Books published by publisher Harry N. Abrams, 2012

These unique board books bring the popular Montessori pedagogy to trade book form for the first time. Using materials and methods common to Montessori classrooms, these interactive board books immerse young children in an aesthetically rich learning experience, while providing parents and caregivers with carefully crafted language to encourage understanding.In Montessori classrooms, students learn to write before they learn to read, so the process is driven by their own words and thoughts before those of others. Letters are taught first as sounds (instead of names), and alphabet tiles encourage children to trace each letter with their fingers. This book honors that tradition by emulating the standard classroom material with touchable, traceable letters and beautiful colors that evoke the elegant simplicity of the Montessori aesthetic.Praise for Montessori: Letter Work"The combination of phonetics and simple retro illustration makes for an excellent entree into pre-literacy."—The Wall Street Journal

One part science, one part cultural history, and countless parts fascination, Bees celebrates the important role that these intriguing insects have played in our ecosystem throughout the ages. From Athena to Alexander the Great and from Egypt to Ethiopia, Bees explores different methods of beekeeping and uncovers the debt that humans owe this vital species. With beautifully accessible illustrations depicting everything from bee anatomy to the essentials of honey making, readers will be captivated by the endless wonders of this seemingly small speck of the animal kingdom.

Cityblock explores city life in an exciting and unique way, from up in a high-rise building to down in the subway. Divided into three sections—things that go, things to see, and things to eat—it features 24 different aspects of city living. As with the other acclaimed books in the series, die-cut icons hint at the larger context on the next spread. Each section opens with a full city scene but gradually focuses in on the small, unique neighborhoods that make the city large and grand. This clever book will attract young readers living in a metropolis as well as those in the countryside with urban life that pops off each page.

Part botany, part history, part cultural anthropology—Trees goes beyond the basics to tell readers everything they might want to know about this particular branch of the plant kingdom. Trees explores the important roles trees play in our ecosystem, takes an up-close-and-personal look at the parts of trees (from roots to leaves), and unpacks the cultural impact of trees from classification systems (like family trees) to art forms (like bonsai trees). Looking forward, Trees also addresses the deforestation crisis. Heavily illustrated in the same style as Bees: A Honeyed History, Trees: A Rooted History serves as a beautifully packaged celebration of trees of all kinds. Trim Size: 10.5x 14.5 inches

From the author and illustrator of the bestselling In My Heart! The life of a toddler can be full of frightening things: the dark, the neighbor’s dog, and thunderstorms, just to name a few. As children get older, they begin to feel braver around these everyday events, but how do they build this newfound confidence? In this lyrical, insightful picture book, an older sister explains to her younger sister all the things she used to be afraid of, along with some tricks to help, whether it’s a special blanket for bedtime or singing during a storm. Now, big sister assures little sister, the fears that once felt as big as a mountain feel as minuscule as a speck of dust. This playful portrait of fear and bravery empowers young readers to confront once-scary situations and, with charming illustrations and die-cuts throughout, is also beautifully packaged. The Growing Hearts series celebrates the milestones of a toddler’s emotional development, from conquering fears and expressing feelings to welcoming a new sibling.

A little girl honors her dad and all the fun they have together in this sweet companion to In My Heart. Our spunky heroine loves spending time with her dad. They ride bikes and swim in the pool! They can imagine exciting adventures, or just lounge around on a hot day. Being with her dad makes her feel safe and comforted, strong and powerful. She can confront the neighbor’s dog and get thrown up in the air! And when she gets too scared, or too angry, nothing calms her down better than a big hug from dad. This addition to the bestselling Growing Hearts series will make an appealing gift for Father’s Day.

