Nature Book Club | Nature books, plant guides, animal books, and the great outdoors

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals In Nature

Nature is never more wondrous than when you’re a child and you are seeing everything for the first time. You begin seeing familiar shapes in the world around you and revel in the majesty of Mother nature.

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals In Nature shows children how spirals are plentiful and common in nature and in places that you never would consider. Everyone knows that a snail’s shell is spiral, but did you know that there are spirals in your ear and in rushing rivers?

Joyce Sidman, a Caldecott medalist and Newberry Honor-winning poet, delves into the wonders of nature by showing children how spirals make up much of the natural landscape. It’s not just in animals that we see spirals, but in weather, space and the rocks in the river. Children will be amazed when they realize such a unique shape is an integral part of nature.

Children see squares, circles and rectangles every day from the shape of houses to the signs along the road, but in an industrial society spirals are not a common occurrence. Modern society prefers their shapes to be clean and straight with crisp lines. Mother Nature is not so technical. She understands that in order for a world to have uniqueness, then you need diversity of shape.

My children are big fans of this book and have asked me to read it to them over and over again. It’s nice to see their eyes light up when I read about elephants tusks and spiraling galaxies.

America's Neighborhood Bats

There are few nocturnal creatures that can create more fear and panic than the bat. For centuries, they have been vilified as bloodsucking vermin and demonized by modern vampire literature. When people think of bats, they see the giant vampire bats of the jungle and expect all bats to be that way.

In truth, bats are incredibly beneficial to the environment and your home if you would just give them a chance. Merlin Tuttle's America's Neighborhood Bats: Understanding and Learning to Live in harmony With Them gives you the honest truth of these amazing creatures and how your understanding of them is flawed.

Contrary to popular belief, common neighborhood bats don't survive on the blood of the innocent, but rather those pesky insects you complain about all the time. If you are worried about them coming and nesting in your attic or home, then the book teaches you how to build a bat house. The house can provide a living space for the bats, so they can eat all the insects you hate and still stay in your neighborhood.

Far too many people call the exterminator as soon as they see a bat, but by treating them with respect and understanding how they live, you can both survive peaceably. The belief of bats as pests is leading to threats to their survival and if things don't change, they may no longer be part of your neighborhood ecosystem. That would lead to a massive insect increase and potentially an increase in insect-borne diseases.

Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature

Life’s hard. We all know it. Few people live the fairy tale lives of the rich and famous where they never have to decide between paying the electric or the gas bill. When Kathleen Moore found herself lost in her own life, trying to figure out the untimely death of several loved ones, she decided to back to where it all began.

She started going back to nature and visiting some of the most spiritual and pristine forest, grottos and islands to gain ground in her life. The goal wasn’t only to travel, but also see and experience all that wonder the world had to offer from tracking otters to wading with migrating salmon.

Through nature, she was able to make sense of the world and her own life. The book chronicles her journey, what she found and how it impacted her. We can’t all go and see the world, but we can learn to appreciate the world we do have access to.

Moore visited national parks and tropical island, but we can find answers in the forest down the road or among the caves of the local state park. Nature is all around us and nothing is stopping you from taking a break and seeing the world for what it truly is. You’ll be surprised how tranquil life can become if you just take the time to see and experience nature.

The chaos of life doesn’t seem so bad if you can experience it at its most basic.

Animals: The Definitive Visual Guide

Children; and let’s face it, adults too; are visual creatures and will learn and remember far more from pictures than they ever would from words. Animals: The Definitive Visual Guide shows the world’s diverse animal population with colorful photos and wondrous descriptions that will keep children wanting more.

It’s not often that children read a book and immediately want to learn more about the subject, but my child read some of this book and then asked me to look up more information about the animals on the Internet.

If you have someone in your family that has an interest in animals, then you need to get this book. The pictures are visually stunning. Each animal featured has snippets of information to accompany the photos. There is information in this book that not even the parents will know about. I know, I learned a lot from the book as well.

If the photos and information wasn’t enough, the book was created with the help of the Smithsonian. You know that anything with the Smithsonian’s name on it is quality. You can’t get a more reputable source than the nation’s leading museum.

If you have a child that loves animals or need a colorful book for your coffee table, then Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide is the book for you. You’ll be amazed at the crazy colors of the baboon and be amazed to learn surprising facts about African elephants and other animals. The world is filled with animals and this book lets you catch a glimpse.

Make Your Own Nature Journal

How many of you out there like to walk the woods and take note of the world around you? Are there specific area of nature that you enjoy such as plants or animals? Do you have a knack for drawing, but just can't decide on what you want to draw.

Put your pen to paper and create your own nature journal. This is a fun way to examine the world around you and create a lasting memento of your travels. When you see a plant or animal that you like, sit down and try and sketch it. It might be a little difficult if it is a larger more skittish animal like a deer or a raccoon, but you can be pretty safe around insects and birds.

You should take your time and really catch the nuances of each subject. When your done, do some reading and jot down some cool facts about then animal or label the different parts of the flower or other plant.

There is a cool sense of accomplishment in creating your own nature journals. You can read about the flowers and spend money on books, but chronicling your own observations would mean so much more to you. You can create different journals on different subjects such as flowers, herbs, leaves, trees, etc. Imagine the look on your children's face when they come across them and want to learn more about it. Your own nature journal can be a rewarding past time not only for you, but also your family.

Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills

Have you ever toyed with the notion of chucking all the trappings of modern society and getting back to nature...completely? Or have you ever found yourself wondering how our more primitive ancestors could get by with all the modern conveniences we embrace in our everyday living? I have. There's just something fascinating about living on what's available around you and getting back to a simple, primitive lifestyle, far from what I've always known.

