Nature is our Mother, our home and our salvation. She gives endlessly providing everything that we require. Within her bounty exists pure joy waiting to be experienced every day at any moment, and any time. Children know the wonder of Nature and long to be outdoors playing and exploring. Nature provides the perfect match for the minds and souls of little ones allowing them the time and opportunity to marvel endlessly over the tiniest detail and to thrill at the constant changes within their environment that provide ever present gifts and excitement. Nature is gracious, beautiful, unpredictable, open-hearted and mysterious and she requires our help today, more than ever. She is in danger and we are the Planetary Knights and Warrior Queens who can save her. Below you will find books to share with children to incite, invite and celebrate the joy of the Natural World around them. Each of us can be a backyard naturalist and help to sustain wildlife within our home environments. Please note that there are many wonderful books regarding Nature for children. Rather than listing them all, I will list a few that are truly exceptional and/or unique in story, information and illustration and will also include the names of educators, authors and illustrators who are masters at communicating to and with children about the majesty and holy brilliance of Nature. These books make lovely Earth Day, conservation, and world stewardship units. OneWomansMind.net has partnered with Amazon.com to offer product previews using simple mouseovers. Just roll your mouse over a book title and the product information and associated links are provided. Any item linked from this site and purchased from Amazon.com helps support and maintain OneWomansMind.net. Search for a specific title, author or illustrator   Web OneWomansMind.net

Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder, illus by Lynne Cherry

Educators

Joseph Bruchac and Michael Caduto

Joseph Cornell

Bill Nye, the Science Guy

Curricula and Education Resources

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

Dawn Publications: Sharing Nature with Children - publishing house dedicated to nature, conservation and environmental awareness

Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children by Michael J. Caduto, Joseph Bruchac

Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants Through Native American Stories and Earth Activities For Children by Michael J. Caduto, Joseph Bruchac

Keepers of the Animals: Native American Stories and Wildlife Activities for Children by Michael J. Caduto, Joseph Bruchac

Keepers of the Night: Native American Stories and Nocturnal Activities for Children by Michael J. Caduto, Joseph Bruchac

Native American Gardening: Stories, Projects and Recipes for Families by Michael J. Caduto, Joseph Bruchac

Sharing Nature With Children (Sharing Nature Series) by Joseph Bharat Cornell

Sharing Nature With Children II (Sharing Nature Series) by Joseph Bharat Cornell

Celebrating the Earth: Stories, Experiences, and Activities by Norma J. Livo

Authors and Illustrators

Jim Arnosky

Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries

Eric Carle

Lynne Cherry

Henry Cole

Lois Ehlert

Anthony Fredericks

Lindsay Barrett George

Ruth Heller

Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Etta Kaner

Patricia Lauber

Thomas Locker

Barbara Shaw McKinney

Hayao Miyazaki

Jerry Pallotta

Cathryn Sill and John Sill

April Pulley Sayre

Jasper Tomkins

Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne

Nature and Science Series

Crinkleroot's Guides to Nature

Sharing Nature With Children Book Series

Let's Read and Find Out Science Series 1 and 2

I Wonder Why...

Experiencing Nature

Salt Hands by Jane Chelsea Aragon, illus by Ted Rand

The Listening Walk by Paul Showers, illus by Aliki

Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor, illus by Peter Parnall

Sky Jumps Into Your Shoes At Night by Jasper Tomkins

A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney, illus by Michael Maydak

Forest Child by Marni McGee, illus by A. Scott Banfill

Footprints on the Roof: Poems About the Earth by Marilyn Singer, illus by Meilo So

One Small Place in a Tree by Barbara Brenner, illus by Tom Leonard

Rain, Rain, Rain Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illus by Steve Jenkins

Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant, illus by Mary Szilagyi

Creating and Nurturing a Garden

Poppy Bear: The Garden That Overslept by Ruth Saltzman, illus by Catherine Deeter

Blossom Tales: Flower Stories of Many Folk by Patricia Hruby Powell, illus by Sarah Dillard

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

And the Good Brown Earth by Kathy Henderson

A Packet of Seeds by Deborah Hopkinson, illus by Bethanne Andersen.

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

The Garden of Happiness written by Erika Tamar ; illustrated by Barbara Lambase

How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry In the Garden: Who's Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George

Whose Garden Is It? by Mary Ann Hoberman, illus by Jane Dyer

I Saw It in the Garden by Martin Brennan, Michael Glenn Monroe

Loving and Conserving Nature

William the Curious: Knight of the Water Lilies by Charles Santore

The Tale of the Heaven Tree by Mary Joslin, illus by Meilo So

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry

The Gift: A Magical Story about Caring for the Earth by Isia Osuchowska

Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Steve Jenkins

Can We Save Them? Endangered Species of North America by David Dobson, James M. Needham

Why Are the Ice Caps Melting?: The Dangers of Global Warming (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Anne Rockwell, illus by Paul Meisel

Who Lives in an Alligator Hole? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Anne Rockwell, illus by Lizzy Rockwell - excellent discussion of keystone species and Florida wildlife

Naturalists Who Paved the Way

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt, illus by Joy Fisher Hein

John Muir: America's First Environmentalist by Kathryn Lasky, illus by Stan Fellows

John Muir: America's Naturalist by Thomas Locker

The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jaqueline Davies, illus by Melissa Sweet

Rachel: The Story of Rachel Carson by Amy Erlich, illus by Wendell Minor

The Trouble with Henry: A Tale of Walden Pond by Deborah O'Neal, Angela Westengard, illus by S.D. Schindler

Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists by Jeannine Atkins, illus by Paula Conner

Please find web site links to conservation, advocacy and wildlife programs in the OneWomansMind.net Link Repository.