Eight Books for Outdoorsy Kids
Some kids would rather be up a tree than on an iPad. This list is for them.
Every book is here for getting kids outside, or by giving them something to think about once they're out there. Two of them you literally can't use indoors. There's bush, there's bugs, there's a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, and there are more eels than you can shake a stick at.
Two field guides, two picture books, two novels, an encyclopedia and an activity book. Something for every outdoorsy kid from about 4 up to 12.
2 Field Books
1. Let's Go Stargazing (Lonely Planet Kids) $23
Hands down one of my two favourite books on this list. It's an interactive field guide, which means it doesn't work unless you take it outside. Lie on the lawn, look up, and use it to find what you're looking at. For a kid who's curious about space, this is a must-have. I'd give it to 7 to 12 year olds. Younger kids will love reading it with a grown-up, and from about 9 they'll happily go it alone.
2. Let's Go Rock Collecting (Lonely Planet Kids) $23
My other favourite, and the same idea pointed at the ground. It turns a walk on the beach or a riverbed into a proper hunt. If you've got a kid whose pockets are always full of rocks, this book gives them a reason. Same ages as Stargazing: 7 to 12, and best used outside, with dirt on it.
2 Picture Books
3. 24 Hours in the Kiwi Bush $20
A non-fiction picture book from a New Zealand author that follows everything that happens in the bush over one full day and night. The photos are amazing, right up close, and it's packed with stat tables and fun facts. Did you know tūī have two voice boxes? For primary school teachers it's a treasure chest of teachable moments about insects, birds and reptiles. For nature-loving kids it's the book they'll come back to over and over. Guest appearance by eels.
4. Don't Go Near the Creek $22
Also a New Zealand author, also eels, and that's where the similarities end. This one is a rhyming picture book so beautifully written you'll be hoping your kids pick it for bedtime. A young boy sets off on a perilous journey (he's asthmatic, so the pollen count has to be factored in) and ends up at the creek fishing out golf balls from the mis-hits at the local course. Callaways aren't the only thing in the water. Spoiler: loads of eels. It's funny, the illustrations are wonderful, and I love it.
2 Novels
5. Jake Whyte, Pig Hunter by J.D. Crouchley $24
A recent release from a Kiwi author that's making waves in schools and bookshops all over the country. The best review I've heard so far came from a kid at a local country school: "It was awesome, there's blood and guts and it's just like actual hunting!" That about covers it. Readers 8 and up. And if you grew up on Barry Crump, you'll want to borrow it once the kids are done.
6. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen $19
No outdoorsy list is complete without the absolute GOAT of wilderness adventure. One kid, one hatchet, and a plane that crash-lands in the Canadian wilderness. That's it. That's the book. It's un-put-downable, and it's been turning 8 to 12 year olds into readers for nearly forty years.
2 Wild Cards
7. The Bugs Book (Lonely Planet Kids) $35
An encyclopedia, and a proper one. I love Lonely Planet's kids' non-fiction because they use photos, which I think matters a lot. I want to see the insect, not a drawing of it. It uses the big words too, in a kid-friendly way: "Puss moth caterpillars have strong mandibles that they use to chew up bark. They mix the bark with silk to form a tough reinforced cocoon." Over 150 A4 pages for under $40, which is incredible value for a book this size.
8. Play Wild: Nature Craft Projects for Tamariki $30
Back to New Zealand to finish. Recipes, building projects, art activities and Matariki crafts, all made from things you collect outside. Grab a pocket knife, work on your knot tying, then get out there gathering bits of nature and turning them into something wonderful. The perfect book for the kid who comes home with a bag of pinecones and no plan.
Every one of these is on the shelf at 310 Grey Street, Hamilton East, or a click away using the blue links above. And if you've got an outdoorsy kid who's already read the lot, come in and ask. We've got more.
Kate oxox