Recommendations

Books

In addition to my journal, here's a list of wonderful books to read together and great for children in their middle years. They inspire farming, cooking, shelter building and connecting with the natural world.

Special Note during COVID Shelter-in-place: Books are now available free from the National Emergency Library. The National Emergency Library is a collection of books that supports emergency remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation while universities, schools, training centers, and libraries are closed.

Also many of these titles are available now for FREE on Amazon through Kindle or Audible.

Books for kids

1. The Little House set (all 9 Volumes) by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Garth Williams
2. The Talking Earth by Jean Craighead George
3. My Side of the Mountain Trilogy (My Side of the Mountain / On the Far Side of the Mountain / Frightful's Mountain) by Jean Craighead George
4. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (warning: the initial plane crash may be too frightening for many children)
5. Rascal by Sterling North
6. Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat 
7. A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry and Mónica Armiño
8. The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
9. Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones
10. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Books for adults

1. Out of the garden and into the desert: the nine-year change through the stories of the third grade curriculum by Neal and Jennifer Kennerk
2. Math in the Garden: Hands-On Activities That Bring Math to Life, Ages 5-13 by Jennifer M. White and Katharine D. Barrett
3. I am Different from You by Peter Selg
4. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
5. Coyote Guide to Connecting with Nature by John Young
6. Healing Storytelling by Nancy Mellon
7. Storytelling with Children by Nancy Mellon

Games and Movies

1. Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure (board game)
2. The Biggest Little Farm (documentary, 2019) (warning: animals are killed)

Have something fun to share that inspires farming and nature connection?  Put them in the comments.

Farmer Ladybug🐞