Discover the natural way to study science and nature.

Nature Lore Books

“The real use of naturalists’ books [nature lore] at this stage is to give the child delightful glimpses into the world of wonders he lives in, to reveal the sorts of things to be see by curious eyes, and to fill him with desire to make discoveries for himself.” -Charlotte Mason, Home Education (vol 1) p. 64 

Through the study of Charlotte Mason’s programmes, I see two distinct categories of nature lore: general nature lore and books that support a student’s special studies. For clarity, I will divide the books listed below into those categories. You can read more about how these books were assigned for your student’s particular form by reading the article Nature Lore: The Beginning of a Science Education. Form 3 students would continue to use nature lore to support their special studies. Still, it would not be assigned in their morning lessons. (Jump to middle and high school nature lore.)

Many of these nature books are out of print; therefore, some are expensive to purchase. They are so important, however, that I recommend you pick at least a couple each year to buy. I always use BookFinder.com to find the best price across the internet. After that, do some digging on your local library’s website to see available options. I have taken full advantage of interlibrary loan in the past. My local librarian was even willing to search for books in other states! Another option is to read an eBook online. Jennifer Duperon of BookishFamily.blogspot.com has created a robust list of online options. Previewing a book online may help determine whether you want to purchase a copy.

Here are a few publishers working to get some of these back in print and doing a wonderful job!

  • Purple House Press – find books by Robert McClung, Alice Goudey, Herbert Zim, Fabre, and Glenn Blough & Jeanne Bendick. Coming soon — Let’s Learn about Mushrooms!
  • Charlotte Mason Beehive – Edmund Selous, Arabella Buckley
  • Living Library Press – The Year Round by C.J. Hylander
  • The Good and the Beautiful – Robert McClung, Carroll Lane Fenton, and Nature Readers (insects and birds)
  • Yesterday’s Classics – Arabella Buckley, Clara Dillingham Pierson, Edith Patch, William Long, Edmund Selous, Margaret Warner Morley, Dallas Lore Sharp, and Richard Headstrom.
  • Living Book Press – Handbook of Nature Study, Secrets of the Universe
  • Riverbend Press – Life and Her Children by Buckley, Softcover Notebooks

Finally, I encourage you to check out Biblioguides, which now offers an SMH partner guide. They provide a list of all of the books on SMH, but with added information, including (when available) images of the book’s cover, a complete description, a look inside, and links to available digital versions. Also, with advanced search capabilities, you can find books that meet your qualifications. “Biblioguides gives you the resources and tools to discover the right book for the right person at the right moment.” They offer a free trial, so do check it out.

Nature Lore Books for Form 1-2 (grades 1-6)

Some examples for form 1 students:
Students read 30-40 pages from two of these books each term.

  • Eyes and No Eyes Series by Arabella Buckley (Charlotte Mason assigned one or half of one of these books every single term for form 1 students. There is nothing quite like them. They may seem densely packed with information, but they are still a quality living book and suit this category perfectly.)
  • Dallas Lore Sharp’s Fall of the Year, Winter, Spring of the Year, and Summer (I prefer the quality of Yesterday’s Classics on these)
  • Christian Liberty Nature Readers, Books 1-5 by Worthington Hooker (these progress in reading level)
    • Book 1 (Nature Stories for Young Readers: Animal Life by Florence Bass)
      Book 2 (Nature Readers: Sea-side and Way-side No. 1 by Julia McNair Wright)
      Book 3 (Nature Readers: Sea-side and Way-side No. 2 by Julia McNair Wright)
      Book 4 ( by Edward J. Shewan)
      Book 5 ( by Edward J. Shewan)
  • African Critters by Robert Haas (95 pp. but PB style, 8 sections. Sometimes Charlotte Mason assigned a book in this spot that was of zoo animals or of animals in far off places.)
  • Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers by John Burroughs
  • A Bunch of Wild Flowers for the Children by Ida Prentice Whitcomb (140 pp.)
  • A Pair of Wings by Marilyn Singer, (31 pp.)

Some examples for form 2 students:
Students read 30-40 pages of one of these books each term, and therefore will continue in the chosen book for several years.

