Our favorite books are CONSTANTLY changing and I love how passionate my kids get about certain books. We have the books with the spines falling off, we have pages ripping from being turned so often, we have characters that they race to literally put their hand on so they can claim it’s theirs for the time being. I’ve been trying hard to teach them to love books their whole lives so we’ve got quite a collection. Here’s a list of informational nature books that have captivated my kids at different ages!
Age 0
This age, its all about images that pop and touching and chewing 😉 so our favorite book has been “First Words: I Want To Catch A…” by Lisa M Gardiner. The pictures are interesting for little ones with a new insect on each page contrasted against a solid block of bright color. Its a sturdy board book so babies can’t rip the pages with their exploring. We love it for tummy time! And learning the names of different bugs makes this book age-appropriately informational.
Age 1
Once my kids get to walking and talking there’s something about musical books that they absolutely love. A favorite nature book like this is the classic “We’re Going On A Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. It is also one of our favorite empowering children’s books! This book is fun, has songs written to go along with it, easy to turn into a game… and it explores the environment outside! What sound does grass make? Swishy Swashy Swishy Swashy!
Age 2
Books really start getting fun for me and my kids around age 2 – my kids start to ask questions and participate in dialogic reading with me! We don’t stick to one page at a time, we don’t read the information straight through, we jump around and explore the pictures and ask questions. If the book can’t answer their questions I google information to keep them engaged with the topic! A perfect series for this is the “A First Discovery Book” series from Scholastic. I find my copies used from Amazon – the pages have fun realistic images printed on clear plastic pages so as you turn the page the scene changes. A favorite at age 2 is “The Seashore,” it’s a fantastic informational nature book with easily understandable text and super fun pictures.
Age 3
By age 3 my kids have had a lot of walks, mud play, and a chance to get to know the natural world in our backyard! They start to understand the seasons, and lifecycles of plants and creatures. “Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt” is a beautiful book with illustrations and a simple story that weaves in the collaboration of bugs and animals in our gardens. Written by Kate Messner, and art by Christopher Silas Neal; I’m hard pressed to say whether my kids like to read this book or stare at the bugs more. The realistic pictures are beautiful and informational about nature!
How disconnected from nature are your kids?
Age 4
Four year olds are often starting to pick up words by sight, or they have memorized lines from their favorite books. They often “read” books to themselves or to you and provide their own narration to the pictures. It’s a great age to introduce early reader books. We love the National Geographic Kids series – our current favorite is “Real Dragons” by Jennifer Szymanski. It has a “You read, I read” format through the book where the left side is more complex informational text and the right page is simpler so kids who are decoding words can often sound out some of the text themselves.
Reading with your kids is so important for their development, and for your relationship with them! I hope you enjoy some of these books, we sure do!