Rare and Blue Finding Nature's Treasures

A variety of rare blue species--from the blue lobster to the blue black bear--are rare and unique for a reason.

Travel across Earth to discover eight species that are blue in color and are either naturally rare, threatened, or endangered. Panoramic illustrations and a playful main text prompt a search for the blue species at hand, while the page-turn and informative sidebars zoom in to reveal a closer look at the species. There's a lot to uncover about the Karner blue butterfly, blue black bear, blue whale, Quitobacquito pupfish, Cerulean warbler, blue lobster, Eastern Indigo snake, and big bluestem grass. A surprise ending celebrates that planet Earth is the rarest and bluest and must be protected for the sake of all.

Constance Van Hoven received her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. She is the author of The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota and Hello! Minnesota.

Alan Marks is the illustrator of many books for children, including Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle, Little Lost Bat, and A Mother's Journey (a Boston Globe - Horn Book Honor Book) by Sandra Markle, and Storm (winner of the Carnegie Medal) by Kevin Crossley-Holland. www.marksonpaper.co.uk