Children's books and activities
Bugs, Birds and Animals
Do you know any kids who are fascinated by bugs, birds, snakes, and other animals? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about animals.
Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic, such asbugs, birds, and animals. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.
You might also want to explore our free toolkits: Bird Buddies and River Rangers.
Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Print List
999 Frogs Wake Up
By: Ken Kimura
Age Level: 3-6 years old
About Birds / Sobre los parjaros
By: Catherine Sill
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Handsome, realistic illustrations accompanied by straightforward information about North...
About Birds: A Guide for Children
By: Cathryn Sill
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
A first book on birds that uses clear, easy-to-understand language to teach children what birds...
Animal Ark: Celebrating our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures
By: Kwame Alexander
Age Level: 3-6 years old
A howling wolf, a stalking tiger, a playful panda, a dancing bird — pairing the beautiful...
Animal Dads
By: Sneed Collard
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Lush collage illustration and clear text share information about male animals and how they care...
Animals: A First Art Book
By: Lucy Micklethwait
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Ants
By: Mari Schuh
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Are You My Mother?
By: P.D. Eastman
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
A baby bird goes in search of his mother in this funny, classic story, originally published in...
Bear Came Along
By: Richard T. Morris
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Once there was a river flowing through a forest. The river didn't know it was capable of...
Bees, Snails & Peacock Tails
By: Betsy Franco
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Lyrical language and textured collages poetically convey the wonder of patterns and shapes in...
Beetle Bop
By: Denise Fleming
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why
By: Lita Judge
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Birds
By: Carme Lemniscates
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Vibrant illustrations and a gentle, thought-provoking text show many birds of all shapes, sizes...
Birds Make Nests
By: Michael Garland
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Birds make many kinds of nests in many kinds of places, to keep their eggs safe and to raise...
Can You See Me?
By: Ted Lewin
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Sharp eyes are needed to see most of the well-camouflaged creatures in the Costa Rican...
Cat Says Meow and Other An-i-mal-o-poe-ia
By: Michael Arndt
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The sounds familiar animals make (squeak, meow, oink, etc.) are each presented in a simple...
Crustacean Vacation
By: Brian Benoit
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Cuddled and Carried / Consentido y cargado
By: Dia Michels
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Bilingual book celebrates the bond between parent and child in the animal kingdom. Babies —...
Daytime Nighttime
By: William Low
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Richly hued, lush, realistic illustrations answer the question of what a child might see during...
Diary of a Worm
By: Doreen Cronin
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas
By: Lynne Cox
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Most elephant seals live in the ocean but one prefers the Avon River in Christchurch, New...
Every Autumn Comes the Bear
By: Jim Arnosky
Age Level: 3-6 years old
As the seasons change, a large black bear prepares for hibernation. In his search for a den, he...
Fabulous Frogs
By: Martin Jenkins
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Endpages show swimming tadpoles; turn the page and the progression from tadpole to frog appears...
Feathers for Peacock
By: Jacqueline Jules
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
An pourquoi story that blends folktale motifs from around the world to explain why the peacock...
Fleabag
By: Helen Stephens
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Flight of the Honey Bee
By: Raymond Huber
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Follow the flight of a honey bee as she searches for nectar to sustain her hive and, along the...
Good Dog, Carl
By: Alexandra Day
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
A lovable Rottweiler named Carl has everthing under control while Mom steps out on an errand. Or...
Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?
By: Rita Gray
Age Level: 3-6 years old
As two children take a walk, they observe and listen to the call of familiar birds – a mourning...
Have You Seen My Duckling?
By: Nancy Tafuri
Age Level: 3-6 years old
An anxious mother duck leads her brood around the pond as she searches for one missing duckling...
Hello Hello
By: Brendan Wenzel
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Say hello to a dazzling array of animals presented in intriguing groupings. Starting with “Hello...
Hello, Crow
By: Candace Savage
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Gently motivates kids and their families to be observant when exploring parks, backyards,...
