Great Canadian Kids Nature Books
Spring brings out the scientist in me (ha, you all laugh. When am I not in science girl mode?)
I am a botanist/ecologist/microbiologist/nature loving curious type from the word go. But, this time of year I get serious about our nature learning and head out into the deep forest of the local bookstore for some non-library type nature books that won’t make it onto our shelves for a long time because we’re too busy using them on a daily basis.
So, I head to Blue Heron Books in Comox with a piece of paper pinned to my shirt to remind me of why I often bomb in the nature book department:
- Tip 361 when it comes to non-fiction books for the tiny person crowd: age-appropriate is key.
I often forget to check my list and get lost in the cool books that will be totally great when the tiny person is 10. They go home with us and $50 later I’m looking at her as she pitches it across the room like “why did I bother” and she’s looking at me like “seriously mom, why DID you bother?”
Then, I discovered Canadian kid-friendly nature writers Deborah Hodge and Diane Swanson.
Finally, some nature books that our daughter could connect with.
We began with Hodge’s very cool Who Lives Here series and picked the Forest Animals book for starters.
Illustrated by Pat Stephens, this is one of those nature books that hooks kids because the artistry is right at their level. Not to say it looks like a 4-year-old drew it. But, there are plenty of kid-sized creatures to make tiny people feel like they can learn about bears, cougars and other large animals without being scared.
As a mom, I love that I can give our daughter a peek into the boreal forest, with lots of familiar animal faces and there’s lots of good, new information to learn while not being eye-glazing.
After that, we had to go looking for more and found the Whales book in Hodge’s Wildlife series.
Also illustrated by Stephens (they are an awesome pair), this book rated for kids ages 5 to 10 is the perfect introduction to our giant ocean friends. There are whale tips, whale facts, conservation reminders and a whole lot of kid-friendly whale goodness that made us instantly want to head out and do some serious whale watching. This book is a great companion for families doing some exploring or vacationing on Vancouver Island or the coast of British Columbia too as it gives a gentle, not-too-heady peek into the lives of these amazing creatures.
Looking for books on bears, we then discovered Swanson’s Welcome to the World of series and picked up the Spirit Bears book.
Our daughter is totally fascinated by these bears and the mysterious legend that follows them. But, the books we found before Swanson’s were way over her head. This whole series is very accessible and full of GORGEOUS photography that make the Spirit Bear a very cool childhood adventure.
Swanson is a prolific Canadian wildlife writer, with dozens of titles under her belt and I am incredibly impressed by her ability to plug kids in to the natural world.
We’ll be reading Hodge’s and Swanson’s books for years to come.
AND YOU CAN TOO. I have copies of all three books reviewed today to give away. Just leave us a comment on today’s post and you’ll go into the drawing to win one. As always, we pick the winners Pin-the-tail-on-the-commenter style and no one who works for Our Big Earth Media Co. (or is related to us) is eligible to win.
We had a whole whack of books to give away from the Community Gardens grand opening at the Compost Education Centre. The winners are: Louisa, Polly, Another Robin and Kelly.
Congratulations!!! The books will go in the mail to you on Monday!
Book covers courtesy of KidsCan Press and Whitecap Books.
Category: ARTS & LITERACY, Rainy Day Book Club
About the Author (Author Profile)
Robin Rivers is Our Big Earth’s Publisher and Sr. Partner. Able to survive on coffee alone. Often can be found leaping tall buildings with the help of great friends. Predisposed to odd hats and the color orange. In love with imagination, her kids and that crazy guy who married her.Subscribe
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- Guides for Tiny Explorers (giveaway) | Our Big Earth | May 16, 2009
Hi Robin,
I have only recently come into contact with your website, and it is great! I look forward to checking it out every morning. We signed up for your Neighborhood walk and can’t wait to get out exploring. My kids love books so I will definitely be checking out this author.
I’m looking forward to your grand-parent series. My kids are so fortunate to have all of their grandparents living nearby, I love that they are able to grow up close to their family. I also love that those grandparents have saved my sanity more than once by taking my kiddos when I really need it. My girls and my parents have such a unique and wonderful relationship and I love how they all benefit and grow from it.
Thanks for the great book reviews Robin – I have a four year old who pretty much groans anytime I pull out anything even remotely non-fiction and a six year old who eats them up. I’ll have to check these books out and see if they allow us to meet in the middle – I totally agree – age appropriate makes a huge difference and that’s hard to do when it comes to nature books.
