I have hosted a nature centered book group, along with others, for the last several years. We've had a lot of opportunities to read books on nature! Here is our list, plus a few wild parenting books I enjoy. We found that meeting every other month worked best for us. We also liked mixing up some nature related fiction with the heavier non-fiction books on our list. We also would just have a topic at times and each person chose an article or book related to the topic. We all brought ideas to our meeting near the end of the year and looked up reviews on Amazon, trying to balance out local books, seasonal books, books on particular topics, etc., while getting something everyone was interested in. Checking the local library for availability is helpful. What are your favorite nature books for adults?
"Wild" Parenting Books
There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda McGurk
Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom
How to Raise a Wild Child by Dr. Scott Sampson
Play the Forest School Way by Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll
Beyond Ecophobia by David Sobel
Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors by David Sobel
Handbook of Nature Study
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Whatever the Weather
Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature
2018
Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks
Plain ol' Charlie Deam
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
Lab Girl
In the Watershed: A Journey Down the Maumee River
Anything on Pollinators
2017
any book on vernal pools
Wandering Home
Hidden Life of Trees
Braiding Sweetgrass
The Snow Child
2016
Jan. The Daily Coyote, Shreve Stockton
Feb. Guide to Caves and Karsts in Indiana
Mar. Natural Heritage of Indiana
Apr. The Secret Life of Backyard Bugs
May Any Foxfire book
June 100 Heartbeats, Jeff Corwin
July What the Robin Knows
Aug. Gray Mountain, John Grisham
Sept. The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs
Oct. A Walk in the Woods, Bryson
Nov. Birdology, Sy Montgomery
Dec. Voices in the Ocean, Casey
Past Nature Reads
Guide to Nature in Winter by Donald and Lillian Stokes
Anthill by E.O. Wilson
Moonbird by Phillip Hoose
any book about wildflowers
Lost Woods by Rachel Carson
Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer’s Journal by David Kline and Wendell Berry
Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking
Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul
Autumn: Season of Change by Peter Marchand
Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River by Jonathan Waterman
The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature by David Haskell
any book about nature photography, such as Ansel Adams, John Shaw, Muench, etc.
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Mammals of the Great Lakes Region by Allen Kurta
Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
(included a field trip to the state historic site with a tour of her gardens and home)
Life in the Soil by James B. Nardi
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
America as Seen by its First Explorers: The Eyes of Discovery by John Bakeless
Never Cry Wolf: Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves by Farley Mowat
Keepers of the ___________ by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
(Native American traditional stories, combined with ways to teach nature and environmental education. We’ll all read one chapter of one of the books to present and share.)
Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival by Bernd Heinrich
Walden: (Or Life in the Woods) by Henry David Thoreau
Alone: The Journey of the Boy Sims by Alan K. Garinger
The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose
The Dunes, any book based loosely on the Indiana Dunes, such as Dune Country: A Hiker’s Guide To The Indiana Dunes, The Dune Country, Dune Boy: The Early Years of a Naturalist
, or Diana of the Dunes (IN): The True Story of Alice Gray
.
The Trees by Conrad Richter
Pond and Brook: A Guide to Nature in Freshwater Environments
by Michael J. Caduto
A Conservationist Manifesto
by Scott Russel Sanders
The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age
by Richard Louv
Wild Edibles–You Pick!
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides), Stalking The Wild Asparagus
The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
The Herb Book
Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day
by Diane Ackerman
Any book by John Muir
–You pick!
Art of the Earth: Ancient Arts for a Green Future
by Elizabeth Hyatt or other Environmental Art related book
Guide to Nature in Winter by Donald and Lillian Stokes
Anthill by E.O. Wilson
Moonbird by Phillip Hoose
any book about wildflowers
Lost Woods by Rachel Carson
Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer’s Journal by David Kline and Wendell Berry
Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking
Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul
Autumn: Season of Change by Peter Marchand
Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River by Jonathan Waterman
The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature by David Haskell
any book about nature photography, such as Ansel Adams, John Shaw, Muench, etc.
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Mammals of the Great Lakes Region by Allen Kurta
Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
(included a field trip to the state historic site with a tour of her gardens and home)
Life in the Soil by James B. Nardi
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
America as Seen by its First Explorers: The Eyes of Discovery by John Bakeless
Never Cry Wolf: Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves by Farley Mowat
Keepers of the ___________ by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
(Native American traditional stories, combined with ways to teach nature and environmental education. We’ll all read one chapter of one of the books to present and share.)
Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival by Bernd Heinrich
Walden: (Or Life in the Woods) by Henry David Thoreau
Alone: The Journey of the Boy Sims by Alan K. Garinger
The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose
The Dunes, any book based loosely on the Indiana Dunes, such as Dune Country: A Hiker’s Guide To The Indiana Dunes, The Dune Country, Dune Boy: The Early Years of a Naturalist
, or Diana of the Dunes (IN): The True Story of Alice Gray.The Trees by Conrad Richter
Pond and Brook: A Guide to Nature in Freshwater Environments
by Michael J. CadutoA Conservationist Manifesto
by Scott Russel SandersThe Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age
by Richard LouvWild Edibles–You Pick!
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides), Stalking The Wild Asparagus
The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
The Herb Book
Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day
by Diane AckermanAny book by John Muir
–You pick!Art of the Earth: Ancient Arts for a Green Future
by Elizabeth Hyatt or other Environmental Art related bookThis post contains affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, thanks for helping me buy an extra book or two.
