Get closer to nature! Experiencing the wonders of nature positively affects a child's physical, social, and emotional health. Use these books as an introduction to the environment around us and to encourage your child to care about the natural world.

infants & toddlers (0 - 2 years)

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

Baby Beluga by Raffi

Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills

Hurray For Spring by Patricia Hubbell

I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom

In My Forest by Sara Gillingham

Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd

Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Puddle by Hyewon Yum

Wait! Wait! by Hatsue Nakawaki

Who's in the Forest? by Phyllis Gershator

preschool (3 - 4 years)

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer

A Grand Old Tree by Mary Newell Depalma

Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root

Bee & Me by Alison Jay

Butterfly House by Eve Bunting

Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems

Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis

Forest Bright, Forest Night by Jennifer Ward

Good-Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins

Grandpa's Garden by Stella Fry

Gus is a Tree by Claire Babin

Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch

I Took a Walk by Henry Cole

In a Nutshell by Joseph Anthony

In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

It's Spring! by Samantha Berger and Pamela Chanko

Leaves by David Ezra Stein

Let It Shine by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Little Butterfly by Laura Logan

Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes by Demian Elaine Yumei

Miss Suzy by Miriam Young

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies

Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

Pond by Jim LaMarche

Snail Trail by Ruth Brown

Superworm by Julia Donaldson

The Bug Book by Sue Fliess

The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward

The Earth Book by Todd Parr

The Five Senses by IKids

The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes

The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Night Gardener by Terry & Eric Fan

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes

early school (5 - 6 years)

A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer

A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston

Backyard by Donald M. Silver and Patricia Wynne

Because of an Acorn by Adam and Lola M. Schaefer

Before Morning by Joyce Sidman

City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

Coyote Moon by Maria Gianferrari and Begram Ibatoulline

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

Forest Has a Song: Poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting and Kathryn Hewitt

Fun With Nature: Take Along Guide by Mel Boring, Diane Burns, and Leslie Dendy

He's Got the Whole World In His Hands by Kadir Nelson

Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons by Jon J. Muth

How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry

I Want to Go Green! But What Does That Mean? by Jill Dunn

Isabella's Garden by Glenda Millard

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

Life by Cynthia Rylant

Look What I Did With a Leaf by Morteza E. Sohi

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli

Miss Maple's Seeds by Eliza Wheeler

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

One Small Place in a Tree by Barbara Brenner

Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek by Marianne Berkes

Over the Ocean by Taro Gomi

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Poppleton in the Spring by Cynthia Rylant

Quiet in the Garden by Aliki

Rain Makes Applesauce by Julian Scheer

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Stargazers by Gail Gibbons

Strange Trees: And the Stories Behind Them by Bernadette Pourquie and Cecil Gambini

Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick

The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook by Shirley Hughes

The Birdwatchers by Simon James

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

The Dandelion Seed by Joseph P. Anthony and Cris Arbo

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg

The Happy Egg by Ruth Krauss

The Listening Walk by Paul Showers

The Storm by Cynthia Rylant

The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Welcome to the Neighborhood by Shawn Sheehy

Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker

Who Pooped in the Sonoran Desert? by Gary D. Robson and Robert Rath

Want to read more? Check out our next category of 100 books all about social and emotional learning. And make sure to share your journey to 1,000 on social media and tag us! #1000Books