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Best Books for Young Nature-Lovers
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items Now that more of my friends have babies and kids, I've started to look into current nature young literature. I've used my experience as an environmental educator to carefully curate this list of the best books to get kids into nature and to help them...
Sections
6
Stories
Interactive & Pop-up
Women in the Wild
Understanding Earth
Field Guides
For the Weeest
Stories
These are classic kids book style, a cover-to-cover story that educates about nature as we read!
3-6 yr. Cute little book about the sounds in nature from the perspective of… shoes!? Very cute!
Nature Parade by Nikki Samuels
4-7 yr. Adorable book for little birders! Highlights creative thinking - don't just look up to find birds! At the end, there is a page dedicated to how to be a bird-watcher. :)
How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward & Diana Sudyka
4-8 yr. A poetic piece teaching that you can discover EVERYTHING in the forest. Agreed!
The Everything Trail by Meg Fleming
4-8 yr. Part of the Over and Under series, this book highlights the lesser appreciated wetland ecosystem, focusing specifically on the Everglades. Love!
Over and Under the Wetland by Kate Messner
4-8 yr. Another Over and Under book, this focuses on another under-appreciated ecosystem: deserts! Love love love!!!
Over and Under the Canyon by Kate Messner
4-8 yr. Y'ALL this is a book where a bird people watches!!! Does it get cuter than that? No! It's hilarious for birding adults (wait until you see the inside cover), makes you think about what it means to observe, and highlights the power of friendsh...
The Fog by Kyo Maclear
4-9 yr. A cute book about the magic of nature and the creativity of language. Beautiful!
Wildspeak by Sangma Francis
6-8yr. A clever book that can be read front to back or back to front! It's playful, a lesson in language, and includes great animal facts!
The Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story by Kate Messner
6-10 yr. This 2020 Berenstain Bears book talks about the importance of nature — and what you can do to help!
The Berenstain Bears' Nature Rescue
13-17 yr. A stunning graphic novel about the perils pumas face in California and beyond. Amazing, amazing book!!!
Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma's Journey
Interactive & Pop-up
A little treat for the bookshelf, these books are interactive for careful kiddos. :)
1-3 yr. An interactive book that encourages wonder and teaches about some of the least appreciated natural creatures. Amazing! Board book.
Little Wonders Bugs by Rose Nestling
2-4 yr. When you tap, the tree transforms! A very clever way to engage kids in the magic of nature. Board book.
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
2-5 yr. These cards feature Latin American animals in English and Spanish! A great way to help your little one start out strong with two languages!
Spanish-English ABC Animal Flash Cards by Blue Star Press
3-5 yr. A cute interactive book with native wildlife!
Goodnight Beaver Magic Flashlight Book by Katie Button
3-7 yr. Short but stunning pop-up book about birds!
Pop-Up Birds by Laura Cowan
3-7 yr. A similarly stunning butterfly book!
Pop-Up Butterflies by Laura Cowan
Women in the Wild
These books tell the true stories of women naturalists through history. Must-haves to inspire little kids — boys and girls alike!
3-7 yr. A brilliant, playful-yet-serious book, Shark Lady shows kids their power and the surprising beauty of one of the most feared creatures in the sea. Help kids love sharks early with this one!
Shark Lady by Jess Keating
4-8 yr. “Sue Hendrickson was born to find things.” Maybe it's just me, but that resonates! This book shows kids what curiosity can lead to. Amazing!
When Sue Found Sue by Toni Buzzeo
4-8 yr. Another masterpiece by Keating, this inspiring book is sure to turn us all into ocean lovers and scientists!
Ocean Speaks by Jess Keating
4-8 yr. Keating keeps delivering stories of incredible natural scientists. I will be reading up on Florence Merriam Bailey now!!
Birdlore by Jess Keating
4-8 yr. Sylvia Earle is a bada**! She has many firsts — for women and men — and is yet another woman scientist who changed the world. This is a very cute little book about her life.
Life in the Ocean by Claire A. Nivola
5-10 yr. A book about a woman defying who she is “supposed” to be — and ending up a truly awesome bug lady!
Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist by Christine Evans
6-9 yr. Jane Goodall might be the most classic example of a woman in the natural sciences, but that doesn't mean we know everything about her! This book provides a great overview for slightly older readers of the most iconic biologist the world has e...
The Story of Jane Goodall by Susan B. Katz
7-10 yr. This book mixes adventure with advocacy with nature. Both the writing and the illustrations are stunning! What more could you want?
The Leaf Detective by Heather Lang
Understanding Earth
These books teach about phenomena on Earth. Some of these books are straight facts, and some are more like stories. All are brilliant, engaging, and informative!
4-8 yr. A great way to get kids excited about plants from early on!
