OUT OF THE BEST BOOKS
Nature Study
For young children, Nature Study is completely sufficient as a science curriculum. Help your child (and yourself) to develop a sense of wonder, pay attention to the world, notice patterns, and learn about our Savior's beautiful creations- with the help of your local library and your own backyard.
Our nature study book suggestions are not exclusively non-fiction, because we aim to help bring greater wonder into whatever your family is learning about. Fairytales, biographies, and storybooks are a valuable way for your children to see how they fit in to nature, as opposed to just seeing the world as a big, boring, abstract "thing."
You do not need to read every book on this list. We recommend reserving all of them that are available in your library system, but don't worry too much about
tracking them all down. There are over 12 sections below, so if your family studies one topic each month, this list can last for a full year of Nature Study.
FLOWERS
Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers, by Kathi Appelt
The Wonder Garden, by Jenny Broom
Planting a Rainbow, by Lois Ehlert
Flower Garden, by Eve Bunting
The Garden of Happiness, by Erika Tamar
Jack’s Garden, by Henry Cole
And Then It’s Spring, by Julie Fogliano
Green Green
Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney
CLOUDS
The Man Who Named the Clouds, by Julie Hanna
The Cloud Book, by Tomie dePaola
The Cloud Collectors Handbook, by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
The Cloud Spinner, by Michael Catchpool
Little Cloud, by Eric Carle
Cloudette, by Tom Lichtenheld
Cloudland, by John Burningham
Hide and Seek Fog, by Alvin Tresselt
THE WATER CYCLE
A Drop Around the World, by Barbara Shaw McKinney
Rhythm of the Rain, by Grahame Baker-Smith
Water is Water, by Miranda Paul
One Well, by Rochelle Strauss
The Water Hole, by Graeme Base
The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story, by Neil Waldman
The Biggest Puddle in the World, by Mark Lee
It looked like Spilt Milk, by Charles Shaw
Come on, Rain!, by Karen Hesse
Worm Weather, by Jean Taft
Rain Feet
The Story of Snow, by Jon Ph.D. Mark Cassino
Snowflake Bentley, Jacqueline Briggs Martin
TREES (DECIDUOUS)
In a Nutshell, by Joseph Anthony & Cris Arbo
The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry
Strange Trees, by Bernadette Pourquie & Cecile Gambini
Tree Lady, The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever, by H. Joseph Hopkins
Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa, by Jeanette Winter
Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya, by Donna Jo Napoli
The Things that I Love About Trees, by Chris Butterworth
Strange Trees: And the Stories Behind Them, by Bernadette Pourquie and Cecile Gambini
The Family Tree
As an Oak Tree Grows, by G. Brain Karas
Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert
The Busy Tree, by Jennifer Ward
One Small Place in a Tree, by Barbara Brenner
Arbor Day Square
Someday, a Tree, by Eve Bunting
The Big Tree, by Bruce Hiscock
Because of an Acorn, by Lola M. Schafer & Adam Schaefer
Trees: A Rooted History, by Piotr Socha & Wojciech Grajkowski
TREES (CONIFEROUS)
Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree?, by Jennifer Blomgren
A Walk in the Forest, by Maria Dek
A Tree is Nice, by Janice May Udry IS THIS IN THE RIGHT CATEGORY
From Cone to Pine Tree, by Emma Carlson-Berne
Tell me, Tree, by Gail Gibbons
A Log’s Life, by Wendy Pfeffer
Aani and the Tree Huggers, by Jeannine Atkins
The Little Fir Tree, by Christopher Carr
BACKYARD BIRDS (NESTING)
The Nest that Wren Built
Have you Heard the Nesting Bird?
Bird Builds a Nest
This is the Nest that Robin Built
All Kinds of Nests
Birds, Nests & Eggs: A take along guide
Mama Built a Little Nest
Chickadee’s Message
Feathers for Lunch
A Nest is Noisy
An Egg is Quiet
Hummingbird by Nicola Davies
For The Birds. The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
BACKYARD BIRDS
About Birds: A guide for Children
Peterson Field Guide for Young Naturalists, Backyard Birds
Feathers: Not Just for Flying
The Birdwatchers
George Flies South
Paddle Perch and Climb
Chickadee Winter
The Mountain That Loved a Bird
Look Up! Birdwatching in your own backyard
On Duck Pond
Is This Panama? A Migration Story
Bird Watch
One Dark Bird
My Happy Year, by E. Bluebird
Robins: How They Grow Up
Bird Count
RAPTORS
The Boy Who Drew Birds
Thunderbirds
Feathers, not just for flying
The Hawk of the Castle
Owl Babies
Birds In The Bushes. A Story About Margaret Morse Nice
Beaks!
Owl Moon
TRACKS & SCAT
Who Was Here?
Wild Tracks
Who Was Here
Take-Along Guide to Tracks, Scats and Signs
Whose Tracks Are These? A Clue Book of Familiar Forest Animals
Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints
Life-Sized Animal Tracks
Match a Track (Matching Game)
Tracks in the Snow
Over and Under the Snow
Who Pooped in the Northwoods?
SEEDS
The Dandelion Seed
Miss Maples Seeds
The Tiny Seed
A Seed is Sleepy
Caterpillar and Bean A First Science Storybook
Because of an Acorn
Ten Seeds
Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move
Seeds by Ken Robbins
If You Hold a Seed
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
The Reason for a Flower
Stelleluna
The Fruits We Eat
Handa’s Surprise
Tops and Bottoms
Stone Soup
Plants Feed Me
Johnny Appleseed
The Ugly Vegetable
A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds
Blueberries for Sal
Peter in Blueberry Land
WORMS & SNAILS
We Dig Worms!
Wonderful Worms
Yucky Worms
Swirl by Swirl
Dirt : The Scoop on Soil
The Snail’s Spell
MUSHROOMS
The Mushroom Fan Club
We Are Fungi
Mushrooms of the World
Let's learn about mushrooms
Children of the Forest
Plants That Never Ever Bloom: A Book About Plants without Flowers
Mushroom in the Rain
Tales of the Mushroom Folk
A Big Garden
DESERTS
Cactus Hotel
The Three Javelinas
The Tortoise and the Hare
Grand Canyon
Way Out in the Desert
Deserts (GAIL GIBBONS
Creatures of the Desert World
The Desert Is Theirs
Kissing Coyotes
Lizards for Lunch: A Roadrunner's Tale
Life in the Slow Lane: A Desert Tortoise Tale