100+ Must-Read Nature Books for Kids of All Ages

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The Earth is filled with so many curiosities and surprises. More than we can ever imagine! Children love to explore nature, and one way to fuel their sense of wonder and support their healthy appetite for knowledge is to supply them with many well written and beautifully illustrated books.

There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours you haven’t even started wondering about yet.

― Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach

This list highlights 100+ nature-inspired books that have become favourites in our household, many of which have found a permanent place in our home library.

A Note About the Age Ranges

I have divide the books into three age ranges: 0 to 5+, 5 to 8+ and 8 to 12+. The age ranges are only suggestions and I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on them. There are definitely books in the 0 to 5+ range that older kids will love and many books in the 5 to 8+ range that pre-teens will enjoy.

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Ages 0 to 5+

Fiction

• A Walk in the Forest by Maria Dek
• Little Green Frog by Ginger Swift
• Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan
• The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes
• Tiny, Perfect Things by M. H. Clark 
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats 

Books by Eric Carle

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
• From Head to Toe
• The Very Busy Spider
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Non-Fiction

• Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer and Adam Schaefer
• Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
• Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson

Books by the American Museum of Natural History

• ABC Animals
• ABC Birds
• ABC Insects
• ABC Oceans
• ABC Rainforest
• Caterpillar to Butterfly

Books by National Geographic Kids

• Look and Learn: Birds
• Look and Learn: Bugs
• Look and Learn: Caterpillar to Butterfly
• Look and Learn: Ocean Creatures

Books by Britta Teckentrup

• Bee: A Peek-Through Picture Book
• Moon: A Peek-Through Picture Book
• Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book

Ages 5 to 8+

Fiction

• A River by Marc Martin
• A Walk Through the Woods by Louise Greig
• Beyond the Pond by Joseph Kuefler
• Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl 
• Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd
• Flowers Are Calling by Rita Gray
• Fun in the Mud: A Wetlands Tale by Sally Bolger
• Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
• Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
• Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray
• Mice Skating by Annie Silvestro
• Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler
• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
• Run Wild by David Covell
• Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnet
• Sometimes Rain by Meg Fleming
• The Bird that Loved the Mountain by Eric Carle
• The Branch by Mireille Messier
• The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
• The Night Gardener by Eric Fan and Terry Fan
• The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins
• This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffer
• You Belong Here by M.H. Clark

Non-Fiction

• 101 Things For Kids To Do Outside by Dawn Isaac
• A Web by Isabelle Simler
• Birds from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick 
• Bonkers About Beetles by Owen Davey
• Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing the Trees by Jim Arnosky
• Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffer
• Howl like a Wolf!: Learn to Think, Move, and Act Like 15 Amazing Animals by Kathleen Yale
• My Book of Birds by Geraldo Valério
• Strange Trees: And the Stories Behind Them by Bernadette Pourquie and Cecile Gambini 
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and  Jackie Morris
• The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain 
• Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton

Nature Books by Dianna Aston:

• A Beetle is Shy
• A Butterfly is Patient
• A Nest is Noisy
• A Rock is Lively
• A Seed Is Sleepy
• A Egg is Quiet

Books by Gail Gibbons:

• From Seed to Plant
• Owls
• Reasons for the Seasons
• The Moon Book

Books by Steve Jenkins:

• Eye to Eye: How Animals See The World
• The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest – and Most Surprising – Animals on Earth

Books by Kate Messner:

• Over and Under the Pond
• Over and Under the Snow
• The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs
• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt

Books by Yuval Zommer:

• The Big Book of Beasts
• The Big Book of Bugs
• The Big Book of the Blue 

Ages 8 to 12+

Fiction

• Gaia Girls: Enter the Earth by Lee Welles
• My Side of the Mountain, On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful’s Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• Poetree by Caroline Pignat
• Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day by Nosy Crow
• The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown

Nature Club Books by Rachel Mazur:

• Book 1: Taking Flight
• Book 2: Racing with Butterflies
• Book 3: The Everywhere Bear
• Book 4: Making a Splash
• Book 5: We All Are One

Non-Fiction

• Bird Watching for Kids: Bite-sized Learning & Backyard Projects by George H. Harrison
• Bug Lab for Kids: Family-Friendly Activities for Exploring the Amazing World of Beetles, Butterflies, Spiders, and Other Arthropods by John Guyton
• Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and Constellations-and How You Can Find Them in the Sky by Michael Driscoll
• Forest Craft: A Child’s Guide to Whittling in the Woodland 
  by Richard Irvine
• Find the Constellations by H. A. Rey
• Geology Lab for Kids: 52 Projects to Explore Rocks, Gems, Geodes, Crystals, Fossils, and Other Wonders of the Earth’s Surface by Garret Romaine
• Natural History Collector: Hunt, Discover, Learn!: Expert Tips on how to care for and display your collections and turn your room into a cabinet of curiosities by Michael Sanchez
• Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World by Julia Rothman
• Ocean: A Visual Miscellany by Ricardo Henriques 
• Outside: A Guide to Discovering Nature, Outside: Exploring Nature and Outside: Discovering Animals by Maria Ana Peixe Dias, Ines Teixeira do Rosario, et al.
• Rocking Out With Rocks: Exploring the Wonders of Ingenious, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic Rocks by Garret Romaine
• Sip, Pick, and Pack by Polly Cheney
• The Book of Seeds: A Lifesize Guide to Six Hundred Species from Around the World by Dr. Paul Smith
• The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman
• The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms by Clare Walker Leslie
• The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-Ups by Gina Ingoglia
• The Wonder Garden by Jenny Broom
• The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth: Understanding Our World and Its Ecosystems by Rachel Ignotofsky
• What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky by Kelsey Oseid
• Whatever the Weather: Science Experiments and Art Activities That Explore the Wonders of Weather by Annie Riechmann and Dawn Suzette Smith

Take Along Guides:

• Birds, Nests & Eggs by Mel Boring
• Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies by Mel Boring
• Frogs, Toads and Turtles by Diana Burns
• Planets, Moons and Stars by Laura Evert
• Rabbits, Squirrels and Chipmunks by Mel Boring
• Rocks, Fossils and Arrowheads by Laura Evert
• Seashells, Crabs and Sea Stars by Christiane Kump Tibbitts
• Tracks, Scats and Signs by Leslie Dendy
• Trees, Leaves and Bark by Diane Burns
• Wildflowers, Blooms and Blossoms by Diana Burns
• Fun With Nature (Take Along Guides compilation)
• More Fun With Nature (Take Along Guides compilation)

Field Guides for Kids

• Backyard Birds (Field Guides for Young Naturalists) by Karen Stray Nolting and Jonathan Latimer
• Birds: A Fully Illustrated, Authoritative and Easy-to-Use Guide Herbert S. Zim and Ira N. Gabrielson
• National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America by Jonathan Alderfer

Is your child’s favourite nature-inspired book missing from this list? Leave a comment below and I’ll add it to the list.

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