Special Study Books (any age depending on reading level)

Various Examples

By Author

Clara Dillingham Pierson

  • Among the Pond People
  • Among the Night People
  • Among the Meadow People
  • Among the Forest People
  • Among the Farmyard People

Robert M. McClung (grade ~3-6)

  • Ruby Throat: The Story Of A Hummingbird
  • Luna: the Story of a Moth
  • Sphinx: The Story of a Caterpillar
  • Green Darner: The Story of a Dragonfly
  • Major: The Story Of A Black Bear
  • Leaper: The Story of an Atlantic Salmon
  • Spike: The story of a Whitetail Deer
  • Whitetail
  • Otus: The Story of a Screech Owl
  • Honker: The Story of a Wild Goose
  • Lili: A Giant Panda of Sichuan
  • Redbird: The Story of a Cardinal
  • Buzztail: The Story Of A Rattlesnake
  • Luna: The Story of a Moth
  • Whitefoot: The Story of a Wood Mouse
  • Samson: Last of the California Grizzlies
  • Whooping Crane
  • Horseshoe Crab
  • America’s First Elephant
  • Possum
  • Spotted Salamander
  • Bees, Wasps, and Hornets, and How They Live
  • Peeper, First Voice of Spring

William J. Long

  • Secrets of the Woods
  • Ways of Wood Folk
  • Wilderness Ways
  • School of the Woods
  • Wood Folk at School
  • A Little Brother to the Bear
  • Northern Trails

Thornton Burgess

  • The Burgess Bird Book for Children
  • The Burgess Animal Book for Children
  • The Burgess Book of Nature Lore
  • The Burgess Seashore Book for Children

George F. Mason (~80-100 pp, grade ~4-8)

  • Animal Homes
  • Animal Tracks
  • Animal Weapons
  • Animal Clothing
  • Animal Ways
  • Animal Teeth
  • Animal Habits
  • Animal Feet
  • Animal Sounds
  • Animal Tails
  • Animal Tools
  • Animal Vision

Glenn Orlando Blough (grade ~3-6)

  • The Tree on the Road to Turntown
  • Who Lives in This House: A Story of Animal Families
  • Christmas Trees and How They Grow
  • After the Sun Goes Down: The Story of Animals at Night
  • Who Lives in This Meadow? A Story of Animal Life
  • Discovering Insects
  • Who Lives at the Seashore?: Animal Life Along the Shore
  • Bird Watchers and Bird Feeders
  • Discovering cycles

Jean Craighead George
(The Thirteen Moons series, “for children in the middle grades”, ~50 pp.)

  • The Moon of the Owls (January)
  • The Moon of the Bears (February)
  • The Moon of the Salamanders (March)
  • The Moon of the Chickarees (April)
  • The Moon of the Monarch Butterflies (May)
  • The Moon of the Fox Pups (June)
  • The Moon of the Wild Pigs (July)
  • The Moon of the Mountain Lions (August)
  • The Moon of the Deer (September)
  • The Moon of the Alligators (October)
  • The Moon of the Grey Wolves (November)
  • The Moon of the Winter Bird (December)
  • The Moon of the Moles (December and January)

Herbert Spencer Zim

  • Frogs and Toads
  • Sharks
  • Owls
  • Rabbits
  • Snakes

Margaret Waring Buck

  • Along the Seashore
  • Animals through the Year
  • Country Boy
  • How They Grow
  • In Ponds and Streams
  • In Woods and Fields
  • In Yards and Gardens
  • Pets from the Pond
  • Small Pets from Woods and Fields
  • Where They Go in Winter

Olive L. Earle

  • Robins in the Garden
  • Birds and Their Beaks
  • Birds and Their Nests
  • Thunder Wings: The story of a ruffed grouse
  • Birds of the Crow Family
  • White Patch A City Sparrow
  • The Swans of Willow Pond
  • Pond and Marsh Plants
  • Squirrels in the Garden
  • Pigs, Tame and Wild
  • Strange Companions in Nature
  • Paws, Hoofs, and Flippers
  • Strange Lizards
  • Strange Fishes of the Sea
  • Praying Mantis
  • Mice at Home and Afield
  • The Octopus
  • Animals and Their Ears
  • Scavengers
  • Camels and Llamas
  • The Rose Family
  • Strangler Fig & Other Strange Plants
  • Seeds and Seed Travels
  • Peas, Beans, and Licorice
  • Nuts
  • Animals and Their Young by Glenn Blough and Olive Earle
  • Animals That Live Together by Glenn Blough and Olive Earle