A gorgeous picture book biography of botanist and photographer Anna Atkins--the first person to ever publish a book of photography After losing her mother very early in life, Anna Atkins (1799–1871) was raised by her loving father. He gave her a scientific education, which was highly unusual for women and girls in the early 19th century. Fascinated with the plant life around her, Anna became a botanist. She recorded all her findings in detailed illustrations and engravings, until the invention of cyanotype photography in 1842. Anna used this new technology in order to catalogue plant specimens—a true marriage of science and art. In 1843, Anna published the book Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions with handwritten text and cyanotype photographs. It is considered the first book of photographs ever published. Weaving together histories of women, science, and art, The Bluest of Blues will inspire young readers to embark on their own journeys of discovery and creativity.

Christmas is for everyone—even grumpy Lump of Coal—in this whimsical story from Hello!Lucky In this whimsical holiday romp, everyone’s getting in on the festive fun, including a grumpy but adorable lump of coal. Celebrate all of the things that make Christmas special as the trees are trimmed, the stockings are hung, and the ugly sweater contest gives out the grand prize. Hello!Lucky lends their winning illustrations and pun-derful voice to this charming holiday read.

40+ things to invent, draw, and make! Featuring art from the beloved New York Times bestselling picture book, Rosie Revere, Engineer, this activity book contains kid-friendly projects of all kinds and is the perfect gift for curious young readers! Soon enough they’ll be engineering whizzes just like Rosie, and along the way she’ll reassure them that failure, flops, mess-ups and cross-outs are part of the process. Do you like to make things? Dream up gadgets to improve your life and the lives of others? Then you are ready to join Rosie Revere and become a great engineer! Engineering is persevering, and this book is the perfect place for trying out, crossing out, and trying again. And now you can follow Rosie’s further adventures—with her friends Iggy Peck and Ada Twist—in the instant New York Times bestseller Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters, an all-new chapter book starring The Questioneers! Collect them all! Add these other STEM favorites from #1 New York Times bestselling team Andrea Beaty and David Roberts to your family library today! Rosie Revere, EngineerAda Twist, ScientistIggy Peck, Architect Rosie Revere and the Raucous RivetersAda Twist and the Perilous PantsAda Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar ScientistsIggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects

Handpicked by Amazon kids’ books editor, Seira Wilson, for Prime Book Box – a children’s subscription that inspires a love of reading.Learn about the opposites in Baby’s world in this interactive photographic board book! This bright, playful board book introduces sets of opposites for babies to identify, from up and down to quiet and noisy! Each pair of concepts is demonstrated with fun photographs of young ones, making for an adorable read. And Baby Up, Baby Down is perfect for bedtime, with an ending that will settle Baby off to sleep.

As with all things Montessori, students begin with the concrete and move to the abstract. When learning shapes, Montessori students first develop an understanding of the spatial object in comparison to other shapes and a relevant application for each shape—before learning the names. Inspired by this process, Montessori: Shape Work offers readers die-cut shapes to trace with their fingers, grouped by family for comparison, and illustrated with a familiar object for relevancy. Featured shapes include three triangles (equilateral, isosceles, right-angled); three rounds (circle, oval, ellipse); three parallelograms (square, rectangle, rhombus); and three polygons (pentagon, hexagon, octagon). With a letter to parents included, this third Montessori board book joins Montessori: Letter Work and Montessori: Number Work in a growing library of original concept books.

Handpicked by Amazon kids’ books editor, Seira Wilson, for Prime Book Box – a children’s subscription that inspires a love of reading.Thirteen-year-old Annabelle struggles in school, no matter how hard she tries. But as soon as she dives into the pool, she’s unstoppable. She’s the fastest girl on the middle school swim team, and when she’s asked to join the high school team over the summer, everything changes. Suddenly, she’s got new friends, and a high school boy starts treating her like she’s somebody special—and Annabelle thinks she’ll finally stand out in a good way. She’ll do anything to fit in and help the team make it to the Labor Day Invitational, even if it means blowing off her old friends. But after a prank goes wrong, Annabelle is abandoned by the older boy and can’t swim. Who is she without the one thing she’s good at? Heartwarming and relatable, Up for Air is a story about where we find our self-worth.