Summer Reading 2026: Read a nonfiction book about natureLike this list

51 items

• Buzz

  a Family Guide to Bugs and Bees and How to Spot Them

  Jones, Richard, 1958 July 14-

  Add Buzz to your for later shelf

  Recommended for ages 8 and up. Try to spot the Indian stick insect and see how its remarkable camouflage helps it evade predators. Admire the vibrant colors of the monarch butterfly and learn how its wings support an incredible migration. And take a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Just in Case

  Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

  Clendenan, Megan, 1977-

  Add Just in Case to your for later shelf

  Great for ages 5 and up. "Deep in the mountains of Norway, the Svalbard Seed Bank stores seeds of the world's food supply" How and why was the vault built? What's it like inside? How does the vault protect the seeds?

• Seed to Plant

  Rattini, Kristin Baird

  Add Seed to Plant to your for later shelf

  Recommended for Pre-K and up. Kids will take this magical journey from seed pollination to plant growth, learning about what plants need to thrive and grow

• Akeem Keeps Bees!

  a Close-up Look at the Honey Makers and Pollinators of Sankofa Farms

  Bell, Kamal E.

  Add Akeem Keeps Bees! to your for later shelf

  Great for ages 6 and up. Young readers will learn the basics of beekeeping with this vibrantly illustrated book that takes place on the Sankofa Farms apiary.

• Color in Nature

  Secrets of Animal Survival

  Aitken, Stephen, 1953-

  Add Color in Nature to your for later shelf

  Great for ages 8 and up. Golden finches, bright blue mandarin fish and orange poison dart frogs use their colors to get noticed. Arctic foxes and octopuses change their colors to blend into their habitats

• 3 Weeks in the Rainforest

  a Rapid Inventory in the Amazon

  Swanson, Jennifer

  Add 3 Weeks in the Rainforest to your for later shelf

  Great for ages 8 and up. Join a group of scientists from The Field Museum in Chicago as they gather data in the Amazon rainforest in an attempt to keep conserving this amazing eco-system.

• After the Rain

  Spicer Rice, Eleanor.

  Add After the Rain to your for later shelf

  Grade K and up. What happens after rain stops? So much! Petrichor signals seeds to sprout. Bees buzz out from their hives to drink from puddles. Butterflies leave their leafy safety. Water vapor forms clouds, and earthworms wriggle down to search…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Weedy Garden

  a Happy Habitat for Wild Friends

  Renkl, Margaret

  Add The Weedy Garden to your for later shelf

  Ages 4 and up. A weedy backyard garden becomes a vibrant ecosystem that is home to an impressive array of plants and animals for any child patient enough to observe it.

• Farming

  Gibbons, Gail

  Add Farming to your for later shelf

  Ages 3 and up. An introduction, in simple text and illustrations, to farming and the work done on a farm throughout the seasons.

• The Ultimate Guide to Gardening

  Grow Your Own Indoor, Vegetable, Fairy, and Other Great Gardens

  Amstutz, Lisa J.

  Add The Ultimate Guide to Gardening to your for later shelf

  Ages 6 and up. Project ideas for indoor and outdoor gardens, edible gardens, fairy gardens, and more.

• The Secret Signs of Nature

  How to Uncover Hidden Clues in the Sky, Water, Plants, Animals and Weather

  Caudill, Craig

  Add The Secret Signs of Nature to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades 2nd and up. Meet two young adventurers as they discover the ancient art of reading outdoor clues. Join them as they learn to read a full moon, decode the color of the ocean and forecast the weather with a rainbow, uncovering…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Animal Habitats

  Search and Find

  Hutchinson, Sam

  Add Animal Habitats to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades 2nd and up. Readers learn how food webs sustain incredible birds, beasts, fishes, and insects and the ingenious ways that plants and animals adapt to the varied ecosystems of our diverse planet.

• Plants Can't Sit Still

  Hirsch, Rebecca E.

  Add Plants Can't Sit Still to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades K and up. Do plants really move? Absolutely! You might be surprised by all ways plants can move. Plants might not pick up their roots and walk away, but they definitely don't sit still! Discover the many ways plants (and their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Growing Green

  a First Book of Gardening

  Add Growing Green to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades K and up. From strawberries in galoshes to herbs in recycled tin cans, this easy-to-follow gardening book contains fifteen simple (and delicious!) projects for budding young gardeners. Kids can learn all they need to know to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Colors of Nature

  Barr, Catherine, 1965-

  Add Colors of Nature to your for later shelf

  Recommended for ages 4 to 8! Discover why the sun is yellow and how autumn leaves change colors in this richly illustrated, stylishly packaged, and informative overview of the science of colors found in the natural world. Filled with fun nature…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Kid's Guide to Exploring Nature

  Add The Kid's Guide to Exploring Nature to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades 3-7! This gorgeously illustrated guide will inspire kids to look closely at the world around them! Created by the experts at the renowned Brooklyn Botanic Garden, it teaches children how to observe environments as a naturalist…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shapes & Patterns in Nature

  Sedláčková, Jana

  Add Shapes & Patterns in Nature to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades 1 and up! Patterns do all sorts of amazing things in nature -- help animals blend in, attract pollinators to plants, spook intruders, and attract mates. Explore the many natural shapes and patterns through hand-drawn collages…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• On Our Nature Walk

  Our First Talk About Our Impact on the Environment

  Roberts, Jillian, 1971-

  Add On Our Nature Walk to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades 1-3! Young readers are introduced to environmental issues in their own neighborhoods in this illustrated nonfiction picture book

• DK Explanatorium of Nature

  Add DK Explanatorium of Nature to your for later shelf

  Recommended for grades 4-7! This stunning visual reference for kids explores the natural world in stunning detail and allows young readers to see nature as they never have before, through amazing close-ups and cross-sections, exploded images,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nature and Me

  a Guide to the Joys and Excitements of the Outdoors

  Add Nature and Me to your for later shelf

  Recommended for ages 8 and up! Children are used to hearing about how important it is to protect nature, but they may not fully understand how the natural world can positively impact their emotional wellbeing. With that in mind, this book looks to…Read moreRead more of this annotation