Millicent Selsam

  • Animals of the Sea
  • See Along the Shore
  • Hidden Animals
  • Keep Looking!
  • Terry and the Caterpillars
  • Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints
  • When an Animal Grows
  • How Animals Tell Time
  • How Animals Sleep
  • How Animals Eat
  • How Animals Live Together
  • The Courtship of Animals
  • How to be a Nature Detective
  • Language of Animals
  • See Through the Forest
  • See Through the Jungle
  • See Through the Lake
  • Birth of a Forest
  • Stars, Mosquitoes and Crocodiles: The American Travels of Alexander Von Humboldt
  • Let’s get Turtles
  • How Puppies Grow
  • Tony’s Birds
  • A First Look at Birds
  • A First Look at Birds Nests
  • A First Look at Spiders
  • A First Look at Seashells
  • A First Look at Whales
  • A First Look at Cats
  • A First Look at Owls, Eagles and Other Hunters in the Sky
  • A First Look at Poisonous Snakes
  • A First Look at Animals that Eat Other Animals
  • A First Look at Animals With Backbones
  • A First Look at Animals Without Backbones
  • A First Look at Snakes, Lizards and Other Reptiles
  • A First Look at Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses
  • A First Look at Sharks
  • A First Look at Fish
  • A First Look at Insects
  • Ants
  • Egg to Chick
  • All About Eggs and How They Change Into Animals
  • Backyard Insects
  • Strange Creatures That Really Lived
  • Questions and Answers About Horses
  • Questions and Answers About Ants
  • The Bug That Laid the Golden Eggs
  • Where Do They Go: Insects in Winter
  • Plenty of Fish
  • Harlequin Moth: Its Life Story
  • All Kinds of Babies
  • Cotton
  • More Potatoes
  • Seeds and More Seeds
  • Bulbs, Corms, and Such
  • Plants that Heal
  • Plants We Eat
  • The Don’t Throw It, Grow It Book of Houseplants
  • Eat the Fruit, Plant the Seed
  • A First Look at Flowers
  • The Amazing Dandelion
  • The Apple and Other Fruits
  • Peanut
  • Maple Tree
  • Things to Do with Trees
  • Tree Flowers
  • Popcorn
  • The Carrot and Other Root Vegetables
  • The Tomato and Other Fruit Vegetables

Wilfrid Bronson

  • The Grasshopper Book
  • Water People
  • Children of the Sea
  • Cats
  • Turtles
  • Coyotes
  • Dogs
  • Starlings
  • The Chisel-Tooth Tribe (squirrels and such)
  • Goats
  • Horns and Antlers
  • The Wonder World of Ants
  • Beetles

Alice Goudey

  • Here Come the … (seals, squirrels, dolphins, cottontails, whales, deer, lions, raccoons, bees, beavers, bears, elephants, wild dogs, elephants)
  • Butterfly Time
  • Red Legs (grasshopper)
  • Graywings
  • The Merry Fiddlers

Charles L. Ripper

  • Trout
  • Bats
  • Hawks
  • Mosquitos
  • Foxes and Wolves
  • Woodchucks and Their Kin
  • The Weasel Family
  • Swallows
  • Diving Birds
  • Ground Birds
  • Moles and Shrews

Ferdinand Lane

  • All About The Flowering World
  • The Story of Trees
  • All About the Insect World
  • All About Animals and Their Young
  • All About The Sea
  • Thy Mysterious Sea
  • The Story of Mountains
  • Earth’s Grandest Rivers
  • The World’s Great Lakes

