Families, foodies, teachers, outdoorsy people, hikers, gardeners, and nature lovers: choose one (or ten) of our books for inspiration, information and enjoyment!

We are constantly updating our reading list and would love your suggestions at [email protected].  Happy reading!

Fiction

  • My Side of the Mountain, Jean George
  • Island Sting, Bonnie, Doerr
  • Acting For Nature, Sneed Collard III and Action for Nature
  • Flush, Carl Hiaasen
  • Hoot, Carl Hiassen
  • Scat, Carl Hiaasen
  • The River, Carl Hiaasen
  • Nature Girl, Jane Kelley
  • Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
  • Seedfolks, Paul Fleishman
  • Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
  • The Lorax, Dr. Seuss
  • Stellaluna, Janell Cannon
  • The Great Kapok Tree:  A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest, Lynne Cherry
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
  • Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
  • Double Whammy, Carl Hiassen
  • Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver
  • Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
  • Never Cry Wolf, Farley Mowat
  • Walking, Henry Thoreau
  • Survival Skills, Jean Ryan

Non-Fiction

Why You Should Spend More Time Outside:

  • Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv
  • the Nature Fix Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Florence Williams 

 

Food:

  • Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods, Thomas Elias and Peter Dykeman
  • The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
  • The Forager’s Kitchen, Fiona Bird
  • A Perfect Day for a Picnic, Tori Finch
  • The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, Tristan Gooley
  • Eating Outdoors, Lindy Wildsmith and Martin Brigdale

 

Gardening:

  • The Woodland Garden, Robert Gillmore
  • The World in Your Garden, National Geographic Society
  • Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education, Michael Pollan
  • Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife, David Mizejewski

 

For Kids and Parents:

  • The Kids Science Book, Robert Hirschfeld and Nancy White
  • Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting, Amy Jenkins
  • 5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!), National Geographic Kids
  • How the Weather Works, Michael Allaby
  • Life in Ponds and Streams, William Amos
  • Eyes Wide Open, Paul Fleishman
  • A Look at Rocks, Jo Kittinger
  • Townsend’s Warbler, Paul Fleishman
  • The Big Book of Bugs, Yuval Zommer
  • Miss Spider’s Tea Party, David Kirk
  • Sophie’s Masterpiece, Eileen Spinelli
  • Diary of a Spider, Doreen Cronin

 

Miscellaneous:

  • Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You, Claire Leslie and Charles Roth
  • A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, Bill Bryson
  • The Blue Wall: Wilderness of the Carolinas and Georgia, Thomas Wyche
  • Middlewood Journal: Drawing Inspiration from Nature, Helen Correll
  • Quiet Reflections: The Clemson University Forest, John S. Garton and C. Thomas Wyche
  • Trapline Twins, Julie and Miki Collins
  • An Introduction to the Study of Insects, Norman Johnson and Charles Triplehorn
  • Chattooga: Descending into the Myth of Deliverance River, John Lane
  • National Audubon Society Field Guide Series, various authors
  • Circling Home, John Lane
  • Lonely Planet Grand Canyon National Park (Travel Guide), Wendy Yanagihara
  • Two in the Far North, Margaret Murie
  • A Field Guide to the Familiar: Learning to Observe the Natural World, Gale Lawrence and Adelaide Tyrol
  • DK Eyewitness Series, various authors
  • Spiders and Their Kin, Herbert Levi, Lorna Levi and Nicholas Strekalovsky
  • Where Rivers Change Direction, Mark Spragg
  • National Geographic Secrets of the National Parks: The Experts’ Guide to the Best Experiences Beyond the Tourist Trail, National Geographic
  • Backyard and Beyond: A Guide for Discovering the Outdoors, Edward Duensing
  • Peterson Field Guide Series, various authors
  • Cycles of Nature, Thomas Wyche