For the Love of Outside: 15 Nature Books for Kids

Inspired by the Indigenous-led movements in North America, this gorgeously illustrated book introduces children to the need to protect Earth’s water sources. Even if your child doesn’t fully understand the concepts behind the story about corruption and greed, the prose still gets the point across, and the illustrations draw readers in and complement the writing. It’s a great starting point to discuss the importance of water to living things and the earth.

As someone who loves the National Parks, I love this and think this book is great for children. Filled with information about more than 20 parks, along with facts about animals and plants found in each park, this is a fun book to read with kids. Different environments of the parks, different kinds of plants, and an alphabet challenge in the back of the book will provide lots of opportunities to discuss all sorts of nature topics. If you want even more, there’s also a corresponding activity book.

Perfect for the upcoming fall, this picture book follows a young girl walking through the forest, noticing all of the things that accompany seasonal changes. The simple prose describing the animals she sees and the nature she encounters is a perfect opening to further discussions about nature and seasons. It’s a delightful, gentle book with illustrations that really give the book a seasonal feel.

Rothman’s books are all amazing, and this one is no different. Full of beautiful and informative images, kids can explore jellyfish, volcanoes, different kinds of trees and leaves, bugs, birds, and much more. The best part? This book can be used in a lot of different ways over the years. Young kids will enjoy the pictures and basic explanations, whereas older kids will be able to read more in depth about the explanations and learn more about each topic.

I love all of the Big Books by Zommer, as well as the Big Sticker Books that go along with them, but this one is especially great. This is another book that can be used at different ages in different ways, and it’s full of facts and colorful illustrations of bees, nighttime bugs, dragonflies, pond bugs, bugs that love houses, and much more.

If you’re familiar with these DK/Smithsonian books, you know you’re in for a treat. These large nature books for kids are filled with full-color pictures and lots of information, and this one is no different. Covering the plant world and all different kinds of plants, seeds, the life cycle of a plant, and plants and flowers in all different biomes, this is a must for a nature-loving kiddo (and adults will love it, too!).

Arment is the founder of Wild+Free, a homeschool community. She has several books out, and this book has a variety of hands-on activities to do with kids outside. Whether it’s nature journaling, creating a mud kitchen, making edible flower and herb cookies, nature walks, or even a nature study in the city, there is an activity for everyone in this book.

Jayden lives in the city and sees nature wherever he goes: the squirrels scavenging for their food, the birds overhead, the weeds growing up through the cracks — but his mother doesn’t think there’s nature in the city. Jayden and his friend Mr. Curtis decide to create a community garden in the city with his neighbors to show his mom that nature can be found everywhere.

Zonia lives in the Amazon rain forest, and every day, the forest speaks to her. She visits animals, observes the trees and plants, and loves her surroundings. But one day she finds an area of deforestation. What will she do? This is a beautifully drawn book about a young Asháninka girl’s bond to nature and her home, and there are resources and more information in the back of the book about the Asháninka community and the rain forest. It’s an accessible book that is a good starting point for conversations about the rain forest, even for young kids.

If your child likes to wish upon the stars, or they just learned about the stars or constellations, they’ll love this sweet picture book. Kids wish on stars, but stars also wish on kids! After Clyde wishes on a star, the star shows up in his room and tells him she made a wish, too. With luminous illustrations and a heartfelt story, this is a perfect bedtime book to read aloud.

Written by the founder of @BrownPeopleCamping, this is a great book that reminds us that the outdoors is for everyone. Things aren’t always easy for Fatima at school. Between kids being mean and a bad grade on a test, she’s ready for her family’s first weekend camping trip. Between eating samosas on the way there, setting up the tent, building a fire, and managing bugs, the trip is a success and she’s sad to leave the forest. This picture book is beautifully written and illustrated, and a good reminder of what the outdoors can do for us and what it holds.

If you or your kiddo likes the National Parks, this is an adorable book about a group of children who talk about all the things they could do if they were a park ranger at different parks. Stier blends the story with interesting facts about the parks, and it’s a great supplement to any National Parks unit study or lesson.

This beautifully illustrated book brings the reader on a trip to follow a drop of water around the world in different forms. The science is integrated into the larger story and it’s a fun way to teach about the water cycle while keeping their interest and making it fun. Younger kids will find the drop of water’s trip amusing, while older kids will appreciate the science aspect of it.

Dayeon’s grandmother is a haenyo, or free diver. Korean women have been haenyos for generations, diving to get treasures from the sea like sea cucumbers and abalone. She wants to be just like them, so she practices holding her breath and gets her wetsuit, but when the time comes, she gets a little nervous. Her grandmother shows her how to sit with her feelings and shares her love of the water with her.

This is a delightful book about a Sunday in the park, a father and his sons, and how important bees are. He tells his children why bees are so important, what they do, and how they help to create all of their favorite fruits. It’s a fun, fact-filled book that also helps children learn about bees so they won’t be afraid of them anymore.