Great Outdoor Adventure Suggested Reading

2009-2010

September: Getting to Know Your Park Bethesda Park

Cotton, Cynthia. Rain Play.  New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2008.

(Y PICTURE COTTON, C.)

Most people leave the park when rain begins to fall, while others enjoy the sights, sounds, and feel of the cool water--until thunder and lightening come near.

Hill, Eric. Spot Goes to the Park. New York, NY: Putnam, 1991.

(Y DISPLAY HILL, E.)

Spot the puppy, his mother, and his animal friends have a fun-filled day playing in the park. Moveable flaps conceal portions of the illustrations.

Rowe, Jeannett. YoYo Goes to the Park.Wilton, CT : Tiger Tales, 2003, c2000.

(Y PICTURE ROWE, J.)

Children can flip-the-flaps to see YoYo ride his scooter to the park and then swing on the swings, feed the ducks, slide down the slide, and seesaw with his dad.

Ryder, Joanne. Each Living Thing. San Diego: Harcourt, 2000.

(Y PICTURE RYDER, J.)

Celebrates the creatures of the Earth, from spiders dangling in their webs to owls hooting and hunting out of sight, and asks that we respect and care for them.

Spicer, Maggee. We’ll All Go Exploring. Markham, Ont.: Allston, MA: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2003.

(Y PICTURE SPICER, M.)

Walking through any different types of trees, three hikers discover the creatures that inhabit the various climes and seasons.

October: Creepy Crawly Insects Jacksonville Baldwin Rail Trail

Bono, Mary. Ugh! A Bug. New York: Walker, 2002.

(Y PICTURE BONO, M.)

Rhyming text and illustrations present various reactions to encounters with such bugs as an ant, beetle, and ladybug.

Fleming, Denise. Beetle Bop. Orlando, Fla.: Harcourt, c2007.

(Y PICTURE FLEMING, D.)

Illustrations and rhyming text reveal the great variety of beetles and their swirling, humming, crashing activities.

Harper, Charise Mericle. Itsy Bitsy, the Smart Spider. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2004.

(Y PICTURE HARPER, C.)

The spider from the famous nursery rhyme gets a job in order to buy a cover that will keep her dry and prevent her being washed down the water spout again.

Sturges, Philemon. I Love Bugs!. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.

(Y PICTURE STURGES, P.)

A boy extols the various characteristics of insects, all of which he loves.

Ward, Jennifer. Over in the Garden. Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon, 2002.

(Y PICTURE WARD, J.)

Over in the garden, mother insects and their children enjoy various activities from morning sun to evening moon.

November: Harvest Season North and Southbank Riverwalks

Carlstrom, Nancy White. Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1999.

(Y 811.54 CARLSTROM)

A collection of poems about one family's activities on Thanksgiving Day. Including pondering the history behind the holiday, welcoming visiting relatives, praying for others, enjoying the good food, and giving thanks at the end of the day.

Hennessy, B.G. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims. New York: Puffin Books, 2001.

(Y PICTURE HENNESSY, B.)

Counts things associated with a harvest feast in colonial Plymouth Colony, including pilgrims, Wampanoags, nuts, squash, and, of course, turkeys.

Hunter, Anne. Possum’s Harvest Moon. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

(Y PICTURE HUNTER, A.)

Possum awakes one autumn evening and decides to invite his animal friends to a party to celebrate the beautiful harvest moon one last time before the long winter.

Raczka, Bob. Who Loves the Fall? Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman, 2007.

(Y PICTURE RACZKA, B.)

Rhyming text and illustrations portray the sights and sounds of autumn, from "rakers, leapers, and corn crop reapers" to "trickers, treaters, and turkey eaters."

Rockwell, Anne. Thanksgiving Day. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, c1999.

(Y PICTURE ROCKWELL, A.)

Mrs. Madoff's preschool class learns about Thanksgiving and puts on a play about the origins of the holiday.

December: Fun from the Past Walter Jones Historical Park

Cooke, Trish. Full, Full, Full of Love. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2003.

(Y PICTURE COOKE, T.)

For young Jay Jay, Sunday dinner at Gran's house is full of hugs and kisses, tasty dishes, all kinds of fishes, happy faces, and love.

Deady, Kathleen. All Year Long. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, c2004.

(Y PICTURE DEADY, K.)

A rhyming celebration of the cycles of the seasons and the beauty of the natural world.

Keats, Ezra Jack. Snowy Day. New York: Viking Press, 1962.

(Y PICTURE KEATS, E.)

The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.

Muller, Gerda. Circle of Seasons. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 1995.

(Y PICTURE MULLER, G.)

Originally published in 1994 as four separate titles: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter (wordless books), by Christofoor Publishers, Zeist, the Netherlands. Illustrations and simple text celebrate the joys of each season.

Piernas-Davenport, Gail. Shante´ Keys and the New Year’s Peas. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman, 2007.

