Before I haul this poor sun-drenched pregnant body off to bed, I wanted to share a few of our favorite books that inspire nature explorations. If you have any favorites, I’d love to hear about those as well!!!
Picture Books
Nature Adventures ~ oh what a gem. This beautifully illustrated book is chock full of creative ideas for nature walks both near and far!
The Listening Walk ~ I found this book last year when we were learning about the 5 senses. It is a beautiful example of using our sense of hearing when out for a walk. While not completely ‘nature’ focused, it was still a compelling story about honing observation skills and noticing sounds around us!
~ I found this book last year when we were learning about the 5 senses. It is a beautiful example of using our sense of hearing when out for a walk. While not completely ‘nature’ focused, it was still a compelling story about honing observation skills and noticing sounds around us!
I Took a Walk ~ The boys are just in love with this book which invites the reader to observe and discover wildlife hidden on each page. They love to see how many animals they can spot. I just noticed that the author has several related books and we are eager to check out On the Way to the Beach and On Meadowview Street.
A Walk in the Woods ~ I just love this book. We don’t have ‘woods’ here, but we get to experience that when we head up to northern Arizona each summer to escape the desert heat and on trips back to the Midwest to visit family. It is a magical book about the beauties of exploring the variety that the great outdoors has to offer!
~ I just love this book. We don’t have ‘woods’ here, but we get to experience that when we head up to northern Arizona each summer to escape the desert heat and on trips back to the Midwest to visit family. It is a magical book about the beauties of exploring the variety that the great outdoors has to offer!The Tale of Peter Rabbit or The World of Peter Rabbit (The Original Peter Rabbit, Books 1-23, Presentation Box) ~ There is nothing quite like Beatrix Potter’s nature infused stories. It makes me want to go out and see if we can find many of the animal friends that she so beautifully draws and tells us about!
or 
~ There is nothing quite like Beatrix Potter’s nature infused stories. It makes me want to go out and see if we can find many of the animal friends that she so beautifully draws and tells us about!
Birdwatchers ~ My kids loved this magical book when we were learning about birds last spring. It inspired them to spontaneously go out and try creative birdwatching for themselves and encouraged me to just take the boys out and explore. I’m intrigued to try Wild Woods by the same author. I’m hoping we can find it in our library before we make a trip up to any ‘wild woods’ this summer!
by the same author. I’m hoping we can find it in our library before we make a trip up to any ‘wild woods’ this summer!Birds at Home (by Marguerite Henry. Delightful prose and beautiful illustrations that provide helpful information about the birds you’ll see out your back door. Out-of-print.)
A Seed is Sleepy – luscious illustrations that showcase the beauty and diversity in the seeds out there.
Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! ~ This is such a practical book, especially if you are new to nature walking. It is a story about a mother bear and her cub who go out during the various seasons and explore leaves and the changes they go through. It is just brimming with all kinds of ideas that will surely spark a few nature walks of your own!
~ This is such a practical book, especially if you are new to nature walking. It is a story about a mother bear and her cub who go out during the various seasons and explore leaves and the changes they go through. It is just brimming with all kinds of ideas that will surely spark a few nature walks of your own!
Leaf Man ~ I pretty much love everything that Lois Ehlert does. She always has a way of inspiring creativity and ingenuity both in myself and my children. This book is no exception. It would be a perfect companion for fall explorations.
~ I pretty much love everything that Lois Ehlert does. She always has a way of inspiring creativity and ingenuity both in myself and my children. This book is no exception. It would be a perfect companion for fall explorations.
Look What I Did with a Leaf! (Naturecraft) ~ This book is similar to the above one and inspires kids to utilize leaves to create works of art! It seemed a little complicated last year for my rough and tumble boys, but we plan on picking it up from the library again this fall!
It seemed a little complicated last year for my rough and tumble boys, but we plan on picking it up from the library again this fall!The Dandelion Seed – beautiful book to read and then go blow some dandelion seeds together and discuss.
A Log’s Life – a beautiful and lyrical look at the life cycle of a tree.
In a Nutshell – a wonderfully illustrated book on the life cycle of the oak
One Small Place in a Tree – A fascinating book that will inspire you to inspect one small space in a tree and be captivated by the wonder of all the transformation and changes that take place there.
