Minn of the Mississippi
by Holling C. Holling
Picture book · ages 6–10 · grades 1–5 · 620L · 1975
Why we'd hand it over
A 1975 classic that holds up: gorgeously illustrated and densely informative without feeling didactic, following a mink from Minnesota headwaters to the Gulf, with asides on river towns and ecosystems that reward rereading.