girl moves to a new home, she doesn’t feel lonely – because being alone feels safe and predictable. “Before Millie it was just Mom and me, in a new city, in our new apartment,” she says.

But when Mom takes her to an animal shelter to meet gentle Millie, not too big, not too small, “a just right dog,” the girl’s life begins to open up, and her fear of new people and new experiences begins to fade. “On every walk we met at least one new person. It was less scary each time,” she says.

With her wordless friendliness, Millie becomes a best canine buddy and helps her favorite person make a new human friend too.

Author/illustrator Lauren Castillo’s story is as gentle and sensitive as her canine character — and her gorgeous ink, watercolor and pastel illustrations capture both the heartbeat of the lively neighborhood and the tentative steps forward of the young protagonist.

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“Luigi: The Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten” by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

When a big, hairy spider finds an old house to live in, he thinks that all he wants is a dark corner to hide in and a few bugs to eat. Imagine his surprise when the friendly (human) inhabitant of the house lifts him from under the couch and proclaims, “It feels like a kitten! I have always wanted a kitten.”

Before he realizes what has happened, the spider has a new name, a breakfast minus the bugs, and a toy to play with — as well as some cheerful companionship. But what happens when his new friend realizes Luigi is more arachnid than alleycat?

This heartwarming tale — complete with personable illustrations that truly make the spider look charmingly kittenish — ends on a tender and understanding note for the surprise soulmates.

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“The Secret Elephant” by Ellan Rankin. (Ages 4-8. Random House Studio. $18.99.)

Inspired by the true story of a Belfast zookeeper who took a baby elephant into her home every night during the aerial bombardment of World War II, “The Secret Elephant” tells the tale from the point of view of the petite pachyderm.

She and the keeper “crept and we creep’d. We sneaked and we snuck’d,” she says. “I was a VERY stealthy young elephant.”

But of course young elephants grow up, neighbors talk … and the arrangement can’t last after the head zookeeper finds out.

Still, when the elephant can’t come home with her any longer, the young woman brings home to the elephant, staying with her at the zoo during the long, frightening nights. Even after the war, after she stops working at the zoo, the woman continues to visit her elephant friend — and the connection remains strong, even though they’ve “both got a few more wrinkles now.”

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

Earth Day is this month, the 22nd, a holiday met with both celebration of a beautiful planet and concern over the threats facing it. These new books strike both of those notes — cheers and warnings — as they use lush illustrations to pay tribute to the ark of life we all share.

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“Love, The Earth” by Frances Stickley, illustrated by Tim Hopgood. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)

This valentine from Earth to its inhabitants promises that the world is “all yours to share. The mountains and the Arctic air … the trees, the breeze, the polar bear, the forests, and the sea.”

The Earth promises to care for its living things — if its inhabitants can do the same. “Please share my food, my lakes, my land … and try to lend a helping hand.”

Gorgeous mixed-media art shows the beauty of growing things as well as the disorder of pollution, and encourages readers to take a stand for the planet, because “there’s only ONE of you, and only ONE of me.”

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“The Earth Book” by Hannah Alice. (Ages 7-10. Candlewick Press. $15.99.)

Circular see-through sections in this clever book explore Earth “from its place in space to deep under its surface.” From volcanoes and earthquakes to animal life to the water cycle to the planet’s core, the book examines what makes Earth special.

The book ends with information about climate change and suggestions for taking care of the planet by recycling and conserving energy.

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“Extinctopedia” by Serenella Quarello, illustrated by Alessio Alcini, translated by Margaret Greenan. (Ages 8-12. Red Comet Press. $22.99.)

This tribute to the vanished treasures of the planet — its extinct animals — and the race to save threatened creatures includes stunningly detailed drawings of the long-gone dodo and baiji (Chinese river dolphin), and such currently endangered beauties as the axolotl, the pangolin, and Madagascar’s aye-aye.

The book goes into depth about efforts to help the most endangered animals, why so many are threatened and why biodiversity matters. “Each and every animal is necessary for the health of the planet, and if we lose them, it will change the planet as we know it forever.”

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“The Last Zookeeper” by Aaron Becker. (Ages 5-9. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

Aaron Becker — creator of gorgeous wordless stories about time, nature and adventure — opens his newest book with a quotation from Jane Goodall exhorting people to understand and care about the world and its creatures, because “only if we help, shall all be saved.”

This story follows the efforts of a lonely robot tending to an isolated zoo in a flooded world. As the waters rise, the hulking machine tenderly gathers the stranded pandas, giraffes, elephants and tigers, builds them a ship, and heads into an uncertain future.

It looks bleak, but as a rainbow spreads across the sky, new possibilities appear — and Becker’s gentle story of stewardship and care of the planet and its beautiful creatures finds a hopeful ending.

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

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“Maisy Loves Trees” by Lucy Cousins. (Ages infant through 3. Candlewick Press. $9.99.)

This bright and cheery board book — one of many in the Maisy universe — shows the cheerful mouse climbing trees, making art with leaves and admiring seasonal changes.