Around One Log: Chipmunks, Spiders, and Creepy Insiders – a captivating look at the animals that live inside a fallen tree.
Over in the Forest – Learn the ways of forest animals to the rhythm of Over in the Meadow in this delightful introduction to the woodland habitat.
Fun With Nature: Take Along Guide (Take Along Guides)
Who Pooped in the Sonoran Desert? – Scat and Tracks for Kids ~ I can’t decide whether to include this book here or as a ‘field guide’, so I’m going back and adding it to the last post as well. My kids just love this book. It is about a family who stops on a drive through our desert and look for signs of various animals that live here. After reading this book last year, we set out to see what we could find. We had a blast! There is a whole series out covering various regions and national parks around the country. I just love that this website has a map of the U.S. We will definitely be picking up more of these as we travel more! More nature books on the Arizona Sonoran Dessert.
~ I can’t decide whether to include this book here or as a ‘field guide’, so I’m going back and adding it to the last post as well. My kids just love this book. It is about a family who stops on a drive through our desert and look for signs of various animals that live here. After reading this book last year, One Small Square: Backyard There are a bunch in this series that are all great “how-to guides for nature exploration in a variety of contexts – the woods, pond, seashore, and cactus desert.
Chapter Books
Nature Anatomy – This is an absolute favorite in our home since we discovered it. The kids love to scroll through and read, they use it when they are drawing, etc.
The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh ~ Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends seem to always be off on some kind of an adventure, from expeditions to playing pooh sticks. We’ve read these classics through several times already. Great read-alouds from the youngest on up to mom and dad!
~ Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends seem to always be off on some kind of an adventure, from expeditions to playing pooh sticks. We’ve read these classics through several times already. Great read-alouds from the youngest on up to mom and dad!
My Side of the Mountain ~ This was a childhood favorite of mine that always inspired me to enjoy the outdoors and learn how to be quiet and observant!
Parent Resource Books
Pocketful of Pinecones: Nature Study With the Gentle Art of Learning : A Story for Mother Culture ® ~ I actually haven’t read this yet, but it is on my wish list of books to eventually read… I’ve loved Karen’s Andreola’s
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder~ This book is full of lots of research and an appeal to preserve time for your children to play in and explore the great outdoors – specifically ‘wild’ or ‘mostly-wild’ places.
~ This book is full of lots of research and an appeal to preserve time for your children to play in and explore the great outdoors – specifically ‘wild’ or ‘mostly-wild’ places.
I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature ~ Wonderful, wonderful book!
Related Posts in this Nature Walking Series:
Part 1: Why Nature Walks?
Part 2: Some Potential How To’s
Part 3: Nature Walking: Resources
WOULD YOU ADD ANY OTHER BOOKS TO THIS LIST?
Just found this fabulous (and still relevant!) list! I’d add *Moon Child* for toddlers, and *Hunting Red* for preschoolers & up. I made a free full moon walk tracker for Moon Child, and am making some printables for Hunting Red:
pocketmousepublishing.com
~Lee
Thank you for this great list! We’ve linked to you here: http://growlittleseeds.blogspot.com/2011/07/week-1-nature-walk.html
Before the girls and I took our trip to the Grand Canyon last winter, I checked out Who Pooped in the Grand Canyon for them to read. Even though we never actually SAW any poop, they still loved it!
Beautiful This is the kind of mom-ness that always leaves me in awe. Just awe. And of course – being mom – you took care of everyone else and left yourself unprotected – this time from the Sun. Typical. And all those books – they don’t come just by chance – but by experience – more mom-ness – beautiful .I’ll shoot over and add my first vote right now….done and done…God Bless and keep you and all of yours. I really hearted this post Heather. Thank you.
Heather! I love reading your blog! You are such an inspiration! Those last two ” adult” books are two of my favorite. I am reading a book right now, the Power of Play and kinda along those same lines- let children explore. I love your ideas and all your energy. Your family is so blessed!
Amanda, That is a FABULOUS book! I just love how there is so much research from so many perspectives that encourage free play and exploration in children!