Safe Crossing

How does an amphibian cross the road? With the help of the Amphibian Migration Team! Learn all about a citizen scientist who acts as a crossing guard for migrating amphibians and helps build them a tunnel to safety in this delightful nonfiction picture book!

2026 ALSC Notable Children’s Book

2026 Texas Bluebonnet Award List Selection

A Green Earth Book Award Winner

From Kari Percival, Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author of How to Say Hello to a Worm, comes an entertaining and informative children’s book perfect for curious, nature-loving young readers.

Every spring, frogs and salamanders must travel from wooded uplands where they were born to vernal pools where they will mate. Unfortunately, roads constructed through their habitats have made the journey dangerous for these slow-moving animals. Many never reach their destinations. But with the help of the Amphibian Migration Team, there is hope for a safe crossing!

Readers will learn so much about amphibians and their habitats and get a great introduction to civic participation, too. The citizen scientist at the heart of this story presents her proposal for a wildlife tunnel to her local City Council and coordinates with stakeholders in the process like a wildlife biologist, a herpetologist, a roadway engineer, a surveyor, the Conservation Commission, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Transportation, contractors, and reporters. It’s a fascinating way to find out how local government works and how kids can actively create social change. 

Playful and educational, Safe Crossing offers an empowering example of how even the youngest citizens can raise awareness about a meaningful cause, drive change, and unite people locally and globa