Top 26 Children's Books About Nature Updated 04 /2024

Do you wish your kids would spend more time outside and less time on their computers and phones? Start by reading them a picture book about the beauty of nature. This list of twenty of our favorite picture books will make your kids want to do that, too! These nature picture books and poetry, of course, will help your kids look around, pay attention to small things, and go outside!

This list will help you find books that go with your nature study, or that have beautiful illustrations and a story that makes you want to learn more. There are a lot of great nature books for kids, so I hope you'll share your favorite ones in the comments below. If you click on the book cover or title, you will be taken to an affiliate link.

You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey.

My favorite book by this team was You Are Stardust, and this one is just as magical. Lyrical text makes the reader think about how close they are to nature. It helps the reader understand how everything from microorganisms to tiny plankton and clouds all work together to keep life and the environment safe. However, Kelsey doesn't forget about how humans feel, and how an animal can "soothe lonely times" or how sunshine "fills you with hope." Kim's three-dimensional drawings are a real treat to look at.

Sing a Song of Seasons : A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year. ed. by Fiona Waters.

Want to add a little nature love to every single day? This is a great way to do it. It might be fun to start the day with a poem about the natural world. Having this poetry book on your coffee table all year long will be a great thing for you. The pages of this book have beautiful, colorful illustrations on them. They also have a nature poem to read aloud every day.

Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer.

None of the things that go together as well as poetry and nature are as good as each other. "What is poetry?" Daniel asks his animal friends before he goes to a poetry event in the park. They all give him different answers, which makes Daniel want to write an ode to nature of his own, so he does that. Charming!

The Raft by Jim LaMarche.

She lives by a river in the woods. Nicky goes to visit her. In the beginning, he doesn't think the summer would be very interesting. Nicky's grandmother tells him to go outside. On the river, he finds a raft. He takes it out one afternoon, and it soon becomes his favorite thing to do every day. While floating every day, he looks at the local plants and animals. He even starts to draw what he sees. What I also like about this book is how the relationship between Nicky and his grandmother grows. Also, look at his picture book, Pond.

The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes.

He is a very small gardener, but he adds a lot of beauty to his garden. The little gardener spends a lot of time taking care of nature, and the reader sees the beauty of nature through his eyes. It's a lot of fun for kids to compare how they see a garden to how the little guy does. The pictures are amazing.

Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd.

In their city, two kids find nature in the city. Love how this book shows how different wildlife and plants are in cities all year long. The two kids go down a path from the subway entrance and find waterways, insects, birds, beautiful flowers, and trees that look like they belong in a garden. The best part is that when they get back to the city, they realize that all that nature is right in their own back yard.

A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams.

Gregory draws a lion in the sand at the beach. This is what he did. His dad tells him to stay close to the lion and not go into the water. Gregory takes a stick and starts to draw the tail of the lion. It's very long and goes all the way down the beach. A way for him to get back is to walk the length of the line that was drawn in sand. When a child is curious and wonders if he has gone too far for his own good, the story makes sure there is just the right amount of both. An important childhood moment is shown in a lovely way.

The Whole Wide World and Me by Toni Yuly

The cut paper illustrations are simple and colorful, and the text is short but poetic, like a poem or story. When you read this book aloud, you can pay attention to how the illustrations show different points of view. Depending on where you are, you might see a close up of the girl's feet, or a wide view of the landscape. As the girl says, "I am a cloud in the sky," "I am a pebble on the ground." It makes kids think in a different way.

Bloom Boom! by April Pulley Sayre. 

The cover of this book was the first thing that drew me in. It had the official flower of my home state on it. Seeing the author made me sure it would be a hit. I've loved other books by Sayre. During the spring, this is a great book to read aloud because the flowers are beginning to bloom. Some flowers bloom at the same time, while others show up one by one. The text is short but dynamic, and the photos are stunning, so we know this. Delightful.

Wild Berries by Julie Flett. 

A boy and his grandmother go out into the woods to pick blueberries, and they do it together. From ants to elk, to birds, they see it all. A calm, mindful feeling is what you get from the whole thing, and the illustrations' deceptively simple look adds to that feeling. Most of the words are in English, but some are also in Cree. A glossary and pronunciation guide are also there.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown.

A boy is walking through a deserted city when he comes across a small sprout. He decides to look after it, coming back over and over again to water it and keep an eye on it. As time goes on, the boy's garden spreads to other parts of the city, turning the gray cityscape into a green landscape. People start to emerge as the green takes over. This shows that people need the natural world to be able to live.

In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming. 

This is a great book to read to young children. In a meadow-like setting, onomatopoetic text is quick and easy to read. It takes the reader down into the hidden world of tall grass. It is bold to add Fleming's torn paper collage to the text that is so lively.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. 

In the woods, a girl and her father ski through the snow. In the air, she talks about the habits of animals that live in the snow and those that roam the woods. Endnotes at the end of the book give more information about the animals in the book. Over and Under the Pond and Up and Down in the Dirt are also good books to read.

Tiny Perfect Things by M. H. Clark.

This is a real treat for the eyes. People go for a walk. The grandparent tells the child that it's important to look around, and the child is amazed by all the "tiny, perfect things" she sees. The illustrations give the reader a lot of different ways to look at the natural world.

You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks by Evan Turk. 

Make sure you don't miss this beautiful-gorgeous-gorgeous picture book that pays homage to our national treasures. This poem takes us on a journey through the parks, allowing us to meet animals in their natural habitats, see people having fun in the great outdoors, and be amazed by the beauty and wonders that live and grow in the U.S. National Park system. Is this book good enough for you? Go get it right away.

Run Wild by David Covell. 

Two kids leave their electronics at home so they can run around in the great outdoors. There is grass, sand, and mud. Nice, big pages with a lot of line drawings that are full of color and life. The text makes you feel like you're moving and having fun, with the colors always changing. Utterly wonderful.

Flashlight by Lizi Boyd. 

In this book, there are no words. A child takes a flashlight outside on a dark night. In this book, each page shows the objects in the light, which is what the child sees. The creatures in the dark can still be seen by the reader though. A wonderful, magical story that will make us think about how we see the world and what we might be missing. Delightful.

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