Center image: The Little Lame Prince by Jessie Wilcox Smith
The average child asks approximately 300 questions a day. Our little ones asked questions about the natural world around them like these:
“Where is that airplane going?”
“What holds it up in the sky?”
“Why is the rain wet?”
“Do birds sleep?”
We begin to understand when we realize they’re trying to make sense of what can be a very confusing world.
Fortunately, God’s natural world has a memorable and glorious way of answering questions that perplex us.
Need To Teach
When our children were born (after a wild journey to being a mother), I couldn’t wait to introduce each one to God’s creation and the fabulous world that surrounds us, even as imperfect as it is today.
Thankfully there are amazing resources to stimulate that brain-building curiosity. Your children will have fun outdoors in nature, become more observant and make many fascinating discoveries. They will increase their scientific knowledge and vocabulary, hone their artistic and practical skills and begin what will hopefully be a lifelong journey to learn more about the the gift of our world.
These nature books (many of them true stories) are perfect for read-aloud, working into reading assignments and homeschooling.
It is impossible to give accurate age categories, so please check out the age level in the reviews.
Both BOYS and GIRLS will adore these books and will stir up awe in their hearts (maybe especially the True Animal Stories below)!
Science and Nature Books, K-Gr. 2
Fireflies In the Night by Judy Hawes (Stage 1)
All Creatures Pour Out Speech: Testimonies of Wisdom by Neal Bringe
Starfish (Let’s Read and Find Out) by Edith Thacker Hurd
Gravity Is a Mystery by Franklyn Branley
Weight and Weightlessness (Let’s Read and Find Out Science Books) by
Honey… Honey… Lion! A Nature Story From Africa (Rise and Shine) The honeyguide bird finds the honeycomb, and the African honey badger breaks it open, and they share the sweetness inside.
Journey of a Humpback Whale (Level 2) by
Humphrey the Lost Whale: A True Story by
‘One Day in the’… Nature series (up to Gr. 4/5)
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by
The Tarantula in My Purse: and 172 Other Wild Pets by
One Day in the Alpine Tundra by Jean Craighead George
True Animal Stories (ages 5 – 99)
A Hummingbird in My House: The Story of Squeak by
The Owl Who Liked Sitting on Caesar by Martin Windrow
Fly Away Home (book) by
Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons
Bugs Bugs Bugs! (Nature Level 2) by
An Earthworm’s Life (Nature Upclose) by
Bones (Step-Into-Reading, Step 2) by
The Secret Life of Trees (Level 2) by
Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats by Ann Earle (Level 2)
One Day in the Woods by Jean Craighead George
The Moon Seems To Change by Dr. Franklyn M. Branley
Science & Nature Books About Our Interesting World!
Science Year by Year: A Visual History, From Stone Tools to Space Travel by
Simon Ships Out. How One Brave, Stray Cat Became a Worldwide Hero: True story by
Robots (Nat’l Geographic Kids) by
Amazing Animal Journeys (Nat’l Geographic Kids) by
Sharks (Nat’l Geographic Kids) by
Deadliest Animals (Nat’l Geographic Kids) by
Linnea’s Almanac by Christina Bjork
Bears by
Skyscrapers (Level 3) (Nat’l Geographic Kids) by
Weather (Nat’l Geographic Kids) by
Volcanoes! (Nat’l Geographic Kids) by
More Highly Readable True Stories
James Herriot’s Favorite Dog Storiesby
James Herriot’s Cat Stories by
Every Living Thing: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World’s Most Beloved Animal Doctorby
All Things Wise and Wonderful: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World’s Most Beloved Animal Doctorby
Feed That Brilliantly Curious Mind & Encourage Curiosity
So, if all those questions are making you batty… handle that natural curiosity by reading about nature and early concepts of science.
Studies show that when children encounter a gap in knowledge, asking questions gives them the information they need at the exact right time for them to process it. As exasperating as 105,120 questions a year can be, they play a crucial role in encouraging understanding and concepts.
(FYI: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
We only have one chance of a few years to give our curious little ones the foundation they need to be brilliant!
Parents, use it wisely!
“Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.” ~Proverbs 9:9
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” ~Psalm 32:8
Katie
Thank you!! Your book lists are some of my favorite posts that you write! The effort you put in is much appreciated and blesses our family.
Jacqueline
Katie, it is neat to hear that! I have to say, they ARE some of my favorite to write!! God bless you and thank you for letting me know.
Very encouraging to me 😀 J
Neal Bringe
Hi Jacqueline, Thank you for providing these valuable lists to families!
I wonder if they may also be blessed by a book I published using photographs of God’s creatures to illustrate scripture, “All Creatures Pour Out Speech – Testimonies of Wisdom.”
https://www.amazon.com/All-Creatures-Pour-Out-Speech/dp/0998415472/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Blessings
Jacqueline
Neal, It is in the post! I had put it in a long while ago.
Blessings,
Jacque
Rebecca
Very helpful and informative article. If you do not mind then I will share it.
Thank you !
Jacqueline
Hi, Rebecca, you may share it with friends on different platforms or via email, but not as a whole on your website. It is copyrighted material.
Blessings, Jacque
Katie
I’m just perusing your book lists again… yay! While reading this post, I thought of a book I think you would enjoy:
The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young
It’s a nice light read – you can learn and relax at the same time!
Katie
Jacqueline
Ooh, what a fun title! I think I’ve heard of it, but not read it. My husband is from a dairy-farming family and we’ve talked ‘cows’ for many years!
Thank you for mentioning it here! <3
Jacque