Nature Book Lists

From polliwogs to humpback whales, you'll enjoy more than 40 short stories about God's love as shown through the natural world! Each 2-page, illustrated story is easily read in five minutes. The child will enjoy answering the question included, reading the Bible verse, and saying the prayer. With delightful and humorous watercolors of animals, children will love this devotional! Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Explore the beauty of nature with Clare Walker Leslie's The Curious Nature Guide, a guide to invite you to connect with nature using photographs and illustrations to inspire you to use all your senses to notice colors, smells, sounds, and textures of plants, trees, animals, clouds and others. Easy and enjoyable exercises will transform your view of the world. Softcover, 144 pages.

This book is a great way to have fun with words and nature. Featuring bright, National Geographic nature photography alongside short poems by contemporary and classic authors such as Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Billy Collins, and others, this book is an enjoyable read-aloud for young children. Grades Prek-3 / Ages 4-8. 192 pages, hardcover.

Apples, ho! When Papa decides to pull up roots and move from Iowa to Oregon, he can't bear to leave his precious apple trees behind. Or his peaches, plums, grapes, cherries, and pears. Oh, and he takes his family along too. But the trail is cruel -- first there's a river to cross that's wider than Texas...and then there are hailstones as big as plums...and there's even a drought, sure to crisp the cherries. Those poor pippins! Luckily Delicious (the nonedible apple of Daddy's eye) is strong -- as young 'uns raised on apples are -- and won't let anything stop her father's darling saps from tasting the sweet Oregon soil. Here's a hilarious tall tale -- from the team that brought you Fannie in the Kitchen -- that's loosely based on the life of a real fruiting pioneer.

Irene’s mother, dressmaker Mrs. Bobbin, isn’t feeling well and can’t possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she’s made for the duchess to wear that evening. It’s up to plucky Irene to get the gown to the palace in time, despite the fierce snowstorm that’s brewing. Brave Irene overcomes many obstacles, including the wiles of the wicked wind, her most formidable opponent, to complete her mission and receive the warmhearted thanks of a grateful duke and duchess. This 1986 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year will inspire readers young and old to continue to persevere when faced with challenges. 32 pages, softcover. Ages 5 and up.

With the depression bearing down on her family and food in short supply, Cassie Logan isn't sure where her next meal will come from. But there is one thing that she knows will always be there - the whispering trees outside her window. Cassie's trees are a steady source of comfort to her, but they also happen to be worth a lot of money. When Mr. Andersen tries to force Big Ma to sell their valuable trees, Cassie can't just sit by and let it happen. She knows that her family needs the money, but something tells her that they need the trees just as much. The beloved heroine of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry enchants us again in this story of strength and pride. 64 pages, softcover. Recommended for ages 8 to 12.

Little Sarah wanders away from her family's cabin into the New Hampshire forest, and settlers come from all across the countryside to help find her. As the long days pass, the searchers grow desperate, but her father's trust in God holds firm. Based on a true incident. Ages 7-9.

Hattie has been from family member to family member so often she calls herself "Hattie Here-and-There." So when a land-claim is passed to her from her late uncle, she jumps at the chance to prove up on her own claim and finally have a home to belong to. Living under the big sky for a year, Hattie struggles to complete the terms of the claim-adding 480 rods of fence, and cultivating 1/8th of her claim--forty acres--but gets a load of help and companionship from her "neighbors" Perilee Mueller and her German husband Karl. However, as WWII continues, all Germans come under suspicion of a local "council of defense" patriotism force, and Hattie must face even more trials as she keeps loyal to her friends while attempting to keep her claim secure.

Loosely based upon the author's grandmother's experiences homesteading in Montana, this New York Times bestseller will keep readers engaged until the very end. 289 pages, softcover. Grade 5 reading level. Ages 9-12.

Josef Matt, the only man to ever try to conquer this last summit of the Alps, met his end in the pursuit. Now his son, Rudi, dares to complete the same task in memory of his father. Setting off with his father's red shirt, Rudi must courageously pass through the same chasm that took his father's life and finish the challenging climb in order to plant the shirt at the peak.

"El Monstruo!"

Every day is the same for Pablo's father. Then one afternoon the ground growls, hisses smoke, and swallows up his plow. A volcano is erupting in the middle of his cornfield!

Far off the coast of California looms a harsh rock known as the island of San Nicholas. Dolphins flash in the blue waters around it, sea otter play in the vast kep beds, and sea elephants loll on the stony beaches. Here, in the early 1800s, according to history, an Indian girl spent eighteen years alone, and this beautifully written novel is her story. It is a romantic adventure filled with drama and heartache, for not only was mere subsistence on so desolate a spot a near miracle, but Karana had to contend with the ferocious pack of wild dogs that had killed her younger brother, constantly guard against the Aleutian sea otter hunters, and maintain a precarious food supply.

A classic novel of adventure, drawn from London's own experiences as a Klondike adventurer, relating the story of a heroic dog, who, caught in the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man's world and returning to nature.

Thirteen year old Brian Robeson survived the plane crash. . .but now was alone, in the middle of the woods of Canada, with only a hatchet. The story of how he stayed alive for 54 days---finding food, getting water, escaping animals, building a shelter, constructing a bow---has riveted young readers and become a modern young-adult classic. 30th anniversary edition; pocket sized and water resistant, it can accompany readers on their adventures. Recommended for ages 10 to 14 years.

The Big Wave is the powerful novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck, about two friends who must face the pain of losing everything—and how to face their grief with courage. 

Kino lives on a farm on the side of a mountain in Japan. His friend, Jiya, lives in a fishing village below. Everyone, including Kino and Jiya, has heard of the big wave. No one suspects it will wash over them, until the rushing water sweeps away the whole village—including Jiya's family.

As Jiya struggles to overcome his sorrow, with the help of Kino and his father, he comes to understand that it is only in the presence of danger that one learns to be brave, and that even in the face of terrible tragedy, life and love are stronger than death. 64 pages. Paperback. Ages 8-12.

Faced with the prospect of a disagreeable arranged marriage or a journey across the barren Alaskan tundra, 13-year-old Miyax chooses the tundra. She finds herself caught between the traditional Eskimo ways and the modern ways of the whites. Miyax, or Julie as her pen pal Amy calls her, sets out alone to visit Amy in San Francisco, a world far away from Eskimo culture and the frozen land of Alaska.
During her long and arduous journey, Miyax comes to appreciate the value of her Eskimo heritage, learns about herself, and wins the friendship of a pack of wolves. After learning the language of the wolves and slowly earning their trust, Julie becomes a member of the pack. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Winner of the 1973 Newbery Medal.

Sam Gribley announces he's going to run away; and does so. After listening to countless stories of how Gribley's aren't made for the land, he runs away to his ancestors' farm up in the Catskill Mountains. Learning to survive with his wits and the help of the resources in a local library, he learns self-reliance as he fashions a home, catches his own food, and trains a falcon. A classic for thousands of young readers, this Newbery Honor book will enthrall all young girls and boys who've ever loved the woods. Recommended for ages 8 to 1, 177 pages, softcover. A 1960 Newbery Honor Book.

Robinson Crusoe, set ashore on an island after a terrible storm at sea, is forced to make do with only a knife, some tobacco, and a pipe. He learns how to build a canoe, make bread, and endure endless solitude. That is, until, twenty-four years later, when he confronts another human being.