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A Gift of Dust

How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet

Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
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Hardcover
$19.99 US
9.37"W x 11.37"H x 0.42"D   | 16 oz | 24 per carton
On sale May 27, 2025 | 40 Pages | 9780593428429
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3

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From two award-winning creators comes a picture book that reveals the hidden wonders of how Saharan Dust impacts the world: from slowing a hurricane to nourishing a rainforest.

This dust . . .
of what lived once
sustains what lives today
and what will be born . . .
tomorrow.

An ancient catfish becomes a fossil, and as the lake where it lived dries up, the fossil turns to dust--but this isn't ordinary dust. This dust begins in Chad, West Africa, but winds carry it across the continent, over the Atlantic ocean, to nourish and replenish the Amazon rain forest and beyond. 

A Gift of Dust takes readers on a journey that shows just how interconnected our planet is, and how something so small can have such a huge impact. With lyrical, awe-inspiring verse based in fact, and stunning art from a Caldecott honoree, this is a story for our times.
★ "This illuminating book brings an often-overlooked natural phenomenon to life....A beautiful blend of text and drawings shows the cycle of life through dust." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Brockenbrough lays out a thorough, informative story....Caldecott honoree Martinez-Neal’s art is a showstopper....A natural wonder, brought to vivid life." —Kirkus Reviews
Martha Brockenbrough is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, from picture books up through YA. Some of her picture books include I Am an American: the Wong Kim Ark Story (ALA Noteable Book for Children), This Old Dog, Cheerful Chick, and more! Her books have made several Best of The Year lists. She lives in Seattle with her family. View titles by Martha Brockenbrough
Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian-born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor, and her follow-up,
Zonia’s Rain Forest, was named an American Library Association Top 10 Sustainability-Themed Children’s Book. Juana has illustrated numerous picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi; Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won the Robert F. Sibert Medal; and La Princesa and the Pea by Susan M. Elya, for which she won a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. View titles by Juana Martinez-Neal

Educator Guide for A Gift of Dust

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Photos

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About

From two award-winning creators comes a picture book that reveals the hidden wonders of how Saharan Dust impacts the world: from slowing a hurricane to nourishing a rainforest.

This dust . . .
of what lived once
sustains what lives today
and what will be born . . .
tomorrow.

An ancient catfish becomes a fossil, and as the lake where it lived dries up, the fossil turns to dust--but this isn't ordinary dust. This dust begins in Chad, West Africa, but winds carry it across the continent, over the Atlantic ocean, to nourish and replenish the Amazon rain forest and beyond. 

A Gift of Dust takes readers on a journey that shows just how interconnected our planet is, and how something so small can have such a huge impact. With lyrical, awe-inspiring verse based in fact, and stunning art from a Caldecott honoree, this is a story for our times.

Praise

★ "This illuminating book brings an often-overlooked natural phenomenon to life....A beautiful blend of text and drawings shows the cycle of life through dust." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Brockenbrough lays out a thorough, informative story....Caldecott honoree Martinez-Neal’s art is a showstopper....A natural wonder, brought to vivid life." —Kirkus Reviews

Author

Martha Brockenbrough is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, from picture books up through YA. Some of her picture books include I Am an American: the Wong Kim Ark Story (ALA Noteable Book for Children), This Old Dog, Cheerful Chick, and more! Her books have made several Best of The Year lists. She lives in Seattle with her family. View titles by Martha Brockenbrough
Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian-born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor, and her follow-up,
Zonia’s Rain Forest, was named an American Library Association Top 10 Sustainability-Themed Children’s Book. Juana has illustrated numerous picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi; Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won the Robert F. Sibert Medal; and La Princesa and the Pea by Susan M. Elya, for which she won a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. View titles by Juana Martinez-Neal

Additional Materials

Educator Guide for A Gift of Dust

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)