(Y PICTURE PIERNAS-DAVENPORT, G.)

When Shante´ is sent to find black-eyed peas for her family's New Year's celebration, she learns about each of her neighbor's New Year's traditions in their home countries.

January: Our Wildlife Ortega Stream Valley at Ringhaver Park

Arnosky, Jim. Manatee Morning. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2000.

(Y PICTURE ARNOSKY, J.)

A mother manatee and her baby swim in the warm waters of the Crystal River in Florida.

Cole, Henry. On the Way to the Beach. New York : Greenwillow Books, 2003.

(Y PICTURE COLE, H.)

A visit to the beach brings encounters with various creatures of nature. Flaps fold out to reveal the plants and animals on each two-page spread.

Crane, Carol. Sunny Numbers: A Florida Counting Book.Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2001.

(Y 513.211 CRANE)

Various objects, animals, and people associated with the state of Florida are presented in short rhymes, with added commentary, and used to illustrate counting, multiplying, and adding.

Fleming, Denise. In the Tall, Tall Grass. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1991.

(Y PICTURE FLEMING, D.)

Rhymed text presents a toddler’s view of creature found in the grass from lunchtime to nightfall, such as bees, ants, and moles.

Serfozo, Mary. Whooo’s There?New York: Random House, 2007.

(Y PICTURE SERFOZO, M.)

An inquisitive owl keeps track of the comings and goings of woodland creature all night long.

February: Tree Treasures Camp Milton Historic Preserve

Cotton, Cynthia. At the Edge of the Woods: A Counting Book. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2002.

(Y PICTURE COTTON, C)

A variety of animals, birds, and insects enjoy the flower and trees of the forest early one morning.

George, Kristine O’Connell. Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems. New York: Clarion Books, 1998.

(Y 811.54 GEORGE)

A collection of short, simple poems which present images relating to trees in various circumstances and throughout the seasons.

Miller, Debbie S. Are Trees Alive?New York: Walker & Company, 2002.

(Y582.16 MILLER)

An introduction to trees that compares parts of a tree to parts of the human body, with illustrations and brief descriptions of trees found around the world.

Udry, Janice May. A Tree is Nice. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1956.

(Y PICTURE UDRY, J.)

Describes some of the delights to be had in, with, or under a tree.

Van Laan, Nancy. A Tree for Me. New York: Dragonfly Books, 2000.

(Y PICTURE VAN LAAN, N.)

A child climbs five different trees, looking for a place to hide and finding an increasing number of animals already in residence, until finally the perfect tree is found.

March: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park

Gliori, Debi. The Trouble with Dragons. New York: Walker & Co., 2008.

(Y PICTURE GLIORI, D.)

When dragons cut down to many trees, blow out too much hot air, and do other environmental damage, the future looks grim. But other animals advise them on how to mend their ways and save the planet.

Perez, Monica. Curious George Plants a Tree. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009.

(Y PICTURE DISPLAY PEREZ, M.)

The mischievous monkey learns about protecting the environment by planting trees and recycling paper. Includes tips on conserving energy and resources.

Portis, Antoinette. Not a Box. New York, NY: HarperCollins, c2006.

(Y PICTURE PORTIS, A.)

To an imaginative bunny, a box is not always just a box.

Schaefer, Carole Lexa. The Squiggle. New York: Crown Publishers, c1996.

(Y PICTURE SCHAEFER, C.)

As she walks to the park with her school class, a young girl finds a piece of string which her imagination turns into a dragon's tail, an acrobat, fireworks, a storm cloud, and more.

Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth. Recycle Every Day! New York: Marshall Cavendish, c2003.

(Y PICTURE WALLACE, N.)

When Minna has a school assignment to make a poster about recycling, her entire rabbit family spends the week practicing various kinds of recycling and suggesting ideas for her poster.

April: Birds and Butterflies Tree Hill Nature Center

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. New York: Philomel Books, 1987.

(Y PICTURE CARLE, E.)

Follows the progress of a very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food, until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep.

Ehlert, Lois. Waiting for Wings San Diego: Harcourt, 2001.

(Y PICTURE EHLERT, L.)

With rhyming text and colorful collages, questions about the life cycle of the butterfly are answered.

Henkes, Kevin. Birds. New York: Greenwillow Books, c2009.

(Y PICTURE HENKES, K.)

Fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds, and movements of the many different birds she sees through her window, a little girl is happy to discover that she and they have something in common.

Horacek, Petr. Butterfly, Butterfly: A Book of Colors. Cambridge, Massechusetts: Candlewick Press, 2007.

(Y PICTURE HORACEK, P.)

Lucy's garden is full of colorful creatures that wriggle and spin, scurry and slither.

Ryder, Joanne. Wild Birds. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

(Y PICTURE RYDER, J.)

The birds that glide through the sky, hop through the grass, and sing on the fence gradually come to feed from a child's hand.