That's why when I found a copy of John and Geri McPherson's book Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness at a flea market, I couldn't resist picking it up. First, it's important to mention that if you're looking for a funny how-to, this is far from it. The McPhersons have put together this book with the intent of sharing the true essence of basic human survival, sans any type of modern convenience or intervention.

While it's not the type of book I'd read cover to cover for entertainment, it is a compelling, and quite fascinating, resource outlining everything you need to know to truly survive the wilderness. It's amazing how thorough and detailed every section is, from how to tan hides with brains to baking over a campfire. You'll learn how to trap animals and what insects you can count on to nourish you.

If you're into survival guides, you have to get Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills. It's an outstanding resource among the genre and really gives you an appreciation for how simple and complex living without can truly be.

Rewilding the World: Dispatches from the Conservation Revolution

The world is a constantly changing place and humans are doing their best to turn it from a beautiful natural space to a mechanized monstrosity at the cost of the animals and plants of the world. You can't read the paper without hearing about a new species on the brink of extinction or some criminal illegally hunting endangered species.

If you are like me, then you felt that there is little hope for the animals of the world. Humans will destroy without abandon and kill anything in their path for the sake of progress and money. Then I read, Rewilding the World: Dispatches from the Conservation Revolution by Caroline Fraser. For the first time, I had hope that maybe we're not screwing it all up after all. The book outlines the efforts and plans to repopulate the wild and reclaim natural habitats.

It was quite an inspiration to me to hear about how they are taking back the lands that once belonged to the animals and saving a few precious species on the brink of extinction. There are still plenty of businesses and companies bent on seemingly destroying all life on Earth, but there are people out there fighting for the animals and the plants.

They are a small group, but they are growing. This book should serve as an inspiration to all and give them the incentive to get involved in some way. It may be as simple as sending in a few dollars or volunteering at an animals shelter. This book will restore you faith in humanity and show you that there is hope and we are it.

National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography

Nature is so inspiring. Between the brilliant colors of flowers and animals and the dazzling light show put on by the sun, moon and stars, there isn't any shortage of potential for truly breathtaking photographic art. If you like taking pictures of the amazing world around us, you know that sometimes it's hard to capture the true essence of your natural subject, be it flora or fauna. There are times when you may get lucky, but you can take literally a hundred pictures before you get one that really tells the story the way you want it to.

The beauty part is that with digital photography you can get a good idea of how you're doing while you're at the location. Before digital, you could snap a couple hundred pictures without knowing if any turned out the way you'd hoped. Then, you'd have to wait for processing before you could see the final products of your efforts. It was costly and often frustrating. Now, with digital photography the wait time is minimized and you don't have to spend money developing pictures that you don't want. The trouble is that using digital cameras requires different techniques to get the most out of your work.

Picking up a full-spectrum guide to digital natural photography can save you some frustration by showing you tricks that will help you get the best pictures for various subjects, from sunsets to reptiles and everything in between. I suggest taking a look at Tim Fitzharris's National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography: Digital Edition. This book is a great guide that you can use as a resource for planning from home and take with you when you go out to take pictures.

Nature photography can be a very satisfying hobby, and with digital cameras it's much less expensive than with traditional film. Still, getting the best pictures in the great outdoors takes skill. Having a great guide can help you snap beautiful photos that you'll love to show off or enjoy from

Landscaping With Nature: Using Nature's Designs to Plan Your Yard

Many nature lovers enjoy visiting new, natural locations and admiring how beautifully one plant complements the next. The great outdoors calls to many purely on exquisite design alone—and it all happened naturally.

A large number of homeowners seek to replicate the beauty of national parks and meadows, but without the help of professional landscapers or an innate eye for what works, they find themselves wondering where to begin. Putting together a gorgeous natural landscape that captures the essence of a pristine outdoor wonderland takes more effort than just choosing a bunch of wildflower seeds from a catalog.

Natural landscapes can be the ultimate in lush tranquility, but to make it truly magnificent, you have to be able to have a great understanding of what plants, trees and flowers work together as they grow and how to arrange them to get the most from their seasons. And, if you want to go the extra mile and really complete the aesthetic, incorporating stone and water can turn your yard into a natural treasure.

If you've always dreamed of a babbling brook, surrounded by an enchanting natural landscape, I highly recommend Landscaping With Nature: Using Nature's Designs to Plan Your Yard by Jeff and Marilyn Cox. This book teaches you how to find inspiration in natural landscapes and translate it to your own yard using similar plant life. There are also detailed instructions for using stone and water in your landscaping to turn your yard into an unparalleled natural outdoor escape.

Bringing nature to your own backyard can be a challenge if you're not an experienced landscaper. However, with the right resources and inspiration, your yard can be a truly amazing natural delight.

Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate

Nature—it's what's for dinner, or at least it could be if you wanted it to. As long as you know what you're looking for anyway.

It's no secret to nature lovers that there is a whole world full of edible foods around us all the time, and not just when we're at the grocery store. Nature was created to be self-sustaining, and therefore is flush with edible goodies that we walk past every day. Of course, not everything is fit for human consumption, so it's important to really know what you're doing if you decide to bring the great outdoors inside for dinner.

If you're interested in incorporating wild plants into your menu, you have to know the difference between what's safe and scrumptious and what's could be potentially hazardous or completely vile. It's not good eating if you wind up in the emergency room.

Trained botanist and wild foods expert John Kallis has written an incredibly detailed and photo-rich guide to eating North American plants called Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate. This book shares all sorts of green treasures and is broken up into four user-friendly categories to help you design a nature grown meal: tart, foundation, pungent and bitter.

Along with all the essential information you need to know about the plants, and their nutritious attributes, he accompanies his entries with many full color photographs. So, you can clearly recognize everything before it makes its way out of the earth and into your stomach. It's a really a handy field guide to have if you want to bring nature's goodness to your table.

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