Along the way, it explains to the very youngest readers what trees are, how they grow and their wondrous variety — all in easy-to-understand language, delivered with enthusiasm, because “trees are so amazing! Maisy loves them all!”

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“Green: The Story of Plant Life on Our Planet” by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton. (Ages 5-8. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)

Sure, the average tree “doesn’t look like it’s doing very much.” But Nicola Davies’s exploration of plant life reveals an action-packed life of photosynthesis, respiration and growth.

She journeys back billions of years, to the first microbes that began pumping oxygen into Earth’s atmosphere, through seaweed, the first land plants and the first forests. Even as the burning of fossil fuels — themselves the remains of ancient swamps and forests — changes the planet, there remain “communities of plants: great green nations.”

The book urges readers to protect those plant communities, as they store up carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, because “green is the most important color in the world.”

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“Little Brown Nut” by Mary Auld, illustrated by Dawn Cooper. (Ages 5-8. Red Comet Press. $15.99. Due Tuesday.)

With enticing illustrations, this book lets a seed — a single Brazil nut, buried and forgotten by a forward-looking rodent — tell the story of its life and the many living things in whose lives it is entwined.

“Here I am under the ground, covered with leaves,” it says, but before long it is a seedling, then a young tree with a sloth hanging from its branches, then an adult tree with a harpy eagle’s nest. When it begins producing its own nuts — which can fall at nearly 50 miles per hour — the cycle begins again.

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“Everyone Starts Small” by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Dominique Ramsey. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $18.99. Due Tuesday.)

This poetic look at growth and change embraces the cycle of life through every stage, starting with the enthusiastic beginning, when “everyone sprouts and bursts and hatches and spreads.”

Water and Cloud do their thing as Tree patiently strives upward and reminds them, “It’s not a race.” Through wind, drought, fire and rain, Tree holds on, and as new life joins the rush to grow, the tree reminds them that it’s not a race, and “everyone wins.”

The gorgeous ode to ecosystems and the connection of all living things invites readers to tend to the world and to embrace it in all of its complexity.

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com

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“What’s New, Daniel?” by Micha Archer. (Ages 3-6. Nancy Paulsen Books. $18.99.)

When Daniel and his grandfather take a walk through the park, it’s a simple question that starts the boy’s journey: What’s new?

As he skips through the spring scenery, Daniel checks in with the rock warmed by the sun and the redwing blackbirds returning to the marshes:

” ‘Winter is over!’ Blackbird says, landing on the cattails. The cattails answer too. ‘We’re sending our seeds off in the wind.’ ”

Daniel has lost a baby tooth and can run faster; the polliwogs are growing legs and the ferns are unfurling. The observant boy, in the spring of his life, checks off all the changes he sees, then returns to his grandfather to share what he’s found.

As gentle as a breeze, this beautiful book details the joy of growing things — plants, animals, children — and the magic of seeing them all through a child’s fresh eyes.

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“This Little Kitty in the Garden” by Karen Obuhanych. (Ages 3-7. Knopf Books for Young Readers. $18.99.)

Five little kitties — fluffy, saucer-eyed and adorable — welcome spring by planting a garden in Karen Obuhanych’s rhyming tale of feline horticulture and hijinks.

As they prepare the dirt (and perhaps roll around in it a bit), then plant their seedlings, the kittens see signs of the new season all around them: “These little kitties hear the bumbles buzz, watch the butterbees aflutter, and poke at crawly fuzz.” At the end (as the dirty pawprints on the overleaf hint), when the work is done, the cats feel they’ve earned a doze in the sun,  “asleep in the garden bed.”

Obuhanych’s luscious cut-paper, pencil and charcoal illustrations are as bright and sunny as a steamy spring day, capturing the joys of the season.

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“You Are a Robin!” by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Jay Fleck. (Ages 2-5. Dial Books for Young Readers. $18.99.)

The latest installment in this information-packed series offers a bird’s-eye view of the iconic bird of spring — starting with a blue egg and its featherless occupant: “You peck, turn, and push for hours, until finally … crack! … You are wet and naked! You can’t see. But you are not alone.”

Eating, snuggling, growing feathers and learning to fly come next, until it’s time to migrate, return home, and build a nest for your own eggs.

Detailed back matter includes information about why robins are important, how to help them thrive, and a collection of handy facts, including this menu note: A robin can eat 14 feet of worms in a single day. Gulp!

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“Before the Seed” by Susannah Buhrman-Deever, illustrated by Gina Triplett and Matt Curtius. (Ages 7-9. MIT Kids Press. $18.99. Due Tuesday.)

Spring means seedlings — but how do plants make seeds? This ode to pollen — how plants and animals spread it, and how pollination leads to the seeds that bring us new plants — offers a lushly illustrated look at the powdery stuff that makes us sneeze.

“We live in a world of green,” writes Susannah Buhrman-Deever, but before seeds do their thing, “most flowering plants and their pollinators help each other.”

From midges and mosquitoes to lemurs, this fact-packed book details how plants and pollinators have evolved together to create amazing partnerships that make each spring gloriously green.

Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com