May: Wild Water Fun Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park

Gayzagian, Doris K. One White Wishing Stone: A Beach Day Counting Book. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2006.

(Y PICTURE GAYZAGIAN, D.)

A girl gathers natural objects to decorate her sandcastle, saving some of them to take back home from the beach.

Jarman, Julia. Big Red Tub. New York: Orchard Books, 2004.

(Y PICTURE JARMAN, J.)

Stan and Stella are joined by a variety of animals in a bath time adventure.

London, Jonathan. Sun Dance, Water Dance. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2001.

(Y811.54 LONDON)

Celebrates a great summer day of childhood near and in a river.

Roosa, Karen. Beach Day. New York: Clarion Books, 2001.

(Y PICTURE ROOSA, K.)

Rhyming text describes a perfect day at the beach, complete with sandy knees, deviled eggs, and a castle with a moat.

Van Laan, Nancy. Scrubba Dub. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.

(Y PICTURE VAN LAAN, N.)

Mama Bunny tries to bathe her energetic toddler.

June: Camping Under the Stars Losco Regional Park

Arro, Lena. Good Night Animals. Stockholm; New York: R&S Books, 2002.

(Y PICTURE ARRO, L.)

Bubble and Pearl are going to sleep outdoors in a tent. When it gets dark, they get some unexpected visitors.

Birdseye, Tom. Oh Yeah! New York: Holiday House, c2003.

(Y PICTURE BIRDSEYE, T.)

Two boys camp out in the backyard and compete to show their courage in the face of imagined nighttime dangers.

Henkes, Kevin. Bailey Goes Camping. New York: Greenwillow Books, c1985.

(Y PICTURE HENKES, K.)

Bailey is too young to go camping with the Bunny Scouts, but his parents take him on a special camping trip--in the house.

Raffi. Shake My Sillies Out. New York: Crown Publishers, 1990, c1987.

(Y PICTURE RAFFI or Y784.6 R)

Animals and campers join together in the woods one evening and shake their sillies, clap their crazies, and yawn their sleepies out. Includes unaccompanied melody.

Singer, Marilyn. Quiet Night. New York: Clarion Books, 2002.

(Y PICTURE SINGER, M.)

One frog, two owls, three geese are joined by increasingly larger numbers of different animals that keep ten campers from falling asleep in their tent.

July: Cool State Parks Fort George Island State Cultural Site

Crane, Carol. S is for Sunshine. Michigan: Sleeping Bear Press, 2000.

(Y 917.59 CRANE)

The flora and fauna, geography, and history of Florida magically comes to life with entertaining poems and fascinating facts.

Ryder, Joanne. Each Living Thing. San Diego: Harcourt, 2000.

(Y PICTURE RYDER, J.)

Celebrates the creatures of the Earth, from spiders dangling in their webs to owls hooting and hunting out of sight, and asks that we respect and care for them.

Sturges, Philemon. Ten Flashing Fireflies. New York: North-South Books, c1995.

(Y PICTURE STURGES, P.)

Two children catch fireflies on a summer night, putting them one by one into a jar until all ten are caught, and then they let them out to watch all ten fly away.

Thompson, Lauren. Mouse’s First Summer. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2004.

(Y PICTURE THOMPSON, L.)

Mouse tries many new things when he and Minka celebrate summer by enjoying a picnic in the park.

Yolen, Jane. Welcome to the River of Grass. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2001.

(Y 577.684 YOLEN)

From the creatures that fly to those that crawl, here is the cycle of life in the Everglades. Presented in lilting, poetic words and lush, dramatic images.

August: Marine Life and Wetlands Castaway Island Preserve

Berkes, Marianne Collins. Marsh Morning. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, c2003.

(Y PICTURE BERKES, M.)

Beginning with the first light of dawn, the marsh comes alive with music as different types of birds tune up and perform nature's symphony.

Dunphy, Madeleine. Here Is the Wetland. New York: Hyperion, 1996.

(Y 574.526325 DUNPHY)

Uses a cumulative approach to describe the wetland ecology of a freshwater marsh, the most common type of wetland in North America.

Fleming, Denise. In the Small, Small Pond.New York: Holt, 1993.

(Y PICTURE FLEMING, D.)

Illustrations and rhyming text describe the activities of animals living in and near a small pond as spring progresses to autumn.

George, Lindsay Barrett. Around the Pond: Who’s Been Here? New York: Greenwillow Books, 1996.

(Y PICTURE GEORGE, L.)

While picking blueberries on a warm summer afternoon, Cammy and her brother see signs of unseen animals and their activities including footprints, a dam, and a floating feather.

Porte, Barbara Ann. Tale of a Tadpole. New York: Orchard Books, 1997.

(Y PICTURE PORTE, B.)

Francine and her family watch as their pet tadpole Fred gradually changes into what they think is a frog until Grandpa tells them Fred is a toad that should be living in the backyard.