If you and your kids find yourselves wishing for a breath of fresh air, or a visit to a quiet forest, beach, or riverbank, these wonderful books about nature will inform and restore you. You can experience a nighttime walk in the woods looking for owls with Jane Yolen in Owl Moon. Carole Gerber's Winter Trees will teach you how to recognize different types of trees when their leaves are gone. Gary Paulsen and Jean Craighead George will introduce you to some amazing animals in the wild and as pets. The poetry will delight you, and the nonfiction will reveal fascinating facts! Cozy up on the couch with a quilt and experience the great outdoors from the comfort of home, while you wait for warmer weather to come. 

Picture Books

The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer 

A sumptuously illustrated fact book on the insect world counsels young enthusiasts on how to become expert "bug spotters" with lighthearted discussions of major insect groups that detail their behaviors, life cycles, defense mechanisms and more.

 

 

 

 

The Falcon by Tim Jessell

A young boy imagines what it would be like to fly as a falcon and see the world from on high. Soaring through the skies, he describes the sights and sounds of the world below. From snow-capped mountains to lush valleys, over rolling ocean and up rocky cliffs, Falcon will awaken the senses of every reader.

Giant Squid by Candace Fleming; illustrated by Eric Rohmann

A poetic tribute to the giant squid describes the species' life deep within the sea and the clues that today's scientists use to gain understanding about its characteristics and habitat.

 

 

 

The Hike by Alison Farrell

Three friends set out on a day hike to explore their local forest, intending to climb to the top of the hill, where they will plant a flag, read a poem, and release feathers into the wild.

 

 

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner; illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

Over the snow, the world is hushed and white, but under the snow is a secret world of squirrels and snowshoe hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many others who live outside in the woods during the winter.

 

 

 

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen; illustrated by John Schoenherr

Distinguished author Jane Yolen has created a gentle, poetic story that lovingly depicts the special companionship of a young child and her father as well as humankind's close relationship to the natural world. Wonderfully complemented by John Schoenherr's soft, exquisite watercolor illustrations, this is a verbal and visual treasure, perfect for reading alound and sharing at bedtime.

 

 

The Tree by Karen Gray Ruelle; illustrated by Deborah Durland DeSaix

Recounts the life of an elm tree in New York's Madison Square Park, from the time it falls to the ground as a seed, through its growth while momentous events occur to humans and their city, to its maturity as the oldest tree in the park, spreading its canopy for all to enjoy.

 

 

Underground by Denies Fleming 

Collage illustrations and rhyming text spotlight the underground world of burrowing, tunneling and digging animals. Includes a "Creature Identification" page.

 

 

 

Winter Trees by Carole Gerber; illustratred by Leslie Evans

Join a boy and his dog as they use their senses of sight and touch to identify seven common trees in the snow covered forest. Intricate illustrations and lyrical text make distinguishing different types of trees easy--even in the middle of winter, when only bare branches stand like skeletons against the sky.

 

 

 

Poetry

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman; illustrated by Rick Allen

Welcome to the night, where Joyce Sidman, poet and printmaker offers an organic and illuminated look at the very intriguing creatures that linger in the dark night wood. This Newbery Honor-winning picture book combines beautifully written poetry with facts of the forest and elaborate illustrations.

National Geographic Book of Nature Poems edited by J. Patrick Lewis

"When words in verse are paired with the awesomeness of nature, something magical happens! Beloved former U.S. Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis curates an exhuberant poetic celebration of the natural world in this stellar collection of nature poems. From trickling streams to deafening thunderstorms to soaring mountains, discover majestic photography perfectly paired with contemporary (such as Billy Collins), classics (such as Robert Frost), and never-before-published works."
 

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies; illustrated by Mark Hearld

 A sumptuously illustrated treasury of poems reflects the experiences of very young children as they encounter nature for the first time, peppering verses about buzzing bees, bird tracks in the snow and crisp fall apples with engaging facts and activity suggestions. By the award-winning author of  Surprising Shark.

 

Nonfiction

Birds and their Feathers by Britta Teckentrup 

An exquisitely rendered fusion of art and science, this marvelous book satisfies young readers' natural curiosity about the world around them.

