2004 KIND Children's Book Award Recipient

Lucky Boy
By Susan Boase
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002
28 pages, $15.00 hardcover; Ages 4-8

Between school, work, shopping and vacations, the Gustins are always on the go. And their forgotten fox terrier is always alone—stuck in a backyard that is "cold and muddy in the winter and hot and dusty in the summer." One day, the little brown dog digs a tunnel under the fence and reappears in the yard of his neighbor, Mr. Miller, a lonely widower with all the time in the world for a furry companion. (After a nice bath, it turns out that the dog is actually white, not brown.) Warmly told and sketched in sepia, this book is a "modern classic" for both the animal shelter and the classroom: a perfect way of showing that pets need more than food and water, or even exercise and shelter; they need love.

2004 KIND Children's Honor Books

Adopted by an Owl
By Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen
Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen
Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2001
46 pages, $17.95 hardcover; Ages 9-12

Stolen from his nest as a baby, Jackson is kept as a pet until his captor, a child, finds that an owl is more work than fun. Enter Nick, a wildlife rehabilitator with a soft spot for great horned owls and the skills to heal the injured, raise the orphaned, and return these majestic birds to their wild woods. Funny and heartwarming, this true tale is enriched by the natural history and humane lessons it teaches and the gorgeous full-spread paintings that grace every page.

Butterflies in the Garden
By Carol Lerner
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2002
29 pages, $16.95 hardcover; Ages 9-12

Take the mystery out of butterfly gardens with this fact-packed, colorfully illustrated guide. Lerner gives the hows and whys of planting for winged beauties, with simple tips for attracting different species. Written for "budding" gardeners, this book made us want to grab a spade and dig in!

Diary of a Wombat
By Jackie French
Illustrated by Bruce Whatley
New York: Clarion Books, 2002
30 Pages, $14.00 hardcover; Ages 4-7

In North America, we have woodchucks. In Australia, they have wombats. See how one human family deals with their curious, hungry neighbor (read: home invader) in a story delivered, hilariously, from the wombat's point of view. Use this book to encourage peaceful coexistence with wildlife and to discourage feeding animals who might wear out their welcome.

Hoptoad
By Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt
New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2003
29 Pages, $16.00 hardcover; Ages 3-6

Large print, bold watercolors, big lesson. Told in sparse, simple language, this story centers on a toad...in the road...with a truck coming 'round the bend! Preschoolers and young readers will enjoy the suspense, the happy ending and the idea the even the earth's littlest, lumpiest creatures deserve a "brake."

Orville
By Haven Kimmel
Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker
New York: Clarion Books, 2003
32 Pages, $15.00 hardcover; Ages 4-8

Meet Orville, an ugly dog with a knack for reading people's dreams. Tethered for most of his life, with ice in his water pan and bald spots where the chains have rubbed through, he tells in his own words what it means when he barks, how it feels to run free, and how good it is to finally be home.

Stranger in the Woods
By Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick
Milford, MI: Carl R. Sams II Photography, 2000
46 pages, $19.95 hardcover; Ages 9-12

Wildlife photographers Sams and Stoick have been snapping away at the same family of white-tailed deer and generations of chickadees. See what happens when they train their lenses on a snowman built by children and cheerfully "deconstructed," carrot nose and all, by critters great and small. A visual treat! Snowman recipe included.

Where Horses Run Free
By Joy Cowley
Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2003
30 pages, $15.95 hardcover; Ages 4-8

Dayton O. Hyde has been called "a rancher's rancher and a naturalist's naturalist." The true story of this South Dakota cowboy and his wild horse sanctuary will fascinate young readers, especially those interested in mustangs, real heroes, and our wild American plains.