Dorothy Childs Hogner

  • Grasshoppers And Crickets
  • Sea Mammals
  • Frogs And Polliwogs
  • Endangered Plants
  • Spiders
  • Earthworms
  • Water Over The Dam
  • Water Beetles
  • Snails
  • A Book Of Snakes
  • Butterflies

Alice Hopf

  • Monarch Butterflies
  • Pigs Wild and Tame
  • Biography of a Rhino
  • Misunderstood Animals
  • Wild Cousins of the Dog
  • Biography of an Ant
  • Biography of an Armadillo
  • Wild Cousins of the Cat
  • Biography of an American Reindeer
  • Wild Cousins of the Horse
  • Biography of a Giraffe
  • Animal and Plant Life Spans
  • Nature’s Pretenders
  • Biography of a Snowy Owl
  • Whose House Is It?
  • Chickens and Their Wild Relatives
  • Hyenas
  • Bats

Dorothy Shuttlesworth

  • The Story of Ants
  • Animal Camouflage
  • All Kinds of Bees
  • The Story of Horses
  • Gerbils and Other Small Pets
  • How Wild Animals Fight
  • The Story of Cats
  • The Wildlife of South America
  • Zoos in the Making

Dorothy Sterling

  • Fall is Here!
  • Spring is Here!
  • Trees and Their Story
  • Story of Mosses, Ferns and Mushrooms
  • Story of Caves
  • Creatures of the Night
  • Caterpillars
  • Ellen’s Blue Jays

By Subject

Marine animals and the ocean

  • The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson
  • Under the Sea Wind by Rachel Carson
  • Children of the Sea by Wilfrid Bronson
  • Who Lives at the Seashore? By Glenn Blough
  • The Silent World by Captain J.Y. Cousteau
  • A Whale for the Killing by Farley Mowat (250 pp.)
  • The Burgess Seashore Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
  • Along the Seashore by Margaret Waring Buck
  • Fiddler Crab by Mary Adrian
  • Wild Folk at the Seashore by Carroll Lane Fenton
  • Shimmer and Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life by Jim Arnosky
  • Wild Folk at the Seashore by Carroll Lane Fenton – my favorite
  • Collins Pocket Guide to the Sea Shore by John Barrett – field guide
  • Life of the Seashore by William H. Amos
  • Exploring the Seashore William H. Amos
  • Sunlit Sea by Augusta Goldin (LRFO)
  • Bottom of the Sea by Augusta Goldin (LRFO)
  • First Book of the Ocean by Sam & Beryl Epstein
  • Coral Reefs by Lois & Louise Darling
  • Oceans by Irving & Ruth Adler
  • Wonders of the Sea by Louis Sabin
  • See Through the Sea by Millicent Selsam
  • Oceans by Seymour Simon

Winter and Snow books

  • Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (33 pp.)
  • Snowflakes in Photographs by W. A. Bentley
  • See my post Winter Nature Study Inspiration. Scroll to the bottom for a list of fun books.

Hibernation

  • Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Book)
  • When Winter Comes by Russell Freedman
  • Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
  • Where Do They Go? Insects in Winter by Millicent Selsam
  • Animal Timekeepers by Navin Sullivan
  • Animal Clocks and Compasses by Margaret Hyde
  • How Animals Tell Time by Millicent Selsam
  • Winter-Sleeping Wildlife by Will Barker
  • Animals through the Year by Margaret Waring Buck
  • Where They Go in Winter by Margaret Waring Buck
  • Wintertime for Animals by Margaret Cosgrove
  • Winter-Sleepers by Phyllis Sarasy

Farm Animals

  • Nearer Nature by Jim ArnoskyI
  • Want to Be a Farmer by Carla Greene
  • Perhaps I’ll Be a Farmer by Ray Bethers
  • Barnyard Family by Dorothy Childs Hogner
  • True Book of Farm Animals by John Lewellen
  • Animal Stories by James Herriot
  • Among the Farmyard People by Clara Dillingham Pierson

