Rhyming text introduces the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, such as giant tortoises, black iguanas, and brightly-colored lava crabs. Includes facts about the islands and a variety of unusual animals found there.

A young girl gets quite a surprise when the text of a library book she is reading transforms her surroundings into those of a teeming-with-life coral reef!

"Under Grandpa's watchful eye, the kids are thrilled to discover that the craggy rocks, tufted grass, and windswept trees on Giant Island are much more than they seem. Are the children the first to fathom this huge secret, or does Grandpa have a secret of his own?"--

Caught in a storm, Elephant washes up on a tiny island. Along comes Mouse in a little dingy and Elephant steps aboard . . . uh-oh! They use the wreckage to make the island bigger. And here's Dog--can this boat take Elephant's weight? Uh-oh! None of the animals can save the shipwrecked Elephant but each broken vessel provides new materials for another intricate construction. Wheels and pulleys create a Ferris wheel, an elevator, a waffle maker. Soon...

"Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland...and in the process, comes up with a new way of understanding her own heritage"--

As shipwrecked brothers Argo and Arion wait on the silent, gray island of Terrene for their captain to return and take them to their new home, they ponder his warning about avoiding the local forest and mountain.