The Nature Connection
Clare Walker Leslie A longtime writer and illustrator devoted to connecting people — especially children — to nature, Clare is one of the most prolific authors and guides to creative nature activities. |
Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature
Jon Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature set new standards for a deep environmental literacy. As an admirer of Jon, Ellen and Even, I was asked to write the introduction to this fine book. |
Sharing Nature with Children
Joseph Cornell Joseph Cornell was on the case decades ago. “Sharing Nature with Children,” translated into more than a dozen languages, is a bible for those who connect kids to nature. This is the revised 20th anniversary edition. |
A Natural History of the Senses
Diane Ackerman The story of our connection to the natural world is defined by the extent of our senses. Amazon describes this book as a “grand tour of the realm of the senses” that “includes conversations with an iceberg in Antarctica and a professional nose in New York….and the music played by the planet Earth.” |
The Sense of Wonder
Rachel Carson The classic meditation on why children, and all of us, need nature in our lives to ignite our awe and humility. This book is less known than Carson’s “Silent Spring,” but perhaps even more relevant today. |
Wild Play
David Sobel When it comes to David’s books and contributions, where do you start? Ecohobia was and remains a forehead slapper. “Wild Play” is more personal. He’s been described as a trailblazing environmental educator but here, as a story teller, he shares how he’s helped his own family avoid nature-deficit disorder. |
What the Robin Knows
Jon Young This new book from one of the country’s leading natural teachers. Here’s the jacket blurb: “Jon Young is one of the heroes of the new nature movement . . . This elegant book will deepen the kinship between humans and other species. It decodes our common language.” |
Birthright
Stephen Kellert A pioneer of biophilic thinking, Steve has helped shape mine. About it, I wrote: “Stephen Kellert’s heartfelt Birthright is a moving memoir, a finely tuned analysis, and a gift to future generations … Here is a topological map of that future.” |
Suburban Safari, Submitted by Carol Buie-Jackson
In this delightful book, Hannah Holmes takes us on a safari through her own backyard. She documents the different seasons in her suburban neighborhood and the remarkable diversity of wildlife that she finds there. This book made me want to get a magnifying glass and a pair of binoculars and crawl around in my backyard. Even living so close to a big city, it is amazing what is going on outside our windows everyday. Read this book and then go crawl around in the garden. You'll be surprised at what you find. |
Bringing Nature Home, Submitted by Carol Buie-Jackson
Dr. Doug Tallamy does the best job of explaining how ordinary gardeners can make an extraordinary difference in the ecology of their gardens by using native plants in the landscape. In laymen's terms, he helped me understand that by using plants native to Matthews, I can lay the foundation of a healthy and thriving ecosystem and help replace habitat that has been lost to development all around me. Sometimes, gardeners can be considered "light weights" in the conservation movement but Dr. Tallamy made me feel like I really can make a difference for wildlife everywhere just by working in my own backyard. Read this book and be inspired! |
Earth in Mind
David W. Orr David W. Orr, chair of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College in Ohio, is a hero to just about anyone who cares about environmental literacy or nature itself. |
The Great Work
Thomas Berry Thomas Berry was one of the world’s leading eco-theologians. In his early 90s, he wasn’t interested in the 20th century; he only wanted to talk about the Great Work of the 21st century: reconnecting our species to the meaning found in the natural world. He was one of two people I’ve met who I considered truly beatific. The other one was Mister Rogers. |
The Great Animal Orchestra
Bernie Krause The founder of Wild Sanctuary, an organization dedicated to the recording and archiving of natural soundscapes, Bernie writes here about “finding the origins of music in the world’s wild places.” He once worked with the Rolling Stones. Now he rolls with the stones. |
Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties
D.C. Beard This book from the Teddy Roosevelt era is packed with how-to fantasies and Beard’s classic illustrations. It’ll make you want to head outside, no matter what your age. |
Thinking Like a Mountain
Robert Bateman Borrowing Aldo Leopold’s famous phrase for his title, the world-renowned artist (and champion for connecting kids to nature) offers a series of short, personal essays. |
A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson, submitted by Laura Hamelau
This is a ‘laugh out loud’ book – and for me those are hard to find. I learned about the Appalachian Trail; the history, what it looks like, and what walking it involves. It is scary as can be in places and I have a new respect for those who have hiked it. But in between I had a great time! |
