“Classroom Connections” aligns Classroom Standards with comics, graphic novels, manga, and picture books that students will want to read. All titles are available in Comics Plus.

Every Spring, we transform into scientists, becoming keen observers of the world around us. We hear, see, and smell the environment sprouting back to life as the frost melts and animals leave their cozy winter homes to bask in the warming Spring air. 

Just as Springtime awakens the natural world and heightens our awareness of it, reading can heighten our awareness of the world of science. Through reading, we also become keen observers of the environment, animals, and even other people around us that we might not usually be aware of.

Students can delve into the world of science with scientific informational texts that ignite their natural curiosity and build their understanding of key concepts, while exciting them with the sights and sounds of Spring.

Whether reading for key ideas and details, exploring the specific structure of nonfiction texts, or analyzing a more complex text — including science-related materials in daily reading activities is one way to nurture budding scientists. This month, our Engagement Specialists share select titles from our curated Spring Into Reading list that will warm readers’ souls, asking them to question the world around them while embracing the rejuvenation of Springtime.

Young Readers

What Does it Mean to be Green?: Eco-Pig Explains Living Green by Lisa French and Barry Gott (ABDO)

Standard: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

This rhyming picture book is the perfect read-aloud to share during Springtime celebrations like Earth Day (April 22). Narrated by E.P., an eco-friendly pig, students will be inspired by the poetic story and thoughtful suggestions to help make our Earth cleaner and healthier.

The full-page illustrations by Gott are bursting with color and imagination — filled with colorful characters, simplistic architecture, and vibrant landscapes — making it easy for young readers to engage with the story.

E.P. presents various environmental concepts and provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to prompt students to ask and answer questions about the key details. By encouraging discussion, teachers can help students develop their comprehension skills while learning about environmental conservation, inspiring them to spring into action!

If your students enjoy this one, they should check out the other two titles in the Eco-Pig series, too.

• Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Children’s Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection

Fever on the Land by Stephen Aitken (ABDO)

Standard: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a topic or subject area.

Each page in this picture book explains how rising temperatures have affected animals, insects, and plants. Aitken includes “hot” and “cool” facts to provide specific examples from different countries and regions of significant importance.

His two-page spreads showcase beautiful landscapes with realistic animals, insects, and plants, and the observant reader will discover more and more life — whether a tiny insect or a larger animal in the distance — with each reading.

While students are engrossed in the details on each page, they will also be challenged with academic words and phrases relevant to the study of science. With a table of contents to guide them, backmatter featuring additional facts about climate change, and a glossary of terms, they will be prepared to discuss the impact of rising temperatures on Earth in an academic context.

If your students enjoy this one, they should check out the other two titles in the Climate Change: Earth Has a Fever series, too.

• Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Children’s Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection

Out of School and Into Nature by Suzanne Slade and Jessica Lanan (Cherry Lake)

Standard: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

This beautifully written and illustrated picture book tells the story of Anna Comstock, the pioneering naturalist, scientist, and professor. From a young age, Comstock was fascinated by the natural world. Slade’s framing of her accomplishments — becoming a scientist, nature expert, and professor who encouraged outdoor science and nature classes for children — will give readers a deeper understanding of the importance and impact of scientists on our everyday lives.

Lanan’s artwork exemplifies the natural beauty of the seasons, using watercolors to bring Comstock’s story to life with great detail. Various approaches to page layouts include double-page spreads with delightful Spring landscapes; circular snapshots of her life; and illustrations replicating her detailed insect drawings. Quotes from Comstock’s writings are presented in a complementary typeface, providing another visual connection to her story.

To understand the relationship between Comstock’s life and her groundbreaking ideas about nature education, students can use the informational text in the backmatter that details her life and accomplishments as a naturalist, writer, scholar, and forward-thinking female pioneer. Students then can create a timeline to reinforce their understanding of the sequence of events, including her actions that led to significant changes in outdoor science education for children.

This story is a must-read for the first Spring day in your outdoor classroom or nature walk!

• Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Children’s Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection

Middle Grade

Dekko Comics #8 by Dekko Team and Rossie Stone (Dekko Comics)

Standard: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a topic or subject area.

Dekko Comics is a collection of educational comic strips that will have readers laughing out loud while learning Math, Science, Grammar, and more. The eighth issue includes favorite characters like Piwi the Posh Kiwi, Ricky Rhino, and Beechboy Barkley. Piwi explains the difference between “root words” and the “roots of words.” Real Estate agent Ricky Rhino helps a pachyderm family find a home by calculating the perimeter and the area of various shapes. Barkley comes to the rescue of a failing pineapple plant. Springtime, Dancing Daisys, and Tuneful Tulips help Barkley learn how plants take in nutrients to survive and need space and sunlight to grow.