Henry's Map
By: David Elliot
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Henry is a very particular sort of pig. "A place for everything and everything in its place," he...
Here Come the Humpbacks!
By: April Sayre
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships
By: Robin Page, Steve Jenkins
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Unlikely animals work together to the benefit of both as do more usual pairings such as dogs and...
How to Heal a Broken Wing
By: Bob Graham
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground....
I Spy in the Sky
By: Edward Gibbs
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Die-cuts let readers 'spy' a portion of an animal while text provides clues as to what it might...
If You Want to See a Whale
By: Julie Fogliano
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Inch by Inch
By: Leo Lionni
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Just One Bite: 11 Animals and Their Bites at Life Size!
By: Lola Schaefer
Age Level: 3-6 years old
A dot of "dirt (and everything in it)" is a meal for the earthworm seen in a stylized, double...
Leopard & Silkie: One Boy's Quest to Save the Seal Pups
By: Brenda Peterson
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Let's Get a Pup! Said Kate
By: Bob Graham
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Her parents are receptive to Kate's suggestion, "Let's get a pup!" and head...
Make Way for Ducklings
By: Robert McCloskey
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Mrs. Mallard was sure that the pond in the Boston Public Gardens would be a perfect place for...
Mama Built a Little Nest
By: Jennifer Ward
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Meet the Howlers
By: April Sayre
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Meet a family of howler monkeys (who get their name from the loud calls they make "Woo-hoo-...
Montessori: Map Work
By: Bobby George, June George
Age Level: 3-6 years old
"Our world is made of land and water." The land is called CONTINENTS; the water OCEANS. Select...
Nesting
By: Henry Cole
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Follow two robins as they build a nest with twigs and grass. Then mother robin lays four...
On the Wing
By: David Elliott
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Through witty, thoughtful poems and colorful, detailed illustrations young readers will learn...
One Gorilla: A Counting Book
By: Anthony Browne
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Orangutan
By: Susi Eszterhas
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Out on the Prairie
By: Donna Bateman
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Ruby's Birds
By: Mya Thompson
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
When Ruby realizes there are amazing birds right in her neighborhood, her imagination takes...
Seagulls Soar
By: April Pulley Sayre
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Did you know that seagulls sometimes live far from the sea — near a lake or farm, or even...
Sounds of the Wild: Bugs
By: Maurice Pledger
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Stripes of All Types
By: Susan Stockdale
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Suryia Swims! The True Story of How an Orangutan Learned to Swim
By: Bhagavan Antle, Thea Feldman
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Swamp Chomp
By: Lola Schaefer
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
As swamp residents move, water ripples and the creatures munch, gulp, swallow and more. Short,...
Temple Cat
By: Andrew Clements
Age Level: 3-6 years old
A temple cat in ancient Egypt grows tired of being worshipped and cared for in a reverent...
The Butterfly Garden
By: Laura Weston
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The life cycle of a monarch butterfly begins with an egg and a feast by caterpillars; each...
The Honey Makers
By: Gail Gibbons
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The Honeybee Man
By: Lela Nargi
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The Icky Bug Alphabet Book
By: Jerry Pallotta
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The Most Amazing Bird
By: Michael Arvaaluk Kusugak
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
A young girl discovers nature’s surprising beauty in this tale from a renowned Inuk storyteller...
The Secret Life of the Red Fox
By: Laurence Pringle
Age Level: 3-6 years old
A year in the life of Vixen, a red fox, reveals how these canine omnivores live, hunt, and...
The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks
By: Katherine Paterson
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
A beautiful mandarin duck is captured and caged by a greedy lord who wants to show off the bird'...
Tico and the Golden Wings
By: Leo Lionni
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
A classic fable encouraging generosity and individuality. All Tico the wingless bird wants is a...
Trout Are Made of Trees
By: April Sayre
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna the Very First Chicken
By: Douglas Rees
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Tyrannosaurus Rex wants breakfast. He stomps and he roars and he gnashes his teeth ― and he...
