Skip to main content

Books About the Great Outdoors

Sometimes, when it seems like winter will never end, I like to read books about nature to feel like I’m escaping outside, even when I’m stuck inside. In no particular order, here are my favorite picture books published in 2021 about the great outdoors.


Bea by the Sea
Written by Jo Byatt
Child's Play Inc, 2021. Picture Book.

Bea loves lions and hates going to the beach. At the beach she meets Sand Lion who teaches her not to be scared of touching the sand or the roar of the ocean. By the end of the day Bea loves the ocean and looks forward to visiting again.


Little Dandelion Seeds the World
By Julia Richardson
Illustrated by Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell
Sleeping Bear Press, 2021. Informational.

Did you know that dandelions can be found on all seven continents? This title teaches about how dandelions travel in the wind to spread from place to place. Even though this book is found in our informational section, it makes a great read aloud for children young and old. 




Hugo and the Impossible Thing
Written by Renée Felice Smith and Chris Gabriel
Illustrated by Sydney Hanson
Flamingo Books, 2021. Picture Book.

Everyone in the woods knew you couldn’t make it through the “Impossible Thing”, that’s how it got his name. Hugo asks his friends, one by one, if they had ever actually tried to make it through the Impossible Thing and they all admit that they haven’t.  With the help of his friends, Hugo climbs, swims, and pushes his way through the impossible thing and they find the most perfect place in all the forest. This book is an accessible way to talk with children about accomplishing things that may feel impossible.


Those Are Not My Underpants
By Melissa Martin
Illustrated by Troy Cummings
Random House, 2021. Picture Book.

Bear Cub finds a pair of underpants hanging from a tree and sets out to find the owner. He asks various friends if they are missing their underpants but finds that they don’t belong to any of his forest friends. If you are looking for a funny read-aloud about the great outdoors, give this one a try!



Written by Micha Archer
Nancy Paulsen Books, 2021. Picture Book.

In this title, two children walk through the forest, beach, mountains, and rivers while wondering about things such as if dirt is the world’s skin and if caves have mouths. The artwork is done in collage using tissue and patterned papers. On a cold day stuck indoors, try reading this book and making your own collages! 



Written by Terry Fan
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book.

All of the insects are amazed when a marble falls from the sky. Everyone has a different idea about what the marble can be, but Spider knows that everyone will want to see it. With the help of his friends, he builds an amusement park so that insects far and wide can come see the marble, but keeps charging his friends more and more for admission. Spider learns the value of friendship and readers will love imagining what could be taking place in their own backyard.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

Review: Growing Home

Growing Home Written by Beth Ferry Illustrated by The Fan Brothers New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 261 pages. This book has some entertaining characters! We get to read about Toasty, the goldfish who loves to eat cheese puffs, Ivy, a plant with magical powers, and Arthur, the spider who ends up with a broken leg. Jillian is the main human character in the book. She loves Toasty and Ivy, and would probably love Arthur, too, but she doesn't know about him....yet. Her parents own an antique shop, but they are facing some economic hardship.  This charming story is about magic, teamwork, and friendship. I loved that there were all kinds of shenanigans happening. While we are on a journey where the fish, the plant, the spider, and the girl are working to solve one mystery after another, the author beautifully guides us to the realization that words are powerful, friendships can heal hearts, and books have their own magic power to help in all kinds ...