Celebrate the Pacific west coast with this gorgeous nature alphabet book.

This stunning nature alphabet book explores the fascinating ecosystem of the Pacific west coast — a magnificent area that combines an ancient rainforest, a rugged beach and a vast, open ocean, and where whales, bears, wolves, eagles and a rich variety of marine species thrive in an interconnected web of life.

Author Deborah Hodge has spent more than forty years on the west coast, frequently visiting the Pacific Rim region, and she knows it intimately. From A to Z she describes in vivid language the rainforest, ocean and beach, and a great variety of animals that a child might see walking along the shore — from tiny sea jellies to inquisitive sandpipers to leaping orcas. Illustrator Karen Reczuch brings her remarkable talent to the book, and has created image after image that is simply breathtaking. The text and art have been carefully checked for scientific accuracy.

Includes a note about the Pacific west coast and suggestions for exploring the region and further reading.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

Deborah Hodge is the author of more than twenty-five books for children. She specializes in writing engaging non-fiction for young readers and loves the challenge of using few words to explain big thoughts. Many of Deborah’s books have received awards and have been published internationally. Her honors include the Information Book Award of Canada and the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, and she was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Her work has also appeared on ALA’s Top Ten Best Environmental Books for Youth. Deborah lives in Vancouver.

Deborah Hodge's profile page

Karen Reczuch has illustrated many award-winning children’s books. Loon by Susan Vande Griek won the TD Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-fiction, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Picture Book Award and the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable Information Book Award. Karen’s other publications include West Coast Wild, winner of the VCLR Information Book Award; The Auction by Jan Andrews, a Governor General’s Award finalist; Just Like New by Ainslie Manson, winner of the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award; and Salmon Creek, winner of the BC Book Prize. Karen’s work includes scientific, historical and archeological illustration, and has been exhibited internationally.

Karen Reczuch's profile page

• Commended, Vancouver Public Library and BC CWILL Reading Lights
• Short-listed, Silver Birch Express Award
• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Children and Teens
• Winner, The Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award

Hodge’s forthright narration offers details about familiar creatures like bears, cougars, and orca, but she sneaks in some surprises, too . . . [Reczuch's] precisely drafted illustrations find majesty and beauty in the creatures, vegetation, and landscapes that make the Pacific Northwest so distinctive.

Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

If you and your young readers can't scramble over the slippery Salish rocks yourselves, West Coast Wild will bring the ebb and flow of the Pacific to you.

Canadian Children's Book News

Charming and original . . . an elegant introduction to the organisms of the Pacific Rim.

School Library Journal

West Coast Wild, a delightful glimpse into this amazing geographic location, belongs in the collection of anyone eager for a taste of the wild west coast of North America. Highly Recommended.

CM Magazine

To say the book is simply a nature alphabet is an understatement. Altogether, the 26 selections create a panoramic experience in print—East Coast dwellers will want one of their own.

Kirkus Reviews

Skilfully combine[s] instruction and delight, weaving together information and beautiful art.

Quill & Quire, STARRED REVIEW