“A book is like a garden, carried in the pocket.”
I am so grateful that our local library is open right now (for a long while it was closed due to Covid-19). I can check books out online, then schedule a time to pick them up. They are all bundled together in a thin brown bag. I get my books this way, but I am missing the experience of going to the library. I used to wander around, carefully picking what to read. I would chat with the librarians. I inevitably would run into someone I knew. I sat and read awhile. The system as it works today of course is better than nothing but quite frankly, if I don’t know what book I want to check-out, it’s a lot harder to choose a book on a computer than to flip through its pages in person. I miss the library!
Books are a terrific way to reinforce the nature education you are providing in your classroom or as a gateway into the world of nature. Books can introduce new concepts while reading to the whole group or allows a curious child time to visit with a book on their own; either way, having a bookshelf stocked with stories and illustrations about our natural world is essential to any nature based classroom. So, while the libraries are limited these days, I thought providing a vetted list of books could be a big help for all: classroom teachers, virtual teachers who can post these books on their websites and for parents trying to keep the learning going on at home.
There are loads of nature themed books to choose from so this list just scratches the surface. But I’ve read dozens and dozens (and dozens) over the years and I reread many for this post (thank you library) and I’ve whittled down a respectable list. Note, one of my favorite authors is Dianna Hutts Aston and she is conspicuously missing. That is because I’ve already sung her praises in an earlier post. Visit “May I Please Suggest” for a list of her wonderful books! And if you have titles and authors you love, please share in the comments or send me a message. I’m always looking for a great book to inspire my lessons! And if you would like to subscribe to these blogposts, scroll to the bottom, and follow the directions to get all set up!
Happy reading, Rachel
“The Icky Bug Alphabet Book” -Jerry Pallotta and Ralph Masiello
Any bookshelf devoted to nature should have a book with a compilation of insects. So many children, boys and girls alike, LOVE insects. And for those who don’t love them yet, it might just be a beautiful book that introduces them. This book has accurate and simple information to share about each insect, listed in alphabetical order of course, with really straightforward and colorful illustrations.
“Water is Water” -Miranda Paul and Jason Chin
This is a living water cycle story, in other words, how we interact with the water cycle everyday without even realizing it. I love the illustrations and appreciate that the family featured in this book is mixed race, which I don’t see often enough in nature themed children’s books.
“Around the Woods: Who’s Been Here?” -Lindsay Barrett George
A story of siblings and their dog, wandering through the woods and the curious signs of life they are careful enough to find. The story is sure to encourage curious outdoor exploration! A description of a wide variety of North American animals is included in the text.
“In the Tall, Tall Grass” -Denise Fleming
The art in this book is somewhat abstract and the prose rhymes. It’s a short read and again encourages further exploration and conversation about the animals featured. Specific species aren’t mentioned as this book keeps everything fairly generic, but it is a fun, quick read.
“Dear Mr. Blueberry” -Simon James
This one had me giggling. Emily swears there is a whale in her pond! The story is her correspondence back-and-forth with her teacher, Mr. Blueberry, who is trying to talk her out of her silly insistence that she really is seeing a whale. The book does a good job of sneaking in some fun whale facts.
“Hey, Little Ant” -Phillip and Hannah Hoose, Debbie Tilley
For every child I meet who deeply cares about insects, there is another who is all too happy to squash them underfoot! The story has an open ending so your students will get to decide for themselves if the ant gets stepped on or not. I thought this was an ingenious way to open up a conversation about our interactions with living things.
“The Busy Tree” -Jennifer Ward and Lisa Falkenstern
I love children’s books that rhyme. This one goes through parts of a tree and all the little and big animals that rely on the tree, including little kids. A great introduction to the value of trees, one I’ve often read to littles during lessons.
“A Grand Old Tree” -Mary Newell DePalma
Spoiler alert, the grand old tree dies in this story. But this shows that trees are valuable to their environment, even long after they stand tall, and this book tells that story. The language used is simple and while it doesn’t rhyme, it’s very lyrical and fun to read out loud.
“Little Lost Bat” -Sandra Markle and Alan Marks
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous! The story is long and is best for an audience with a longer attention span. It does cover the full cycle of life, meaning mama bat ends up getting eaten one night by a barn owl, but that too is part of nature education. It ends on a happy note and covers a good amount about a bat’s life within the story itself.
“This is the Sea that Feeds Us” -Robert F. Baldwin and Don Dyen
I’ve read this one over and over again to teach food chains. It’s beautifully illustrated and lyrical; a great read-aloud book. I love when children’s books include additional information as sidebars so that I learn more and can decide what to share.
“It’s a Frog’s Life-My Story of Life in a Pond” -Steve Parker
This book is written from the perspective of a frog who commits to keeping a year-long journal. Each page has lots to look at so it’s terrific for kids to flip through. It may make a better one-on-one read than to a whole group. I was really drawn to the illustrations and the arrangement of all the different graphics on each page.
“Mama Built a Little Nest” -Jennifer Ward and Steve Jenkins
This book rhymes it’s way through a variety of birds and the unique nests they build. It clicks all my boxes: rhyming prose, great colorful illustrations, birds (my favorite animal group), and information sidebars on each page for extended learning!
“Wild Tracks!” -Jim Arnosky
This is a big book with giant fold out pages with lots of rich illustrations about animal tracks. The pages are organized by animal groups, for example, wild canines on one page, deer family on another. This is a great book for little ones to flip through and for one-on-one reading but doesn’t make an ideal whole group story-time read.
“Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals” -Nicola Davies and Petr Horacek
I LOVE this one. I love how it’s organized: “animal homes”, “animals in action” “colors and shapes” etc. The sketches are beautiful. And the information on each animal is so fun; both scientific and awe-inspiring! If you are looking for a first encyclopedia of animals, I recommend this one!
“Monarch and Milkweed” -by Helen Frost and Leonid Gore
This book follows the year in the life of both the monarch butterfly and the milkweed it so desperately depends on! In doing so, it effortlessly links these two organisms in the minds of readers as they are so interdependent in real life. Plus, I love butterflies!
Do you have a favorite independent bookstore, used bookstore or online shop to frequent? I do!
Mr. Mike’s Used Books, Cary NC
Better World Books, an online used bookstore