Title |
Type |
Access |
Author |
Summary |
Concepts |
Additional Info |
The Day the Trash Came Out to Play |
PB |
H |
David Beadle |
In this whimsical story, the entire town’s trash escapes and goes wild. Rhyming text and humor help this story address personal responsibility for the environment. |
Personal choices, litter, rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle |
|
Do Not Disturb |
PB |
H |
Nancy Tafuri |
When a family begins their camping trip, they unintentionally disturb the wildlife. At night, the tables are turned and the wildlife noises disturb the family’s sleep. |
Nocturnal noises, Human impact |
Appro-priate for urban students who are unfamiliar with nocturnal noises |
The Empty Lot |
PB |
M |
Dale Fife |
A man who plans to sell his empty lot discovers that every inch of it is full of life. |
Urban wildlife |
|
Grandad’s Prayers of the Earth |
PB |
M |
Douglass Wood |
During a walk in the woods, a boy asks his granddad about prayer. Later, when the grandfather dies, the boy wrestles with the concept of prayer. |
Spiritual message |
|
Giving Thanks |
PB |
M |
Jonathon London |
"Dad believes that the things of nature are a gift. And that in return, we must give something back. We must give thanks." A father expresses gratitude for animals, insects, and trees, as well as for Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon. |
Beauty, appre-ciation of nature, spiritual message |
|
Hey! Get Off Our Train |
PB |
E |
John Burningham |
On a magical train trip, a young boy has to decide if he wants to let animals aboard. Each animal is becoming endangered due to human actions. Caution, this story maybe strong for younger children, but if handled correctly it can be a great discussion starter. |
Endan-gered species |
As an extension: students can put on a skit, dress up like or each conduct research on one of the animals. |
Henry Builds a Cabin |
PB |
E |
D.B. Johnson |
Based on Henry David Thoreau’s life, this quirky story shows a bear named Henry deciding to build a simple cabin in the woods. This fun introduction to Thoreau’s life works on several levels and contrasts materialistic an simplistic lifestyles without preaching. |
Simple life |
Horn Book Award |
Henry David’s House |
PB |
M |
Steven Schnur |
Using words taken from Walden, Schnur tells of Henry David Thoreau’s experiment in simple living. The original text is a bit formal for children, but Shnur has selected carefully and it makes a great read-aloud book. |
Simple life, naturalists, journals |
|
*Home |
PB |
H |
Jeanine Baker |
In the wordless picture book, the collages tell the story of a run-down urban neighborhood that is reclaimed. The entire story is seen through one window and is framed around the life story of a girl, her birth, growth and her impact on the neighborhood. |
Inspira-tional, positive human impacts |
|
John Muir: America’s Naturalist |
PB |
H |
Thomas Locker |
This well-designed, picture-book biography profiles John Muir. Each spread provides a few lines of text and a quote from Muir's writing on each left-hand page; facing is a full-page painting. |
Naturalist, career choices |
Teacher’s Guide available |
Louisa May and Mr. Thoreau’s Flute |
PB |
H |
Julie Dunbar |
In this fictionalized account, tomboy Louisa May Alcott becomes intrigued by Henry David Thoreau. His journaling inspires her to begin writing and to discover her gifts. |
Journals, writing, career choices |
|
The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad |
PB |
M |
John May and Jocelyn Stevenson |
Studying about decomposition in class, Ms. Frizzle takes the class on a trip inside a rotten log. They learn about woodpecker, beetles, fungi and all kinds of decomposers. |
Decom-position |
Also available in Spanish |
*Old Turtle |
PB |
E |
Douglass Wood |
When Old Turtle sees all of the Earth arguing about what God looks like, he warns them to stop. Then humans begin to argue about God and misuse their powers. The people here a cry, “Please, stop.” The stars, mountain and wind remind people that God is everywhere. |
Spiritual message, respect of all beings |
|
Rachel Carson: Preserving a Sense of Wonder |
PB |
H |
Thomas Locker, Joseph Bruchac |
This handsome picture-book biography presents the life and accomplishments of Rachel Carson. After telling about Carson's childhood, her education, and her career as a writer, Bruchac writes lyrically about her love of nature, particularly the ocean, and concludes with an appreciation of her impact on the environment. |
Career choices, inspire-ational |
Teacher’ Guide available |
Secret Place |
PB |
M |
Eve Bunting |
A young boy discovers a secret spot in the midst of a city where wildlife thrives. He wrestles with his desire to share the spot with others and his concern for protecting it. |
Urban wildlife, Preser-vation |
|
Where Once There Was a Wood |
PB |
M |
Denise Fleming |
Beautiful pictures and simple verse show the story of a wood that is taken over by a housing development. |
Urban wildlife, human/wildlife inter-actions, habitat loss |
Book provides activities that students can do to improve urban habitats. |
The Wump World |
PB |
E |
Bill Peet |
Reading this classic story of the Pollutians who destroy this world, your students will face the question of who are the Pollutians? Has a very strong environmental message. |