Creator Rossie Stone founded Dekko Comics in Great Britain because he learned that he needed a new way to study as a struggling student in secondary school. Drawing and doodling were two of his favorite pastimes, so he decided to put them to work. Not only did he enjoy drawing comics, but he was also entertained by reading them to study for his exams. (And his grades improved!) His illustrations are quirky, fun, and colorful, with each comic strip having its own color palette to distinguish it from the others.

Whether studying botany and the parts of plants, or revisiting concepts such as area and perimeter for standardized testing, you can easily incorporate the relevant comic strips into a lesson plan, or opening or closing activity. They can help build academic language, review subject matter, and provide opportunities to practice learned concepts.

If your students enjoy this one, there are 11 more issues to check out, or they can learn to draw their own comics with Dekko Drawing.

• Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection

Adventures in Science: The Secret Lives of Plants! by Janet Slingerland and Oksana Kemarskaya (Capstone)

Standard: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, and diagrams) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

We experience the resurgence of sprouts and wildflowers during Spring, but what secrets do they hold about their importance to the planet? The expository text of The Secret Lives of Plants! uncovers the role of plants and their significance in food chains, ecosystems, and our daily lives. Utilizing nonfiction text features, Slingerland and Kemarskaya thoroughly explore the plant life cycle, structure, and secrets affecting all living organisms.

Kemarshaya complements the text with detailed illustrations that feature clear labeling and navigational cues to provide a clearer perception of the importance of plants in our daily lives. The use of magnifying the characteristics of various plants using vibrant splashes of color to draw attention to the specific details in the text is marvelous. Information is portrayed utilizing full-page illustrations, and multiple panels to emphasize movement through processes.

A review of Slingerland’s scientific terminology provides teachers the opportunity to discuss ‘root words’ and the development of scientific vocabulary. Students can interpret the technical drawings, by engaging with the details provided in each diagram to build on a deeper understanding of botany concepts.

If your students enjoy this one, they should check out the other three titles in the Adventures in Science series.

• Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection

Teen & YA

Zeropedia by Fabcaro and Julien Solé (Europe Comics)

Standard: Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context. 

Even though your students may already be dreaming of Summer vacation, Zeropedia is a great way to re-engage them in the present. A fun and educational comic covering various scientific topics, Fabcaro presents questions containing higher-level scientific terminology while offering answers that are humorous depictions of accurate explanations, plausible reasoning, and down-right silly possibilities, all through clever wordplay.

Solé’s artwork is reminiscent of newspaper comic strips, as yellow-highlighted lettering explains the scientific concept, while clever, colorful characters explain or question the science, propelling the reader forward through action and dialogue.

Zeropedia is an excellent resource for teaching students how to determine the meaning of scientific terminology and symbols in context. It tackles a wide range of scientific subjects in an illustrated “encyclopedia” format, using humor and irony to make complex topics accessible. Each scientific concept is explained on a single page, which makes it ideal for focused lessons on specific terminology, or Spring test prep aligned with content standards.

• Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection

Extinctions: Twilight of the Species by Jean-Baptiste De Panafieu and Alexandre Franc (Europe Comics)

Standard: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Combining a fictional narrative with educational content to explore the history of mass extinctions, Extinctions follows two journalists traveling to an island in the Arctic Circle, recording and interviewing scientists. Through their questions and interactions, readers learn about the five major extinction events in Earth’s history, and the causes behind them.

De Panafieu’s narrative approach allows the reader to see parallels between past extinctions and current issues related to changes in climate, habitat destruction, and humanity’s influence on accelerating species loss.

Franc’s artwork visualizes the complex topics related to extinction through simplistic drawings of extinct and living species alongside the scientists and interviewers in colorful winter jackets. The inclusion of graphs, charts and photo-realistic images of naturalists and scientists from the past enriches the content, adding depth without disrupting the narrative’s flow.

Extinctions is an excellent tool to teach students how to determine a text’s theme and analyze its development in detail throughout the text. They can readily determine the central theme (mass extinction) and support it with scientific details and historical information to develop their conclusion. The unique aspect of combining a fictional narrative with complex scientific informational text will encourage thought-provoking discussion and analysis of the theme.

• Comics Plus Collection(s): High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection

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