We’ve found some fantastic vintage books at the second hand stores these days. One of the recent ones I picked up is called “The Green Kingdom” #6 by Childcraft. The Edition I have was published in 1974 but the content, including some beautiful illustrations and collages, were all created in the 60′s. Ruthie and I have been learning about seeds as we plant a few in our garden. This book is a great visual tool for her and I to learn the basics.
The science is quite outdated in some parts of the book – so maybe it’s time we picked up something from your list.
Thanks for sharing!
First, a big “WOOOOO HOOOOO” for the books from the Compost Centre – we’re raising some serious bibliophiles here and books are the most welcome treasure (not that we are into threatening children into good behaviour, but when necessary a “no library today if you don’t….” works a treat and makes any teenager overhearing us laugh up a storm”.
Second, thank you for the great book reviews. We’ve followed quite a few of your recommendations – they haven’t all been hits but the batting odds have been spectacular. Mr. 4 is particularly fond of his non-fiction books and will often read way, way, above his age level. Miss. 2, the worm goddess, needs something more age-appropriate. Should our ‘tails be pinned’ we’ll be very fortunate; if we miss out, we’ll be heading to Blue Heron Books (certainly not an aversive thing to do) and stocking up because these books look GREAT.
Congrats on the changes and the community support and a heartfelt thank you for all the organising you do for us Mums and our kids. You have a big heart.
thank you thank you thank you!!! I’ve been searching for good non fiction books for Avari’s birthday and haven’t come up with anything appropriate! I’m so excited!
Thank you!!! I look forward to my book!!! I am the queen of buying books for “when they’re 10″….so I can relate. I’ve got quite a few KidsCanPress books, and love them all!!
These books sound great. I am glad to hear that your expanding more and more, the grandparents section sounds intersting! Excited to see what you have in store for us!
Ah, how comforting and exciting to be surrounded by kids book lovers and buyers, thank you Robin for this space of connection. There is so much out there – quality and not – and it is such a help to get first hand informed opinions and tips from other parents on where to look for great kids nature books. It would be super to have an ongoing page of OBE devoted to book picks/reviews where we could all share our favourites (and unfavourites).
I just picked up “I love dirt: 52 activities to help you and your kids discover the wonders of nature” by Jennifer Ward. It is simplistic for anyone with an ecological background but very nicely packaged into discrete weekly seasonal activities. The one I am really excited about is “No Student Left Indoors: Creating a Field Guide to Your Schoolyard” by Jane Kirkland (grades K-8) which is an amazing tool for creating a school-wide project that can encompass any and all subjects in a single project (e.g., science, math, history, language, arts, culture, technology). It’s designed to be as short as one day or as long as you want. I’m going to try a one day project this year and then plan for a year long project with our community school next year (a one-room school K-7) so we can chart all the seasons. These are not kids books – rather books for parents or educators to use to help connect with kids for outdoor learning, which is my passion. I dont think we have to wait till kindergarten age or older – I found my daughter very eager to be involved in outdoor educational activities in small groups and “taking a lot in” (especially at the sea shore) by about age 4.
Kids Can Press has some great books. I will have to start on the library website to see if I can check these books out!
My girl is 14 months old, and we’ve been going to the library since quite young, and she LOVES BOOKS!!
Do you have any suggestions for books for her age group? Maybe books that your daughter loved, or if anyone else wants to share their faves with us?
Our favorites right now are, “Clifford Plays Peekaboo”, an interactive book which she loves, as the big red dog ‘pops up’ on a few occasions (I love this, too, as Clifford The Big Red Dog was a fave of mine as a child…). “Mama, Do You Love Me?”, is a beautifully illustrated book, and she just dives into all the pictures of animals. And, “Grow Up” is another current favorite board book, caterpillar to butterfly, puppy to dog, etc etc…
Thanx as well for so many great ideas for us mom’s and families, and helping to connect our community with your website and the daily emails. Cheers!
Wow, you guys are awesome.
Deb, some of our favourite board books have been the Touch and Feel animal series at dk.com
Yum Yum Dim Sum and other books from that series
Boynton Board Books (Oh My, Oh My Oh Dinosaur)
Wocket In My Pocket (Dr. Seuss)
And there is a cute series that Pam over at Planet Kids carries right now. They are all tiny animal board books and they come in a set of six (I think). Perfect for little hands and so cute.
By the way, these are all pretty reasonably priced too, which is a big bonus when buying new books. Not one of them was over $10.
Hi Robin, I just discovered this website and am excited to find a great new resource!! I homeschool our 2 girls and periodically become creatively stumped when thinking of a new project when the seasons change. With my eldests 6th birthday around the corner, these nature books will be right up her alley!!
Thanks
Charmaine