Books for Curious Kids (and Adults!)

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

I recently started following my favorite bookstore on Instagram, and I have been intrigued by the selection of children’s books that has been shared. I took a drive to Cambridge to check them out, and found some perfect selections for your Curious Kid.

The first book that caught my attention was Outside Your Window, A First Book of Nature, written by author and zoologist Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld. The book is arranged by season, with poems, activities, and recipes to engage a child in the natural world. The topics explored are not the typical seasonal offerings, but expand a child’s curiosity, as Davies writes about lambs’ tails, rock pooling, spiderlings, and reasons to keep a chicken, as she draws upon her scientific background. Painter and printmaker Hearld brings his interest in nature to his captivating illustrations with the use of collages, printmaking, and mixed media as he fills the pages with images from the natural world, bringing it to life. No matter whether a child lives in the country or in a city, the book provides an opportunity to explore just outside their home, whether it be on a city street, in a park, or at a pond.

Author and illustrator Yuvel Zommer’s The Big Book of Belonging, is the newest addition to his Big Books Series for children. Zommer states that The Big Book of Belonging “is my way of celebrating the wondrous connections between us humans and the natural world,” and he dedicates the book to “all the children who like to climb trees, run barefoot, splash in puddles, search for bugs, sing with the birds, taste snowflakes, and count the stars.” The book explores how humans are connected to nature, and how many similarities and connections there are between us and nature: what makes a family, making a home, our senses, our skeletons, and the importance of water, are just a few of the topics explored. His detailed illustrations are whimsical and vibrant and will have children exploring each page. A challenge to find footprints throughout the book will provide an additional incentive to explore. Finally, Zommer gives children actionable steps they can take to help the natural world around them, enabling them to make positive changes.

Finally, the newly released Listen to the Language of Trees: A Story of How Forests Communicate Underground, written by Tera Kelley and illustrated by Marie Hermansson, explores the interconnectedness of trees and forests. Kelley’s lyrical text tells the story of a Douglas fir seedling, newly sprouted beneath a giant tree. Her well researched details explain how trees are able to communicate and share resources with one another through the mycorrhizal network that connects them. Hermansson’s detailed illustrations reinforce the ideas set in the text, and help make the concepts presented easy to understand…..just perfect for Curious Kids. Check with our Visitor Center and/or your local bookstore for avaiblity of these titles.