Be Thankful for Plants
How Plants are Essential to Life on Our Planet
By Harriet Ziefert & Brian Fitzgerald
$19.99 • 80 pages • Paper Over Board • Ages 4–8 • 17.68” x 10.25" • ISBN: 978-1-63655-133-3 • Available April 8, 2025
A gorgeous exploration of plant life and showing how essential they are to sustaining life on Earth.
Would animals be satisfied without plants? They would not!
Leaves for gorillas, Food for antelopes,
Grasses for zebras on African slopes.
Plankton for small krill, Greens for manatees
Plants provide food in big oceans and seas.
The third book in the successful Be Thankful . . . series, Plants uses lilting, rhyming couplets to explore the many ways that plants are essential to our lives and the existence of life on earth. But it doesn't stop there! Kids will also learn about the many uses of plants—and the environmental danger to plants posed by pollution and lack of respect for this precious resource. In this series, kids are encouraged to be kind, not only to one another but to the environment as well. Kids will view the many types of plants in our lives and will see them in a whole new light after going on a botanical eco-tour in this gorgeous poem about plants. This book is printed on responsibly sourced, 100% recycled FSC paper.
What they’re saying about this Series…
“Arboreal adoration that will indeed leave readers feeling thankful for our wooded world. Narrated in rhyming couplets that scan well, this book manages to pack a lot of thought-provoking concepts into a short format in a cohesive, engaging way. Fitzgerald’s colorful, stylized digital illustrations brim with outdoorsy charm and highlight the many beautiful textures and grain patterns of tree barks and cut wood.”
–Kirkus
“There are so many ways trees are part of our lives…Kids are encouraged to be kind, not only to one another, but to the environment as well.”
–Stylish Modern Motherhood
“Be Thankful for Trees,” describes and honors the countless ways that trees contribute to our world. Ziefert’s informative, rhyming text is sure to keep readers engaged throughout as well as prompt fruitful discussions and STEM lessons after the book is complete.”
–Olivia The Librarian
“This celebratory ode that encourages readers to explore and appreciate nature is a welcome addition”
–School Library Journal
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Harriet Ziefert
Was among the founding pioneers in the development and teaching of what today is known as the Common Core Curriculum. Since then, she has written more than 200 books.
Ziefert launched the award-winning Jump-Into-Chapters series, which includes Scribbles and Ink, now a WGBH televised series. As a packager, Ziefert delivered the Caldecott honor-winning There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The mother of two and grandmother of five, Ziefert lives in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.
Brian Fitzgerald
An internationally recognized, award-winning illustrator of children's books. He is a graduate of Ireland's National College of Art and Design and has also worked on publishing, editorial, and design projects. Brian lives and works in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin.