Books are a big deal at our house! I have a 1st grader learning to read and a preschooler that would listen to 500 books a night if I had that kind of time. We voraciously go through books. I’m always on the hunt for fun new (to us) books for my little readers. Since we’re an outdoorsy family, we naturally love children’s books about nature and animals. Picture books are favorites since both kids can follow along – my son reads the words he knows and my daughter enjoys the illustrations.
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Below we have compiled a list of more than forty beautiful children’s picture books about nature. This list was curated from our personal favorites and those of a number of family, friends, and fellow nature-loving parents. These books will inspire, educate and help your children develop a deep sense of love for nature and the outdoors. They have beautiful pictures and beautiful words. They teach lessons about nurturing, love and compassion. This list is perfect if you’re looking to add some beautiful books to your shelves at home, give them as a gift or add them to your library wishlist.
This is part 2 of our series on beautiful nature books for kids. If you want even more recommendations, make sure to check out part 1 of the series: 30+ Beautiful Children’s Books About Nature.
- As an Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas
- Mice Skating by Annie Silvestro
- On a Magical Do-Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna
- Who Eats Orange? by Dianne White
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
- A Hippy-Hoppy Toad by Peggy Archer
- Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
- Animals in the Outhouse by Anja Frohlich
- The Forever Tree by Tereasa Surratt
- Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
- The Skies Above My Eyes by Charlotte Gullain
- We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
- Elmore Hardcover by Holly Hobbie
- Little Butterfly by Laura Logan
- Pond by Jim LaMarche
- Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
- A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems by Deborah Ruddell
- Step Gently Out by Helen Frost
- Bruno Munari’s Zoo by Bruno Munari
- Wendell the Narwhal by Emily Dove
- The Tiptoeing Tiger by Philippa Leathers
- Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden
- All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
- Shy by Deborah Freedman
- This Is Sadie by Sara O’Leary
- Moon, Gorgeous Moon by M.H. Bradford
- Roly-Polies (Mini-Animalist) by Mónica Carretero
- If You Hold a Seed by Elly MacKay
- Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins
- Night Animals by Gianna Marino
- Guess Who, Haiku by Deanna Caswell
- Apples and Robins by Lucie Felix
- Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl
- Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan
- The House of Four Seasons by Roger Duvoisin
- Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root
- Prickly Hedgehogs! by Jane McGuinness
- Adventures with Barefoot Critters by Teagan White
- Baby Wren and the Great Gift by Sally Lloyd-Jones
- The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse by Mac Barnett
- Kate, Who Tamed the Wind by Liz Garton Scanlon
- Tiny, Perfect Things by M. H. Clark
- The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
- And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano
- The Story of Charlie the Coyote by London Michaels
- The Things That I LOVE about TREES by Chris Butterworth
- Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr
- Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler
- Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht
- Where is Bear Going? by Mark Janssen