If your child’s eyes light up at the sight of a trailhead, creek or even a backyard swarming with bugs, they’ll appreciate books that match their love of nature. This list gives a wide range of age appropriate reads to spark their curiosity and deepen their appreciation for the natural world.
Books for Kids Who Love the Outdoors
Toddlers and Pre-K Aged Children
At this age, books with vivid illustrations, rhythmic text and relatable outdoor experiences are perfect for introducing nature.
Baby Loves Green Energy! by Ruth Spiro
A board book that introduces eco-friendly concepts and the importance of the environment in simple, toddler friendly language.
To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat
Even though the Earth seems big and unchangeable, humans have altered its climate, creating consequences for all life. By working together, humans can save the planet, and ourselves!
The Hike by Allison Farel
Three female explorers set out to conquer their local forest. It captures the magic of nature when you immerse yourself in it.
A Leaf Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas
In a rhyming way, it explains all that a leaf can be, from a tree topper to a rain stopper.
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Kids love this award winning book about a girl’s close relationship to the natural world.
Run Wild by David Covell
A celebration of the joy of being outdoors features a child who abandons his digital device in favor of joining a friend outside.
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
With tactile web illustrations and a story about animal life on a farm, this book subtly teaches patience, focus and the diversity of animal life. And the illustrations are always a favorite with his books.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury
An adventurous read-aloud that invites kids to explore forests, rivers and tall grass in pursuit of a bear. It’s perfect for inspiring imaginative outdoor play.
Elementary Aged Children
This group is ready for more facts, gentle adventure and stories about the living world around them.
The Campground Kids Series by C. R. Fulton
These books feature a family that journeys to each National Park, perfect for those traveling to one over the summer. Although fictional, throughout each story there are fun facts woven in about the specific parks along with camping tips, safety, animals and plants facts.
The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann
A delightful story about a young girl’s first camping trip, filled with honest emotions and beautiful moments of discovery in nature.
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Birds by Catherine D. Hughes
Bright, engaging, and filled with fun facts, this is ideal for young bird lovers who want to identify species in their backyard or park.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
After a young fox loses his parents, he is rescued by a young boy. They quickly become friends and the story tells the depths at which a friendship can survive.
Poppy by Jennifer Li Shotz
With the help of a very special pit bull puppy, twelve-year-old Hannah adjusts to moving from Michigan to California and makes friends, despite the birthmark that makes her self-conscious.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
A gorgeously illustrated book that explores what’s happening above and below the ground throughout the seasons in a garden.
Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate
A towering tree narrates the story from her vantage point. She speaks with humans and animals who use her branches.
Middle School Aged Children
Kids at this stage crave more depth, along with stories of survival, adventure and real-world environmentalism.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Set in 1899 Texas, this story of a girl discovering the wonders of nature and science challenges gender norms and inspires scientific curiosity.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
A gripping survival story about a boy stranded in the wilderness with only a hatchet. It’s thrilling and rooted in nature based problem solving.
It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime (Young Readers Edition) by Trevor Noah
While not strictly about the outdoors, this book helps young readers understand different cultural relationships to nature and survival. Trevor Noah tells his story growing up in South Africa during Apartheid.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
This classic tale of a boy who leaves city life to live in the Catskill Mountains is an ode to self-sufficiency and the natural world.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
One of the most beloved novels of all time, it is a story of determination, joy, sorrow and love for a dog. Don’t forget the most important part, the coon hunting!
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Blending nature and technology, this story follows a robot who must learn to survive and communicate with wild animals on a remote island. This book is also appropriate for upper elementary aged children.
Teens and Young Adults
Teens want complexity, authenticity and books that challenge them to think critically about nature and our place in it.
Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis
A survival thriller about a teen girl lost in the woods. Gritty and raw, it offers a deep reflection on resilience and human limits in nature.
Braiding Sweetgrass (Young Reader’s Edition) by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A profound, lyrical blend of science and Indigenous wisdom that invites young readers to see the natural world with reverence and responsibility.
Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen
A follow up to Hatchet, it explores what would have happened to young Brian Robeson if he hadn’t been rescued at the end of the first story. A much heavier themed book than Hatchet, Brian’s Winter details the difficulties of winter and how much harder Brian must work to survive.
To Build a Fire by Jack London
This is a short story about a man who ventures out in the subzero boreal forest of the Yukon Territory. He is followed by a native dog and is en route to visit his friends. It’s an intense story of trying to survive in the harsh elements.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
A gripping nonfiction story of Chris McCandless, a young man who gave up everything to live in the wild. It’s both inspiring and cautionary.
The Nature Fix (Young Reader’s Edition) by Florence Williams
Backed by science, this book explores how nature heals and helps us. Perfect for teens exploring mental health and the outdoors.
A Walk in the Woods (Adapted for Young Readers) by Bill Bryson
This humorous, informative memoir about hiking the Appalachian Trail is both entertaining and educational.
Whether you are seeking board books for toddlers or survival memoirs and field science for teens, there’s an outdoor themed book for every young reader. These books will stoke their curiosity and deepen their love for the nature, which really is a gift for us all. Happy reading…and exploring!