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long
4-8 yr. Another in the collection, this book is great for an early interest in geology. And, the illustrations are stunning!
A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long
4-8 yr. And one more in the collection, perfect for kids who are obsessed with babies — and nature!
A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long
4-9 yr. Honestly, this book is awesome even for me! Stunning facts and visuals in a large size, this book is one of my favorites!
Humongous Fungus by Lynne Boddy
5-9 yr. A great intro to Earth and natural phenomena. Also has tips for things you can do for the planet, though it stays a bit small scale. Probably makes sense for kiddos!
Do You Know?: Earth and Nature by Cecile Benoist
6-8 yr. Okay, I'll admit that this is a nostalgia add for me, but I still think about this book a lot and I think that's the mark of an influential kid's book! Learn about the funkiness of nature!
Pink Snow and Other Weird Weather by Jennifer Dussling
6-12 yr. This book not only teaches about geology and earth, it also includes activities to help cement the learning! Brilliant!
The Earth Book for Kids by Dan R. Lynch
10+ yr. A great — and fun — book about the importance of birds. Info organized in an engaging way. Honestly, probably would be great for adults, too!
World Without Birds by Nick Lund
10+ yr. I have the “adult” version of this book and I LOVE it! Honestly though the cover of this one is so compelling, I think it would make a great gift for older kids and even adults! The concepts in this version are made a bit simpler, but unless ...
What It's Like to Be a Bird - Young Readers by David Allen Sibley
12-18 yr. This book should be sitting in the bookshelf, waiting for the child to be old enough to dive in. The Young Adults version is so, so well adapted, too!
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Field Guides
Field guides are critical for any young (or old!) explorer. These are made especially for kids, and do a spectacular job of keeping young readers engaged while distilling important information about species and identification. Note that these are loc...
5-10 yr. This little field guide is GREAT! Makes bugs cool, includes a DIY project idea, and is illustrated beautifully. Loooooove!!!! Pairs perfectly with the Explorer Kit, Magnifier, and Microscopes.
A Kid's Guide to Backyard Bugs by Eliza Berkowitz
5-10 yr. Likewise, the tree version of this book is outstanding! I will say that it focuses a bit more on Eastern species.
A Kid's Guide to Backyard Trees by Felicia Brower
5-12 yr. It's hard to find a good field guide for adults, and, it turns out, it's even harder to find one for kids! But this field guide is accessible and drives home some important points. Love it!! Pairs perfectly with a pair of binoculars.
Backyard Birds for Young Naturalists, a Peterson Field Guide
5-12 yr. Got a little birder in California? This is THE BOOK for them! I'm actually super impressed by the ID tips and general design of this field guide for kids! Pairs perfectly with a pair of binoculars.
The Kids' Guide to Birds of California by Stan Tekiela
5-12 yr. This book is part field guide part texbook, and it's great for all mushroom loving kids!
Mushrooms & Fungi for Kids by Ariel Bonkoski
8-12 yr. This is a perfect field guide as kids get a little older, for those in the PNW. (Looking for “adult” field guides for older kids? Check out my "Essential Field Guides to Understand the Planet!" List!)
Birds of the Pacific Northwest for Kids by Tom Myers
8-12 yr. Likewise, I'm impressed with this wildflower field guide! Perfect for older PNW kids! (Looking for “adult” field guides for older kids? Check out my “Essential Field Guides to Understand the Planet!” List!)
Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest for Kids by Ashely Erdely
For the Weeest
The littlest among us should get excited about nature, too! These are all either crinkle or board books.
0-3 yr. Could there e a cuter pee-a-boo book?
Peekaboo Forest Crinkle Peek-A-Book by Wee Gallery / Surya Sajnani
1-3 yr. This book is AMAZING for exposing babies to birds and birding! I'm very impressed that it highlights North American (East Coast) birds, rather than focusing on far away species. Love!!!
Birding for Babies Board Book by Chloe Goodhart
1-3 yr. Another in this collection, this book helps kids learn colors and birds. Two birds, one… wait. While the “numbers” version of this focuses on backyard birds, this book focuses on migrants. Fun!
Birding for Babies: Migrating Birds by Chloe Goodhart
1-3 yr. A book with the iconic illustrations of Charley Harper. Amazing! I got this for my friend's baby!
I Am Wild Board Book by Charley Harper
1-3 yr. Mrs. Peanuckle has quite a collection of alphabet books! I've found them to be great — they include not just the words, but also some information about each item! Great for growing kids. This one encourages kids to get outside and hiking, too!
Mrs. Peanuckle's Hiking Alphabet
1-3 yr. This book focuses on mushrooms — both those found out in the wild and those you eat. A great way to tie in nature to every day life. :) There are many others in the collection, but I found these to be two of the most compelling!
Mrs. Peanuckle's Mushroom Alphabet