Nature Library

If you love books as much as the Kids By Nature family, you have more than you know what to do with!  We have books about llamas and pandas and owls and elephants, and... well, you get the idea!  Books are great for introducing different concepts to kids.  I believe that Lil' M's early camping trips were more successful because we read books about nature and camping ahead of time.  Here are some of our favorites.

Fiction:

• Fred & Ted Go Camping by Peter Eastman - Fred and Ted—beloved canine stars of P. D. Eastman’s Big Dog . . . Little Dog—are back in an all-new Beginner Book written and illustrated by P. D.’s son, Peter Eastman! In this story Fred and Ted go camping, and as usual, their uniquely different approaches to doing things (such as packing equipment, setting up camp, and fishing techniques) have humorous—and sometimes surprising—results. A charming introduction to opposites that beginner readers will find ruff to put down!

• Flat Stanley Goes Camping by Jeff Brown - Elementary-school kids love Jeff Brown’s classic character, Flat Stanley—the amazing paper-thin boy who can slide under doors, fly like a kite, and travel by mail. In his latest fun-filled adventure, Flat Stanley Goes Camping, Stanley and the Lambchop family take a trip to the woods. It gets a little scary when Stanley and his brother, Arthur, run away from a skunk—and straight toward the edge of a cliff!\

• Do Princesses Make Happy Campers? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle - “How come the campfire crackles and roars?”  “I think it’s requesting that we make s’mores!” Join our favorite princess as she and her family camp, hike, fish, and bicycle in the great outdoors. Through rain and sunshine, fairy houses and fishing, this happy camper discovers that lots of fresh air and looking on the bright side are all a girl needs to make her a princess.

• Curious George Goes Camping by Margaret & H.A. Rey - This is an entertaining story of the Great Outdoors based on H. A. and Margret Rey’s popular primate and painted in the original watercolor and charcoal style. George tries to be helpful, but he of course just ends up upsetting a nearby camper. As he’s hiding in the woods, he meets a forest creature who catapults the mischievous monkey into a chain of even more outrageous events.

• A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen - Mr. Magee and his trusty dog, Dee, are enjoying a peaceful camping trip when all of a sudden they find themselves plunging down a mountain and teetering on the edge of a huge waterfall! How will they find their way out of this slippery situation? Chris Van Dusen, the creator of Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee, has filled this new adventure with charming illustrations and a playful, rhyming text. A fun read-aloud for children (and adults!) on campouts or snuggling at home!

Reference Books

• Sierra Nevada Natural History by Tracy Storer and Robert Usinger - This one is definitely meant for the grown ups, not the kids, but it is an invaluable resource so that when your kids ask "What's that?, What's that?" you can use this guide to answer them correctly!
  
• S is for S'Mores: A Camping Alphabet by Helen Foster James - Next to baseball and fireworks on the Fourth of July, nothing else seems as American as the family camping trip. From what to pack, where to go, and what to do when you get there, S is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet takes readers on an A-Z trail exploring this outdoor pastime. Veteran camper Helen Foster James tackles topics such as unique camping environments, equipment necessities, famous conservationists, and national parks and other attractions. Whether your idea of "roughing it" is a blanket in your own backyard or the subarctic ecosystem of Alaska's Denali National Park, S is for S'mores is a fun and informative guide that is sure to help campers of all ages make the most of their wilderness adventures.Helen Foster James started researching this book when she was four years old - that's when she went on her first camping trip. An educator for over 20 years, Helen is a lecturer for San Diego State University. Her first book, E is for Enchantment: A New Mexico Alphabet, was a WILLA Literary Award Finalist. Helen lives in San Diego, California. Lita Judge lives in New Hampshire with her husband. She studied geology and dug for dinosaurs before she turned to writing and illustrating children's books. Her love of nature, animals, science, and history inspires her art.

• My First Pocket Guide Backyard Animals by National Geographic - Which backyard bird is a lively acrobat? What makes a firefly glow? From squiggly worms that slip through the soil to little brown bats that flit through the trees, from busy squirrels to graceful deer, here' s a colorful look at some fascinating creatures young nature lovers can spot in backyards throughout North America.

• Point Blue offers their line of Pocket Guides as free downloads (in PDF) format direct from their website.  Lil' H's favorite is Birds of the Sierra Nevada foothills, but the guides for Birds of San Francisco Bay and Beach Birds of California would be handy for Bay Area kids!