Undersea Animals: A Dramatic Dimensional Visit to Strange Underwater Realms
By: Jane Buxton
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Waiting for Wings
By: Lois Ehlert
Age Level: 3-6 years old
We're Sailing to Galapagos: A Week in the Pacific
By: Laurie Krebs
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Two people in bright, stylized garb sail to the islands known as the Galapagos. On successive...
When You Wander: A Search-and-Rescue Dog Story
By: Margarita Engle
Age Level: 3-6 years old
A golden retriever with a "smart nose" is doing his job: tracking down a young child lost in the...
Who Has These Feet?
By: Laura Hulbert
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Whose Chick Are You?
By: Nancy Tafuri
Age Level: 3-6 years old
As the sun rose, an egg was ready to hatch but whose chick was it? "Whose egg is this?...
Why Do We Need Bees?
By: Emily Bone
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Why do we need bees? Where do they live? Who's who in a beehive? This lift-the-flap book answers...
Wolf in the Snow
By: Matthew Cordell
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
A girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home?...
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Print List
A Boy and a Jaguar
By: Alan Rabinowitz
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Alan loves animals, but the great cat house at the Bronx Zoo makes him sad. Why are they...
A Garden to Save the Birds
By: Wendy McClure
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Callum and his sister, Emmy learn that the U.S. has lost a lot of birds in recent years ― and...
A Horse in the House and Other Strange but True Animal Stories
By: Gail Ablow
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A Nest Is Noisy
By: Dianna Hutts Aston
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A look at the fascinating world of nests, from those of tiny bee hummingbirds to those of...
A Place for Birds
By: Melissa Stewart
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
This fact-filled, colorful book looks at the amazing world of birds, the ecosystems that support...
A Round of Robins
By: Katie Hesterman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Poetry
Sixteen fresh and funny poems welcome a new batch of robins to the world! We follow a pair of...
About Hummingbirds: A Guide for Children
By: Cathryn Sill
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Easy to read text and lush, realistic illustrations provide an accessible but authoritative look...
About Parrots: A Guide for Children
By: Cathryn Sill
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Some fly, others only walk but regardless of where they live or what they eat, the parrots...
Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective
By: David Biedrzycki
Age Level: 6-9 years old
All the Birds in the World
By: David Opie
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Birds come in many varieties of colors, shapes, and sizes, with different habits and homes. Take...
Amazing Animal Adventures Around the World
By: Brian Keating
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Travel with Canadian naturalist Brian Keating on a journey around the world to meet some of the...
Animal Fact / Animal Fable
By: Seymour Simon
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Guess facts from fables about animals — from dogs and cats to bulls and owls; from bees to...
Animals by the Numbers: A Book of Infographics
By: Steve Jenkins
Age Level: 6-9 years old
How many species are there across the globe? How much do all of the insects in the world...
Ants
By: Deborah Hodge
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds
By: Elise Gravel
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
An early graphic chapter book series about the friendship between Arlo, an arrogant crow, and a...
Beaks!
By: Sneed Collard
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Beavers
By: Gail Gibbons
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Beavers are fascinating animals. They build their own homes and live in family groups. They keep...
Beneath the Sun
By: Melissa Stewart
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Bird Count
By: Susan Edwards Richmond
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
For the New England Christmas Bird Count, young Ava and her mother prepare to be the best “...
Birds of a Feather
By: Jane Yolen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Birds, Nests and Eggs
By: Mel Boring
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A fun, informative take-along guide that will help children identify 15 birds. Kid will learn...
Birds: Just Like Us!
By: Bridget Heos
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Factual and funny and featuring a lively mix of photographs and cartoon illustrations, learn...
Bowhead Whale
By: Joanasie Karpik
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Meet bowhead whales in this slim but fact-filled volume. Dramatic illustrations add detail and...
Butterflies
By: Seymour Simon
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Stunning full-color photographs and tantalizing text introduce these fascinating creatures and...
Butterflies Belong Here: A Story of One Idea, Thirty Kids, and a World of Butterflies
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
In this story of community conservation, a girl finds a home in a new place and a way to help...
Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner
By: Janice N. Harrington
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Chicken Frank, Dinosaur!
By: S.K. Wenger
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Chicken Frank wants to prove he’s related to a T.rex ― because of evolution! ― but none of the...
Circle
By: Jeannie Baker
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Each year, bar-tailed godwits undertake the longest unbroken migration of any bird, flying from...
City Cat
By: Kate Banks
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The travels of an independent black cat parallel that of a family of four. Both start and end in...
Creature Features
By: Steve Jenkins, Robin Page
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Meet a variety of animals face-to-face and then learn about some of their most unique features....
Cricket in the Thicket: Poems about Bugs
By: Carol Murray
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Short poems present a range of familiar insects from crickets to Monarch butterflies. Each is...
Crocodile Safari
By: Jim Arnosky
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Noted naturalist, Arnosky, trekked through Florida's Everglades to count crocodiles, the...
Dinosaur Feathers
By: Dennis Nolan
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Through rhyming text, learn about the evolutionary link between million-year-old dinosaurs and...
Dolphins
By: Penelope Arlon
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Splendid photographs are used along with a crisp, easier to read narrative to introduce dolphins...
Eggs
By: Marilyn Singer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Even an Ostrich Needs a Nest
By: Irene Kelly
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Birds live all over the world, but their nests come in many sizes, shapes, and some even borrow...
Face to Face with Manatees
By: Brian Skerry
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Face to Face with Sharks
By: David Doubilet, Jennifer Hayes
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Underwater photographers, Hayes & Doubilet, provide basic information about their work as...
Feathers: Not Just for Flying
By: Melissa Stewart
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Young naturalists explore 16 birds in this introduction to the many, remarkable uses of feathers...
Flutter and Hum: Animal Poems/Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales
By: Julie Paschkis
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Short poems about animals appear in English and Spanish accompanied by textured illustrations...
Fly With Me: A Celebration of Birds through Pictures, Poems, and Stories
By: Jane Yolen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Poetry
Through poems, stories, scientific facts and beautiful art and photography, this book highlights...
Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles
By: Philippe Cousteau, Deborah Hopkinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
To help baby loggerhead turtles find their way back to the sea, a group of children involve...
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos
By: Monica Brown
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Featuring charming visuals and lively, often lyrical prose, this picture book introduces Mexican...
Frog Song
By: Brenda Guiberson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Frogs! Strange and Wonderful
By: Laurence Pringle
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Gone Again Ptarmigan
By: Jonathan London
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Follows a year in the life of a willow ptarmigan, giving young children a delightful...
Hawks Kettle, Puffins Wheel: And Other Poems of Birds in Flight
By: Susan Vande Griek
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Poetry
For each of 12 from around the world, poem describes the animal's distinctive movement and the...
Help Me, Mr. Mutt! Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems
By: Janet Stevens, Suzanne Stevens
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Mr. Mutt responds to canine concerns, writing practical advice letters. He shares his Dogwood...
Henry and Mudge: The First Book
By: Cynthia Rylant
Age Level: 6-9 years old
There are no other kids on Henry's block so his parents agree that a dog to play with will...
Home for a Penguin, Home for a Whale
By: Brenda Williams
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
With lyrical rhymes, readers explore a dazzling underwater menagerie. Each rhyming couplet gives...
How Do Birds Find Their Way?
By: Roma Gans
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Birds don't need maps! Many birds make long journeys twice each year as they migrate between...
How to Make a Bird
By: Meg McKinlay
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
A child imagines, designs, and builds a bird only to let it go and watch it soar through the...
Information Graphics: Animal Kingdom
By: Simon Rogers
Age Level: 6-9 years old
An eclectic collection of factoids about animals is presented in an eye-catching, brightly...
Lali's Feather
By: Farhana Zia
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Lali finds a little feather in the field. Is it lost? Lali sets out to find feather a home, but...
