Inventions:

Atwater, Richard and Florence. MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS. Little, Brown, 1938. Mr. Popper must adapt his home to accommodate ten baby penguins.
Lowry, Lois. ANASTASIA ON HER OWN. Houghton Mifflin, 1992. When Anastasia decides to create a meal from her favorite color, the result is disgusting and hilarious.
Lowry, Lois. ATTABOY, SAM. Dell, 1994. Hilarious story of a boy trying to concoct a perfume for his mother---from her favorite smells.

Creative Problem Solving (by main characters):

Jacques, Brian. REDWALL. Philomel,1987. Cooperation and creativity are necessary when the residents of Redwall Abbey defend it against the nefarious Cluny, the Scourge.
McDermott, Gerald. COYOTE; A TRICKSTER TALE FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST.
Harcourt Brace, 1994. A coyote with a nose for trouble. McDermott, Gerald. RAVEN; A TRICKSTER TALE FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.
Harcourt Brace, 1993. How Raven brought light to the people.
McDermott, Gerald. ZOMO THE RABBIT; A TRICKSTER TALE FROM WEST AFRICA.
Harcourt Brace, 1992. A rabbit who lacks size and strength, but not cleverness!
Peck, Robert Newton. SOUP. Knopf, 1974. This and other Soup books are based on Peck's childhood adventures and inventions with his pal.

NON-FICTION FOR STUDENTS:

Atkins, Jan. THE ART AND INDUSTRY OF SANDCASTLES. Walker, 1994. Detailed instructions for building in the sand, and a history of sandcastles, too.
Dunlap, Julie. EYE ON THE WILD: A STORY ABOUT ANSEL ADAMS. Carolrhoda, 1995.
Adams was a gifted man who chose photography over music, and used his pictures to increase public awareness of the wilderness of America.
Freedman, Russell. THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: HOW THEY INVENTED THE AIRPLANE. Holiday, 1991. Includes photos by the pilots.
Fritz, Jean. WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, BEN FRANKLIN? Putnam, 1976. A fun read about Franklin's many scientific accomplishments.
Lasky, Kathryn. THINK LIKE AN EAGLE: AT WORK WITH A WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER.
Little, Brown, 1992. Accompany Jack Swedberg on location, taking world-class photographs of wildlife in three different sites.
Mitchell, Barbara. CLICK! A STORY ABOUT GEORGE EASTMAN. Lerner, 1986.
Story of the man who made a fortune inventing and manufacturing film and simple cameras.
Showell, Ellen H. FROM INDIAN CORN TO OUTER SPACE: WOMEN INVENT AMERICA.
Cobblestone, 1995. Interesting coverage of women improving their lives by inventing such things as square-bottomed bags, invisible glass, and self-cleaning houses.
Towle, Wendy. THE REAL MCCOY: THE LIFE OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN INVENTOR.
Scholastic, 1993. Story of a little known engineering pioneer from whom we got the phrase "the real McCoy."
Wolf, Sylvia. FOCUS: FIVE WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS. Albert Whitman, 1994.
Five women who were very different in their styles and backgrounds, but all "created art with a camera."

STUDENT RESOURCES FOR THE "GARDEN" THEMATIC UNIT:

Bjork, Christina. LINNEA IN MONET'S GARDEN. R & S Books, 1985.
Experience Monet's world and art as Linnea's visits his home and museums in France.
Bjork, Christina. LINNEA'S ALMANAC. R & S Books, 1989.
Good model for observing and journaling about one's environment.
Bjork, Christina. LINNEA'S WINDOWSILL GARDEN. R & S Books, 1978.
Creative tips on indoor gardening.
Cherry, Lynne. THE GREAT KAPOK TREE: A TALE OF THE AMAZON RAIN FOREST.
Harcourt Brace, 1990. Picture book which poses the question of how to use the rain forest, including creatures who live there.
Cooney, Barbara. MISS RUMPHIUS. Viking, 1982.
Alice learns how to "make the world a better place", and the result is a glorious display of lupines.
Durrel, Ann, ed. THE BIG BOOK FOR OUR PLANET. Dutton, 1993.
Well-known authors for young people contributed stories and illustrations on ecological matters.
Gay, Kathlyn. CARETAKERS OF THE EARTH. Enslow, 1993.
Describes ways to help protect the world, locally and globally.
Halpern, Robert R. GREEN PLANET RESCUE: SAVING THE EARTH'S ENDANGERED PLANTS.
Watts, 1993. Explains why plants are important and why they are threatened.
Locker, Thomas. SKY TREE: SEEING SCIENCE THROUGH ART. Sky Tree Press, 1995.
Ecological and extremely beautiful paintings on each double spread.
Mattingley, Christobel. THE MIRACLE TREE. Harcourt, 1985.
The nurturing of a tree helps a Japanese family survive the bombing of Nagasaki and eventually reunite.
McCall, Edith. BIOGRAPHY OF A RIVER: THE LIVING MISSISSIPPI. Walker, 1990.
The river's history, including its provision of food, transportation, and pleasure.
Pedersen, Anne. THE KID'S ENVIRONMENT BOOK: WHAT'S AWRY AND WHY. John Muir, 1991. Problems we face today and ones likely for tomorrow.
Schories, Pat. OVER UNDER IN THE GARDEN. Farrar, 1996.
Although this is an alphabet book, it is chock-full of absolutely beautiful garden prints.