Non-Flowering Plants

  • Non-Flowering Plants (Golden Guides) by Floyd Shuttleworth
  • Let’s Learn about Mushrooms by Phyllis Perry (The book that started it all! I wouldn’t be doing any of this if not for this book and the discovery of a little mushroom.)
  • Mushrooms by Millicent Selsam
  • Dependent Plants by Bertha Morris Parker
  • Story of Mosses, Ferns, and Mushrooms by Dorothy Sterling
  • Plants that Never Ever Bloom by Ruth Heller
  • Mushrooms and Molds by Robert Froman (LRFO)
  • Wondrous World of Seedless Plants by William Grimm
  • Fairy Rings and Other Mushrooms by Gladys Conklin
  • Story of Mosses, Ferns, and Mushrooms by Amy Jensen
  • Wonders of Fungi by Lucy Kavaler
  • Strangler Fig and Other Strange Plants Strangler Fig and Other Strange Plants
    by Olive Earle
  • Adventures with a Hand Lens by Richard Headstrom
  • Ferns: Plants Without Flowers Bernice by Kohn
  • How to Know the Ferns: A Guide to the Names, Haunts, and Habits of our Common Ferns
    by Frances Theodora Parsons
  • Wonders at Your Feet by Margaret Cosgrove
  • Plants without Leaves by Ross Hutchins
  • Plants Without Seeds by Helen Challand

Mold, Yeast and Bacteria

  • Too Small to See by Marie Neurath
  • Smallest Life Around Us by Lucia Anderson
  • Lots of Rot by Vicki Cobb
  • Our Tiny Servants: Molds and Yeast by Bernice Kohn
  • What We Find When We Look at Molds by William D. Gray
  • Story of Microbes by Albert Schatz
  • Microbes at Work by Millicent Selsam
  • Plants without Leaves by Ross Hutchins
  • Wondrous World of Seedless Plants by William Grimm
  • Adventures with a Hand Lens by Richard Headstrom
  • Hunting With the Microscope by Gaylord Johnson
  • Messing Around with Baking Chemistry by Bernie Zubrowski
  • First Book of Microbes by Lucia Lewis
  • Microlife by David Burnie
  • Microbes Are Something Else by A. Harris Stone
  • Junior Science Book of Bacteria by Gerald Lietz

Symbiosis

  • Natural Partnerships: The Story of Symbiosis by Dorothy Shuttlesworth
  • Plant and Animal Partnerships by Bertha Parker
  • Strange Companions in Nature by Olive Earle
  • Strange Partners: The Story of Symbiosis by Anabel Dean
  • Living Together in Nature: How Symbiosis Works by Jane E. Hartman
  • Partners for life: the mysteries of animal symbiosis by Margery Facklam
  • Partners, Guests, and Parasites: Coexistence in Nature by Hilda Simon
  • Insects and Plants: The Amazing Partnership by Elizabeth K. Cooper
  • Strange Animal Partnerships by Malcolm Penny
  • Insects that Live Together by Michael Dempsey
  • Medusa and the Snail by Lewis Thomas

Water Plants

  • Water Plants by Dorothy Childs Hogner
  • Water Plants by Laurence Pringle
  • Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas by Molly Bang

Pond Life (Each will include a section on water plants.)

  • Adventures with a Hand Lens by Richard Headstrom
  • Nature in Miniature by Richard Headstrom
  • By Pond and River by Arabella B Buckley.
  • Life in Ponds and Streams by William Hopkins Amos
  • Edge of the Pond by William White
  • Life of the Pond by William Hopkins Amos
  • Pond Life by George K. Reid
  • Pond Life by Lynn M. Stone
  • Pond Watching with Ann Morgan by Michael Elsohn Ross
  • See Through the Lake by Millicent Selsam
  • Watchers at the Pond by Franklin Russell
  • Wonders of the Pond by Francene Sabin
  • America’s Wetlands by Frank J. Staub
  • Wonders of Swamps and Marshes by Stephen Caitlin
  • Wetland Walk by Sheri Amsel
  • Everglades by Jean Craighead George

Tree Leaves, bursting bud

  • True Book of Buds by Helen Ross Russell
  • Blossom on the Bough by Ophelia Anne Dowden
  • Biography of a Leaf by Burke Davis
  • Winter Buds by Bette J. Davis
  • Play With Trees by Millicent E. Selsam
  • Trees and Their Story by Dorothy Sterling
  • Leaf, Fruit and Flower by Marshall McClintock
  • Leaves by Bertha Parker
  • Seeing Trees Hugo Ross Nancy