Leaving the Nest
By: Mordicai Gerstein
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A baby jay, a small stripped kitten and a little girl with a bike come together in an unexpected...
Lizards
By: Nic Bishop
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Known for his close-up, full-color photographs of animals in the wild, Bishop turns his lens to...
Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard
By: Annette Cate
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Lucky Dog: Twelve Tales of Rescued Dogs
By: Randi Barrow, Marlane Kennedy, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, Alexander London
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Lucy in the City: A Story About Developing Spatial Thinking Skills
By: Julie Dillemuth
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Lucy in the City is about a young raccoon who gets separated from her family one night and has...
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale
By: Carmen Agra Deedy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
A sweet retelling of the Cuban folktale, full of puns and a sprinkling of Spanish. When it...
Monster Hunt: Exploring Mysterious Creatures
By: Jim Arnosky
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Author/illustrator and self-taught naturalist Jim Arnosky introduces mysteries that surround...
Mosquito Bite
By: Alexandra Siy, Dennis Kunkel
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Two children play hide and seek outdoors on a warm night. Little do they know that a culex, a...
Mrs. Harkness and the Panda
By: Alicia Porter
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Mush! Sled Dogs of the Iditarod
By: Joe Funk
Age Level: 6-9 years old
My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis
By: Paul Meisel
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The narrator was born on May 17th, a “sunny spring day!” On May 19th, she ate lots of aphids but...
My Happy Year by E. Bluebird (A Nature Diary)
By: Paul Meisel
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
With humor and charm, an Eastern Bluebird narrates her first year of life- — adventures,...
Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas: Earth's Astonishing Animals and Where They Live
By: National Geographic Kids
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Dramatic photographs, attention-grabbing facts, and clear maps introduce a world of animals and...
National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America
By: Jonathan Alderfer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nature Log Kids: A Kid's Journal to Record Their Birding Experiences
By: DeAnna Brandt
Age Level: 6-9 years old
No Monkeys, No Chocolate
By: Melissa Stewart, Allen Young
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Noisy Bird Sing-Along
By: John Himmelman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A say-along, sing-along invitation introduces the art of birding by ear through simple,...
Olinguito, de La A a la Z!/Olinguito, from A to Z!
By: Lulu Delacre
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Animals from the Ecuadorian Andes cloud forest are introduced in stunning illustrations and...
Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulf
By: Olivia Bouler
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
One 11 year-old girl can make a difference, as young ornithologist and artist Olivia Bouler has...
Otters Love to Play
By: Jonathan London
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Head to the river, where a frolicsome bunch of otters plays all year round. Follow the baby...
Over and Under the Pond
By: Kate Messner
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Discover the plants and animals that make up the rich, interconnected ecosystem of a mountain...
Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
By: Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, Paula Kahumbu
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Owl Diaries: Eva's Treetop Festival
By: Rebecca Elliott
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Owl Moon
By: Jane Yolen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling. The trees stand still as statues...
Paddle Perch Climb: Bird Feet are Neat
By: Laurie Ellen Angus
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Become a bird watching detective, discovering clues about where a bird lives, how it moves, and...
Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City
By: Janet Schulman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Parrots Over Puerto Rico
By: Susan L. Roth
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
How colorful parrots that have lived on the island of Puerto Rico for “millions of years” almost...
Pika: Life in the Rocks
By: Tannis Bill
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Planning a visit to the mountains of the American West this summer? If you're sharp-eyed,...
Polar Bears
By: Mark Newman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Striking photographs combine with readable text to provide an introduction to polar bears. Text...
Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in the White House
By: Julia Moberg
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The White House has hosted U.S. Presidents and their families which have often included First...
Python
By: Christopher Cheng
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Roberto: The Insect Architect
By: Nina Laden
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Ever since he was a wee mite (a termite, that is), Roberto has wanted to be an architect....
Seabird in the Forest: The Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet
By: Joan Dunning
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The mystery of why a Pacific seabird nests inland has only recently been solved. Lyrical...
Snails Are Just My Speed!