 

 

 

 

The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond 

The Blue Whale draws children into the life and world of this enormous whale by situating facts within a familiar context that is fun and engaging. Here, readers are given the actual size of an eye right on the page, and we are informed how  to understand this whale's body size in relation to trucks, cars, milk bottles, and hippos! An accurate and engaging text, fully vetted by a blue whale expert, and lyrically lovely illustrations, The Blue Whale is a book that invites children in and holds their attention. Its tempo is like a pleasing melody, which means that the information never becomes too weighty or exhausting.

 

An Egg is Quiet by Diana Hutts Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long  

This stunningly beautiful and wonderfully informative book from award-winning artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston makes for a fascinating introduction to the vast and amazing world of eggs. Featuring poetic text and an elegant design, this acclaimed book teaches children countless interesting facts about eggs. Full of wit and charm, An Egg Is Quiet will at once spark the imagination and cultivate a love of science.

 

 

A Girl's Guide to the Wild: Be An Adventure-Seeking Outdoor Explorer! by Ruby McConnell; illustrated by Teresa Grasseschi

Your definitive guide to getting outside--for girls ages 9-12! In addition to basic outdoor skills, this entertaining guidebook includes easy camping recipes, outdoor projects including science experiments and crafts, fun activity suggestions, and inspiring stories of diverse historical and contemporary outdoorswomen.

 

 

The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book: 448 Great Things to Do in Nature Before You Grow Up by Stacy Tornio  and Ken Keffer ; illustrations by Rachel Riordan

The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book includes 448 things to do in nature for kids of all ages--more than one activity for every single day of the year. Each of the year's four seasons includes fifty checklist items, fifty challenge items, three each of projects, destinations, garden recipes, and outdoor games.

 

 

Redwoods by Jason Chin

A subway trip is transformed when a young boy happens upon a book about redwood forests. As he reads the information unfolds, and with each new bit of knowledge, he travels--all the way to California to climb into the Redwood canopy. Crammed with interesting and accurate information about these great natural wonders, Jason Chin's first book is innovative nonfiction set within a strong and beautiful picture storybook.

 

 

 

The Tarantula in My Purse: And 172 Other Wild Pets by Jean Craighead George

The author of the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves  shares a selection of amusing, real-life tales about her experiences with her strange and unusual pets, including an escape-artist boa constrictor and a duck with an arrest record. 

 

 

 

This Side of Wild: Mutts, Mares, and Laughing Dinosaurs  by Gary Paulsen 

The Newbery Honor-winning author of "Hatchet" and "Dogsong" describes his participation in two Iditarods and countless survival-testing sports with the help of a menagerie of clever and loyal animal companions.

 

 

 

 

Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators by Jim Arnosky 

Acclaimed naturalist and illustrator Jim Arnosky helps birds and imaginations take glorious flight in this breathtaking nonfiction picture book with six giant fold out pages.
Arnosky will draw out kids' inner explorer as he explains why there are no feathers on a vulture's head, which bird is the deep-diving champ, what makes an owls's wings perfectly silent in flight, and much more.

 

 

When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent;  photographs by Dan Hartman and Cassie Hartman

With an abundance of spectacular photographs and a text that will engage readers of all ages, an inspirational photo-essay captures wolves in the natural habitat of Yellowstone, where the natural balance of the park's wildlife is finally being realized again thanks to the return of the once-extinct Yellowstone wolves.

Middle Grade Fiction

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Curious about the grasshoppers in her backyard in rural Texas, 11-year-old Calpurnia turns to her grandfather an avid naturalist for information and ends up with a newfound respect for the natural world, the way it operates, and the similarities it shares with her own life as the only daughter in a family with six brothers, in this coming-of-age tale set in 1899.

 

 

 

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Headed for Canada to visit his father for the first time since his parents' divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian is the sole survivor of a plane crash, with only the clothes he has on and a hatchet to help him live in the wildernes.

 

 

 

 

Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley  by April Stevens 

Eleven-year-old Frances is an observer of both nature and people, just like her idol, the anthropologist Margaret Mead. She spends most of her time up on the rocks behind her house in her "rock world," as Alvin, her kindhearted and well-read school bus driver, calls it. It's the one place where Frances can truly be herself, and where she doesn't have to think about her older sister, Christinia, who is growing up and changing in ways that Frances can't understand. But when the unimaginable happens, Frances slowly discovers that perhaps the world outside her rugged, hidden paradise isn't so bad after all, and that maybe—just maybe—she can find connection and camaraderie with the people who have surrounded her all along.

 

 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George 

A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.

 

 

 

 

 

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Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.