Christopher Columbus by Bennie Rhodes illustrated by A.G. Smith Jr.

The Sowers-Adventure of Faith and Courage
I read this book aloud to my two sons to support our study of explorers.
Mr. Rhodes writes Christopher Columbus's story in first person, allowing the reader to feel like the Admiral is sitting in the room, sharing his story.    In some cases Mr. Rhodes quoted specifically from Columbus's journals.
Mr. Rhodes begins the biography when Christopher is young and ends when he is returning to Spain after years of exploring.  He also paints Columbus in a better light than most current biographies and focuses on his Christian faith. 
Although this biography was engaging, it was not one of my favorites.  My boys said they enjoyed it.  They were, however, not begging me to continue reading when I read it aloud.

Hummingbird by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Jane Ray*

Lavish, colorful illustrations make this book breathtaking.  I loved the end pages which display a variety of hummingbirds. 
A young girl is visiting her granny in Central America where they feed the hummingbirds.  As the girl flies home to New York City, the hummingbirds begin their own migration.  The reader experiences this incredible journey with the hummingbird, ending up in NYC with the little girl. 
Beautiful figurative language only enhances the narration. 
Smaller text nestled within the illustrations share additional facts about the hummingbird and its migration. 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Hummingbird King written and adapted by Argentina Palacios illustrated by Felipe Davalos*

A Guatemalan Legend
An older chief and his wife had no son to succeed him so the chief's younger brother, Chiruma, was to succeed him.  The chief's wife, however, really wanted a son so she prayed earnestly to the gods for a son.  The gods answered her prayer and gave her an son.  Omens, like being born on the 13th day of a month and a hummingbird perched outside his room, revealed that this son would be extraordinary.  At his naming ceremony the high priest gave them a red feather from the perching hummingbird.  As long as he carried the feather with him, he would be protected.  They named him Kukul, meaning "beautiful feather".
Of course, Kukul's uncle was not pleased that he no longer had the chance to be king so he set out to sabotage the boy and in the end, seemingly succeeds.
Warning: Violence (spear with blood oozing out of Kukul)
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young illustrated by Nicole Wong*

Another great book by Ms. Stewart!
This book shares how creation depends on one another to be productive.  Interdependent relationships.
Fascinating!
Two worms on the bottom of each page have a dialogue, making funny, sarcastic comments.
Pair with The Chocolate Touch, Chocolatina, Chocolate Fever.
Serve some chocolate baked goodies and/or chocolate bars before this book!
In the back is information about growing cocoa trees and rain forests plus an interesting author's note.
*Highly recommend.