As educators, our work involves making explicit links between a story and the children’s outdoor spaces and lived experiences. These days there are lots of books that help children enjoy being outside and celebrate nature, natural events and adventures.

I also like to try and use books that are appropriate in various ways as outlined below.

1. Country of origin.

Many wonderful books come from North America which has different flora and fauna to the UK. You will need to decide how important this is. For example, Lois Ehlert’s Leaf Man is a wonderful concept. It’s all about creating images out of leaves and weaving this into a narrative. The imaginative possibilities override the leaf type, in my opinion. The book is a wonderful springboard into leaf play and discovery. However, sometimes, you need a book about the species you and your children will find in your local neighbourhood. Most children arrive at nursery or school knowing more about lions, pandas and tigers than wildlife in their garden, local park or forest. Thus books portraying native and local species are important too.

2. Being aware of the setting of a book

Many books use an outdoor setting for the narrative. Having books that reflect the reality of a child’s community and local environment is a must so that children can make connections between the text and their own local places, thereby helping to deepen their sense of place. For example, if your setting is close to a park, have one or two books where a park is featured. Likewise, a child learning about and knowing about other habitats, climates and landscapes for comparing, contrasting, dreaming and acknowledging the backgrounds of their families also matters.

3. Purchasing ethics.

As a general rule, I don’t buy wads of books. I tend to have one or two books that I know children like, enjoy and want to hear again and again. It’s worth considering how much you will be reading a book aloud or the children freely accessing a book as to whether it is worth purchasing. If you want to support local independent booksellers then use Hive or ask them to order a book for you. Alternatives include:

• Use your local library and see if they have a copy of the book you want rather than buy.
• Ask your families and wider nursery or school community if they have a specific book which your class can borrow for a while.
• Buy secondhand. Any books that you no longer have a need for can be donated to a charity shop. This can be a surprisingly important income generator for many charities. Your local library may also accept recent publications in good condition.
• Finally, it’s worth finding out which publishers have good track records on the use of recycled paper and biodegradable printing inks.

4. Hidden social messages.

The book may be about nature yet at the same time, inadvertently convey stereotypes, bias and other influences which are probably best avoided. It’s sensible to seek a second opinion from someone who has read the book before a blind purchase of a book. It’s still very difficult to get books featuring children and families from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds or gender when it comes to books about nature, but I’m hoping this will change. For example, the Nature Start Conference Bookstore has a good selection.

5. The portrayal of more-than-human-species.

There is also the added consideration of how animals, plants and natural entities such as stones, hills, the sea, and so on are featured. In some indigenous cultures this may conflict with their relationships and interactions with other species. For example, within British cultures, there is a tendency towards anthropomorphism and giving other species human thoughts, behaviours and actions. A book may portray humans in a dominant or controlling position over other species or making assumptions about their existence. Our relationship with other species needs serious consideration as we aim for a more ecocentric existence. Values underpinning a book such as care, reciprocity and gratitude can be a good starting point to evaluating the appropriateness of the text as well especially when considered in light of all species, in addition to humans. It also means, as educators, we have to be tuned into our own perceptions, comments and portrayal of any given text.

Note: anthropomorphism when done sensitively, can help children build relationships where all species are regarded as one family. For further explorations on this complex subject have a look at this research paper and this one and this one as useful starting points.

6. Is it truly a book for children?

There are loads of children’s books which are written more for adults. They may have beautiful illustrations and a great underlying message but it could all be lost on your child or class because it does not relate to their prior knowledge, interests or experiences. If a book has won an award, then find out if children or adults gave it the thumbs up – or both! Likewise check the age range of a book to ensure it fits.

7. The book as an invitation to explore the world

A lot of this depends upon the intended purpose, alongside the considerations above. For example, if I want to invite children to be physically active, then a story related to this theme is what I’d be looking for. Likewise, if a child is passionate about something, finding books to support that interest can be really helpful. Jan White has many different children’s book recommendations which can be found on the Early Childhood Outside website.

8. Tell an oral story.

As my friend and story teller, Dominic Kelly says “Pictures can tell a 1000 words. But stories can give us a 1000 pictures.” Traditionally, stories have been past through the generations that keep cultures and traditions alive. They provide advice to children or knowledge about how a species of plant or animal came to be. There are lots of local adaptations of traditional tales. It also means you don’t have to worry about books getting soggy and muddy. You can make up a story with or for a child outside that can be nurturing to help explain a key event of experience. There are organisations which can support you to develop your story telling skills such as The Scottish Story Telling Centre and locally Grampian Association of Storytellers.

9. Write down a child’s story.

Children love it when adults take the time to listen and scribe their story. It also can boost children’s confidence to tell stories and eventually write them independently. Older children often love creating wee stories that they can illustrate and read to a younger child. All of these options can have relevant outdoor themes and be created outside in different ways, be this digitally, through animation, video or paper and pencil approaches. Have a look at Helicopter Stories and Tales Toolkit for inspiration and to learn more.