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Books We Like for Kids
Books and nature make a great combination for kids and can spark little imaginations into play and creativity and connections we'd never dream of. Check out some of these books from your local library or bookstore, then check into nature to read them under your favorite tree or by your favorite rock. Be sure to give your child time to experience and explore nature as part of the experience!
This is a comprehensive, but not exhaustive, list of books taken from a variety of resources, including Growing Up WILD: Exploring Nature with Young Children. It includes fiction and non-fiction books related to nature themes.If you have a favorite "nature book" to add to the list, please email Janice.
Preschool
(birth - kindergarten)
Aaaarrgghh! Spider!
by Lydia Monks
This book chronicles a spider's quest to become the pet of the family whose home she inhabits.
FICTION, Ages 4-8
About Arachnids: A Guide for Children
by Cathryn Sill
This book features 15 dreatures in teh arachnid class of arthropods. It lists shared characteristics and includes natural history facts about each.
NON-FICTION, Ages 4-8
All About Deer
by Jim Arnosky
This book features the deer that inhabit North and Central America, including information about their life cycles, eating habits, and habitats.
NON-FICTION, Ages 4-8
All About Owls
by Jim Arnosky
This book includes information about owl biology and behavior. The focus is on North American owl species.
FICTION, Ages 4-8
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti
by Gerald McDermott
Father Anansi has six spider sons. When Anansi sets out on a dangerous journey, each son does one thing to help and all their efforts together save their father.
FICTION, Ages 4-8
Early Readers
(kinder - second grade)
Chapter Books
(third - sixth grade)
UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
There's An Owl in the Shower
by Jean Craighead George
This is a heartwarming story about an owl that makes its way into one family's home - and their hearts.
FICTION, Ages 7-12
Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
You can introduce this classic to your younger child by reading versions written for younger readers, such as the Usborne Classics Retold: Huckleberry Finn.
NON-FICTION, Ages 8+
My Side of the Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
The main character in this book is Sam Gribley. He's tired of living in a crowded New York City apartment, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountain wilderness to forge a life of his own. This story is the vivid and engrossing account of the year that changes Sam's life.
NON-FICTION, Ages 8+
Stickeen
by John Muir
On a stormy Alaska day in 1880, John Muir rose before dawn and set out to explore a newly discovered glacier. A mongrel dog named Stickeen ran along behind him, thus launching an adventure that Muir was to call "the most memorable of all my wild days."
FICTION, Ages 8+