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Beautiful Children’s Picture Books About Nature

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beautiful nature books for kids

If your kids are anything like mine, they devour books. Rarely do we read a book just once. We read them over and over again until the words are memorized and the pictures are etched in our minds. My son loves silly books that make him laugh. My daughter loves sing-songy books that rhyme. And I love nature books that teach the kids about the wonder and beauty of the outdoors. One thing we all agree on, the more beautiful illustrations, the better. That’s why we’ve put together this giant comprehensive list of the most beautiful books about nature for kids. These are some of the best children’s books about nature out there and we can’t wait for you to fall in love with them, like we have!

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Nature books for kids

We’ve put together a list of more than thirty of the most beautiful children’s picture books about nature. This list was curated from our personal favorite nature books for kids and recommendations from a number of families, friends, and fellow nature-loving mamas. These nature 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 of nature books 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.

Most beautiful nature books for kids

  1. Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies
  2. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
  3. You Belong Here by M.H. Clark
  4. Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup
  5. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
  6. Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan
  7. Percy the Park Keeper by Nick Butterworth
  8. Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Abigail Halpin
  9. Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More! by Carole Gerber and Eugene Yelchin
  10. The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook by Shirley Hughes
  11. The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
  12. Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer
  13. An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston (also, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient, A Nest Is Noisy, and A Rock Is Lively)
  14. The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer
  15. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
  16. Beyond the Pond by Joseph Kuefler
  17. The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
  18. This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers (also, Here We Are and Stuck)
  19. The Road Home by Katie Cotton and Sarah Jacoby
  20. The Wonder Garden by Jenny Broom
  21. Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World by Julia Rothman
  22. Strange Trees by Bernadette Porquie
  23. Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
  24. The Little Gardner by Emily Hughes
  25. The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi
  26. A Walk in the Forest by Maria Dek
  27. When the World Is Dreaming by Rita Gray (also, Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? and Flowers are Calling)
  28. When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano and Julie Morstad
  29. The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
  30. A River by Marc Martin
  31. Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal
  32. The Midsummer Tomte and the Little Rabbits by Ulf Stark and Eva Eriksson
  33. The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan
  34. Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey by Emily Winfield Martin
  35. The Mermaid and the Shoe by K.G. Campbell
  36. The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins and Jill McElmurry

The importance of nature books

We all want to raise kids that love being outside and love nature. Reading about nature is a great way to encourage kids to love and respect the great outdoors. One of the most important things that we can teach kids is how to care for our planet and protect it. The care of our planet, its land, minerals, animals, and their habitats is of the utmost importance. Kids need to understand that what we do today affects tomorrow and how they can make a difference. Reading gives kids this opportunity and helps them make these connections. Books about nature foster a love of learning and give kids knowledge and appreciation of the planet we live on. Use books about nature to explore how our planet works and what we can do to help preserve it. 

Encouraging young readers

Raising kids that love to read as much as they love to be outside can be a challenge. I find that my super active kids sometimes find it hard to settle down long enough to read. There’s nothing wrong with kids on-the-go, but I also want to be sure they develop a love of reading in a way that’s natural and not forced. Here are a few things you can do at home to encourage your young ones to develop strong reading habits.

  1. Model the behavior – Let your kids see YOU reading at home and enjoying it. Kids learn so much through modeling. If they see you reading in your free time, they’ll be more likely to give it a try when they have downtime.
  2.  Read together every day – Read to your children for around 30 minutes a day. Young readers are made on the lap of their parents during storytime. Read your kids’ favorites to them, try new books, make up your own story in a picture book, or read them a favorite of yours from childhood. 
  3. Practice makes perfect – Let your early readers read familiar books they’ve read dozens of times. Re-reading the same books can help build speed and accuracy and help with confidence.
  4. Make reading real through connections – Help your child make connections between what they’re reading in books and what’s happening in real life. Nature books are a great way to do this. You can read about nature, bugs, weather, animals, etc. in a nature book and then make observations in real life outside that ties the experiences together. 

Additional nature books

We have compiled a few other posts filled with our favorite nature books for kids (and we’re adding more all the time). If you’re on the hunt for the perfect book, check out some of these posts for more inspiration! 

What’s your favorite children’s book about nature?

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