Books like Over and Under the Waves — picked by fans

As I stated earlier, I simply love nonfiction children’s picture books, and this one is no exception. Dive into the life of one of the most beloved and indispensable creatures on earth—the hardworking honeybee. From birth to death to new life, Fleming takes us on a poetic journey through every important moment in the life of this incredible creature.

Rohmann's meticulous oil paintings bring us so close to the action that we feel like we're one of the actors in this epic tale. This is exactly the sort of book I would have been obsessed with as a child, and I truly believe if every human read this, they’d have a whole new outlook on these stunning creatures. 

I love true stories about animals. This is a beautiful story of a conservationist (Lawrence Anthony) who rescues a traumatized herd of elephants in danger of being killed. Tomsic and Hooper show us how compassion, kindness, and a little bit of patience can form the strongest of bonds.

Anthony was a well-known conservationist in South Africa who developed a special bond with these rescued elephants. His unique connection with these pachyderms has been passed down to new generations of elephants and the rangers who protect them.

The back matter offers more information about Lawrence Anthony, the elephants he protected, and the game reserve in South Africa where they and their offspring are thriving.

This picture book memoir based on her New York Times best-selling adult memoir, How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals, introduces young readers to some of the incredible animals that have influenced the author throughout her lifetime and challenges us all to look at our relationships with animals differently.

What lessons have animals taught us—whether it’s our domesticated pets at home or animals you’ve seen in nature? How can animals make us better versions of ourselves? This beautifully told story by one of the greatest nature writers of our time shows us simply just how much animals have to teach us if we only pay close attention.

I wish I could singlehandedly scrub away the fear humans have of spiders. Alas, that is not possible, but you’ll think twice about killing a spider after reading this book. This stunningly illustrated picture book invites readers into the fascinating world of (arguably) one of the cutest arachnids around, the jumping spider.

“What if you were very small?... What would your world be like?” Immediately, you are transported into the mind of a jumping spider, how they navigate their world, and what makes them so important to their ecosystem. This book is a must-read for anyone curious to learn more about these incredible little creatures and the smaller world right in our own backyard. 

I know I’m not the only one who fell in love with Selena the first time I heard her music.

The story of a young girl chasing her dreams despite the obstacles is universal and warms my heart. That’s what this book is: heartwarming. It’s often hard to talk about the end of Selena’s life, especially with children, but López focuses on the joy and accomplishments in Selena’s life, with just a brief mention of her untimely death.

López is inspiring musicians, fashion designers, performers, and so many more by showing them that it doesn’t matter where you come from-just as long as you put in the work.

This author-illustrator has a gift for creating a high-concept, wordless story that young children can follow and enjoy in bold, simple images. I love how Otoshi chooses physical play to show the development and resolution of "conflict" at a child’s level. Not so easy to do!

The story begins with two boys separately drawing lines. When they bump into each other, they don’t turn angry. They play together. What fun when the lines come to life and become one long rope!

Then, one boy gets tangled and falls, and the other laughs at him. Anger builds, and the rope magically morphs into a bad, ugly space between them that grows until one boy starts to colour on the space. The other joins him. They laugh at how messy they look before running down the wonderful road they just created. 

I love how many connections there are to the kitchen and literacy in this sweet story.

I read this book to my kids and then had fun planning (by writing and drawing just like Max) our own special cake to bake! Perhaps try your hands at baking an angel food cake with raspberry fluff icing just like Ruby’s, or maybe try Max’s “dirt” cake made of chocolate cake and gummy worms!

When my kids were younger, I always kept a little notepad in their play kitchen where they could play “restaurant" and take my order or make grocery lists. Before they could actually write, they would draw pictures to represent words, just like Max does in Bunny Cakes.

This book also includes: kitchen tool/appliance identification; reviewing basic cake baking ingredients; and pre-writing stage of drawing pictures to represent words.

I love old photographs. Nothing else is as exact or reliable when it comes to studying a time and place for research purposes. Whether it’s the long-ago appearance of a particular street or building, the design of a wrought iron balcony, the style of an antique ballgown, or the setting of a mausoleum, the details are all there.

Huber’s book contains over a thousand entries. Not only are photographs shown, but also photographed copies of drawings, paintings, and portraits that predate the invention of the camera. They depict famous landmarks but a vast selection of people as well, from servants and street vendors to the highest society. Each picture is carefully described and, where possible, dated.

I’ve spent many happy hours paging through them, often forgetting what I intended to find.

No, this is not a throwaway or a joke. Cinderella is the ultimate template for modern romance. It was the first bedtime story I remember being read to me, and it immediately sparked my curiosity about romantic love. 

The protagonist is a young girl living in service to her wicked stepfamily. She must wait on them hand and foot just to have a roof over her head - talk about abandonment, rejection, and betrayal! But with it all, our girl stays sweet, charming, open, and optimistic.

I wanted to be Cinderella. I wanted to wear that ball gown, have all these little critters become my loyal friends, and eventually end up with a dashing prince. Admittedly, my dress shoes hurt my feet when I was little, but I would’ve been willing to endure a cramped sole to find my soulmate. And eventually, with my soles intact, I did.

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I love this book because I love books whose illustrations are as enticing as the text.

“Silly” is a quality I look for in a book to share with little kids. Silly certainly applies to Gammell’s splashy, exquisite illustrations. The cadence of the text invites the reader (of any age) to engage with the rhyme and not just read it but perform it!

It also teaches the alphabet. Who knew that going through the alphabet could be such messy fun?