Pollution, personal response-bility |
|
The Flower Hunter: William Bartram: America’s First Naturalist |
NPB |
E |
Deborah Kogan Ray |
Told thru first person journal entries, this story recounts the life of Bartram, an early explorer/naturalist of the southeast. It tells of his growing enthusiasm for botany as a boy learning from his father, of his expeditions in the wilds of FL, GA, TN and the Carolinas and of his contact with the Seminoles. |
Botany, history, |
Includes maps. Book refers to the historical context, French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, becoming friends with Benjamin Franklin, etc. |
*Girls Who Looked Under Rocks |
CNF |
H |
Jeannine Atkins |
Six women whose interest in nature began as young girls are profiled in short biographies that are interesting and easy to read. |
Career Choices |
Sharing Nature With Children Book |
Nature’s Yucky |
NPB |
H |
Lee Ann Landstrom and Karen Shragg |
On each spread, this informative book illustrates a species that does something gross (bald eagles eat rotting flesh, honey bees throw-up their nectar, etc), but also explains why that action is important in nature. |
Adaptation, unique roles |
The last pages provide additional facts about each of the species presented. |
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book # 17 Food Chain Frenzy |
CB |
M |
Anne Capeci |
Arnold, a reluctant student, gets sucked into the excitement of studying food chains. |
Food Chains, Ecosystems |
|
Brian’s Return |
MG |
E |
|
Uncomfortable with the over consumption surrounding him in his urban life, Brian returns to live in the wilderness. Using his canoe as transportation, he faces more adventures. |
Personal choices |
Teacher’s guides available:
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Brian’s Winter |
MG |
E |
Gary Paulson |
Full of adventure, this book continues Brian’s saga in the wilderness, as if he had never been rescued at the end of the first book. |
Survival, Adventure |
|
*The Education of Little Tree |
MG/YA |
E |
Forrest Carter |
A five-year-old orphaned boy goes to live with his Cherokee grandparents in the Tennessee mountains where he learns to respect all of nature. This book teaches timeless lessons about family, education and place. |
Appreciation of nature |
Although there is some debate over the authors intentions and it is not an accurate portrayal of the Cherokee culture, this book is really worth reading!. |
*Hatchet |
MG |
E |
Gary Paulson |
When Brian’s plane goes down in a lake, he is left alone in the wilderness of Canada to survive. Using his intelligence, observation skills and trail and error, he learns to survive and becomes one with this surroundings. |
Survival, Appreciation of resources |
|
Lostman’s River |
MG |
M |
Cynthia DeFelice |
In this everglades adventure, Tyler comes face to face with plume hunters and gator skinners. After learning about nature from a Seminole friend, Tyler is reluctant to help anyone find the wildlife. But when the naturalist he is guiding is killed, he is left to survive on his own instincts. |
Survival, Respect for wildlife, Threatened species |
|
*My Side of the Mountain |
MG |
E |
Jean Craighill George |
In a spellbinding, touching, funny account, Sam learns to live off the land, in the Catskill Mountains, and grows up a little in the process. He has a falcon and a weasel for companionship. |
Survival, freedom, adventure |
|
The River |
MG |
E |
Gary Paulson |
In this sequel to Hatchet, Brian returns to the wilderness so that researchers can study his survival techniques. He ends up rescuing the adult who accompanies him. |
Survival, Making Choices |
|
*A Sand County Almanac |
ANF |
E |
Aldo Leopold |
This renowned conservationist provides words of deep wisdom in these essays, from facts about tree growth to concepts of conservation to philosophical discussions of ethics. Full of practical examples of a back-to-the-land lifestyle. |
Conservation, ethics, history, journals |
Although this text is rather advanced, small sections can provide invaluable reading and natural discussion starters for junior high students or older. |
Walden |
ANF |
E |
Henry David Thoreau |
On March of 1845, Thoreau set out to live life in a new way, a simple way. Although bare of creature comforts, his life is rich with contemplation of the wonders of nature and the ways of man. Autobiographical |
Simple life, journals |
Written for adults, pieces of this work can be used with junior high and older students. |
Silent Spring |
ANF |
E |
Rachel Carson |
This history making work opened the world’s eyes to the effects of man-made pollution. |
Pollution, human impact, cancer, chemicals… |
Passages of this intense treatise can be used with older students |
*Pilgrim at Tinker Creek |
ANF |
E |
Annie Dillard |
This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is a series of interconnected essays which challenge the reader to contemplate the natural world beyond its commonplace surfaces. |
Nature appreciation |
Selected passages would be appropriate for students grades 5 and up. |
The Life Cycle of Everyday Stuff |
ANF/AG |
H |
Mike Reeske, Shriley Ireton |
Using common products like the telephone, this lively book helps students learn about the flow of energy and matter through the Earth's system. Includes hands-on activities. |
Product life cycle, product design |
|