Weeds and Grasses

  • First Book of Weeds by Beck
  • Weeds by Hogner
  • Grasslands by Goetz
  • One Day in the Prairie by George
  • Seasons of the Tallgrass Prairie by Learner
  • Grasses and Grains by Greenaway
  • Tall Grass Zoo by Lubell
  • Grasses by Eberle
  • About Grasses, Grains, and Canes by Uhl

Spiders

  • A First Look at Spiders by Selsam
  • Spiders by Hogner
  • Christian Liberty Nature Reader: Book 1
  • Spiders and Their Kin by Levi
  • Jerry Finds Spiders by Darby
  • Spiders and Scorpions by Cloudsley-Thompson
  • Garden Spider by Adrian
  • Spiders by Bason
  • Black Widow Spider by Conklin
  • Tarantula by Conklin
  • Spiders by Dupre

Animal Structure

  • Teeth by Sneed B. Collard
  • What Big Teeth You Have! by Patricia Lauber
  • Wings, Paws, Hoofs and Flippers by Joe Kaufman
  • What Good is a Tail? by Solveig Russell
  • Paws, Hoofs, and Flippers by Olive Earle
  • All Kinds of Feet by Ron & Nancy Goor
  • Animal Clothing by George Mason
  • Animal Feet by George Mason
  • All Kinds of Legs by Solveig Russell
  • Animal Vision by George Mason

Animal Parenting

  • How Animals Care for Their Babies by Roger B. Hirschland
  • All About Animals and Their Young by Robert M. McClung
  • Animal Babies by Margaret Bauer
  • Animal Fathers by Russell Freedman
  • He and She: How Males and Females Behave by S. Carl Hirsch
  • All About Animals and Their Young by Robert McClung
  • When Animals Are Babies by Elizabeth Schwartz
  • All Kinds of Babies by Millicent Selsam
  • Animals as Parents by Millicent Selsam
  • Courtship of Animals by Millicent Selsam
  • Animal Families by Gene Stuart
  • Towns Down Underground by Gene Stuart
  • Animal Babysitters by Frances Zweifel
  • How Animals Defend Their Young by Russell Freedman

Asia

Middle and High School Nature Lore and Special Study Books

  • The Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell
  • Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
  • My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
  • A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
  • This Green World by Rutherford Platt
  • The Songs of Trees by David George Haskell
  • The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
  • Our only world: ten essays by Berry, Wendell
  • The Geese of Beaver Bog by Bernd Heinrich
  • A Year in the Maine Woods by Bernd Heinrich
  • Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
  • John Burroughs’ America: Selections from the Writings of the Naturalist by John Burroughs
  • Deep Woods by John Burroughs
  • The Wilderness World of John Muir, Edited by Edwin Way Teale (review)
  • All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
  • Making Sense: Animal Perception and Communication by Bruce Brooks (68 pp.)
  • Anatomy Of A Rose: Exploring The Secret Life Of Flowers by Sharman Apt Russell
  • The Rose Family by Olive L. Earle
  • Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
  • Lay of the Land by Dallas Lore Sharp
  • Rural Hours by Susan Fenimore Cooper
  • The Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin
  • The Natural History of Selborne by Gilbert White
  • The Outermost House by Henry Beston
  • Hal Borland’s Book of Days by Hall Glen Borland
  • Wild Life of Orchard and Field by Ernest Ingersoll
  • The Wit of the Wild by Ernest Ingersoll
  • Books by John Muir
  • Books by Jacques Costeau

Gene Stratton-Porter

Edwin Way Teale

  • The American Seasons
  • Journey Into Summer
  • North With the Spring
  • Autumn Across America
  • A Naturalist Buys An Old Farm
  • A Walk through the Year

Jean-Henri Fabre

  • The Life of the Spider
  • The Life of the Fly
  • Bramble-Bees and Others
  • The Life of the Grasshopper
  • Insect Adventures
  • The Life of the Caterpillar
  • Field, Forest, and Farm