By: Kevin McCloskey
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Did you know that snails build “roads of slimy mucus”, other snails can follow those trails,...
Snow Birds
By: Kirsten Hall
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Discover birds who survive winter against all odds! You’ve heard of birds who migrate to warmer...
Snow School
By: Sandra Markle
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Sparrow Girl
By: Sara Pennypacker
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Ming-Li looked up and tried to imagine the sky silent, empty of birds. It was a terrible thought...
Spiders and Their Webs
By: Darlyne Murawski
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A biologist introduces spiders and their webs through stunning full color close-up photographs...
Spit Nests, Puke Power, and Other Brilliant Bird Adaptations
By: Laura Perdew
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Young readers will discover the amazing adaptations that keep certain species of bird alive and...
Spunky Tells All
By: Ann Cameron
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Story Worlds Nature
By: Thomas Hegbrook
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Examine each double page spread in this oversized book. See the realistically pictured animals...
Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives On the Job
By: Dorothy Hinshaw Hinshaw Patent
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The Barn Owls
By: Tony Johnston
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A poetic tribute to the common barn owl, who doze "in the scent of wheat" and leave "the barn...
The Beak Book
By: Robin Page
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Explore the fascinating and surprising ways different kinds of birds use their unique beaks....
The Bee Tree
By: Patricia Polacco
Age Level: 6-9 years old
When Mary Ellen gets bored with her reading, Grandpa knows a hunt for a bee tree is just what...
The Bee-Man of Orn
By: Frank Stockton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
An aged Bee-man lives contentedly among his insect friends, surviving on honey and the...
The Big Book of Birds
By: Yuval Zommer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Filled with exuberant, colorful illustrations, this is a fun introduction to some of the most...
The Birdwatchers
By: Simon James
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
A grandfather shares with his grandchild the quiet wonder of birdwatching — and a wry...
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon
By: Jacqueline Davies
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The story opens with 18-year-old French naturalist John James Audubon roaming Pennsylvania...
The Buzz on Bees: Why Are They Disappearing?
By: Shelly Rotner, Anne Woodhull
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Bees have been around for over 65 million years but have been in decline since early in the 21st...
The Cuckoo's Haiku: and Other Birding Poems
By: Michael J. Rosen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Poetry
A joyful primer on the pleasures of bird-watching merges haiku, notes for identifying species,...
The Fog
By: Kyo Maclear
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
When a fog rolls into Icyland, it prevents Warble, a small yellow warbler, from enjoying his...
The Life and Times of the Honeybee
By: Charles Micucci
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The Life Cycle of a Honeybee
By: Bobbie Kalman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Learn about each stage of a honeybee's life cycle from egg to adult. Full-color photographs,...
The Magic School Bus: Inside a Beehive
By: Joanna Cole
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Readers know they're with Ms. Frizzle and her class when the bus is disguised as a bee and...
The One and Only Ivan
By: Katherine Applegate
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Ivan lives in a "domain" at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. In evocative language and gentle...
The Real Poop on Pigeons
By: Kevin McCloskey
Age Level: 6-9 years old
When a couple complains about pigeons in the park, two children in pigeon costumes come to give...
The Stunning Science of Everything: Science with the Squishy Bits Left In
By: Nick Arnold, Tony De Saulles
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Sophisticated young scientists will enjoy dipping in and out of this funny but edifying...
The Truth about Hippos
By: Maxwell Eaton III
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Hippos are denser than water and so sink in water. Plus, they can’t actually swim but push off...
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps
By: Jeanette Winter
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Jane watched animals. Her ability to quietly observe allowed her to learn about animals up close...
There's a Frog in My Throat: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me
By: Loreen Leedy, Pat Street
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators
By: Jim Arnosky
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The author/illustrator's enthusiasm for the birds he observes is contagious in this artful...
Tiger Math: Learning to Graph from a Baby Tiger
By: Ann Whitehead Nagda
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A Siberian tiger cub born at the Denver Zoo is orphaned when he is just a few weeks old. Through...
Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird's Amazing Journey
By: Robert Burleigh
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Follow a hummingbird’s amazing migration south for the winter, traveling as fast as 30 miles an...
Wackiest White House Pets
By: Katherine Gibbs Davis
Age Level: 6-9 years old
How are dogs, alligators, sheep, cats, and a host of other animals similar? They've all...
Wanted! A Guinea Pig Named Henry
By: Wendy Orr
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Welcome, Brown Bird
By: Mary Lyn Ray
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Poetic text tells the story of a wood thrush that makes the long migration between New England...
What If There Were No Bees?
By: Suzanne Slade
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Grassland ecosystems can be found on nearly every continent. Countless animals and plants live...
What's Your Favorite Animal?
By: Eric Carle
Age Level: 6-9 years old
When 13 well-known illustrators are asked about their favorite animal, the results are as varied...
When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone
By: Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Stunning photographs combine with a clear text to show how early use of Yellowstone, changed it...
Wilderness: An Interactive Atlas of Animals
By: Hannah Pang
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A conversational tone and flaps to lift on each double page look at different biomes are sure to...
Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold
By: Joyce Sidman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
How animals survive — even thrive — in winter is presented in a variety of poetic forms, each...
Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku
By: Lee Wardlaw
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Won Ton the cat is back with a new arrival: a puppy! How the adult cat and small dog get on – or...
Woodpecker Wham!
By: April Pulley Sayre
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Enter woodpecker world and get a bird's eye view of everyday life: hiding from hawks, feeding...
Wow! Look What Birds Can Do
By: Camilla de la Bedoyere
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Introduces birds from around the world and describes some of their unique characteristics and...
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Print List
Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird: A True Story
By: Stephanie Spinner
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The story of Alex, an African grey parrot, learned to count, add, and subtract; to recognize...
Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual
By: Kate Samworth
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
This mock catalog introduces older readers to the concept of bird extinction by providing a kit...
Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists)
By: Karen Stray Nolting, Jonathan Latimer
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Featuring the original art and bird identification system of celebrated naturalist Roger Tory...
Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and Feel
By: Nancy Castaldo
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Explore animal empathy, communication, tool use, and social societies through interviews and...
Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle
By: Deborah Lee Rose
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The true story of Beauty, the wild bald eagle that made world news when she was illegally shot,...
Children's Encyclopedia of Birds
By: Claudia Martin
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
This comprehensive visual encyclopedia includes stunning photography of many bird species,...
Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard
By: Loree Griffin Burns
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Anyone can get involved in gathering data for ongoing, actual scientific studies such as the...
Condor Comeback
By: Sy Montgomery
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Scientists are working to save the endangered California Condor. In rich narrative, the author...
Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World's Brightest Bird
By: Pamela S. Turner
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Visit a a beautiful Pacific island where a lively cast of both crows and scientists is waiting...
Crows: Bird Geniuses (Science Comics series)
By: Kyla Vanderklugt
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Crows have problem-solving skills that will make you you rethink what it means to be a bird...
Encantado: Pink Dolphin of the Amazon
By: Sy Montgomery
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Glow: Animals with Their Own Nightlights
By: W.H. Beck
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Why be afraid of the dark when there is so much to see? Whether it’s used to hunt, hide, find a...
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot
By: Sy Montgomery
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
After five years, the call came allowing the author/photographer team to travel to an island off...
Leaf Litter Critters
By: Leslie Bulion
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Default blurb text. Just the good ol' boys, never meanin' no harm. Beats all you've ever saw,...
Least Things: Poems about Small Natures
By: Jane Yolen
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Short poems (haiku) were written in response to but also evoke creatures shown in crisp close-up...
Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95
By: Phillip Hoose
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Take a trip around the hemisphere with the world's most celebrated shorebird, showing the...
Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard
By: Mary Kay Carson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Science Comics: Sharks: Nature's Perfect Hunter
By: Joe Flood
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Sharks often get a bad reputation from movies and television but they’re crucial to a healthy...
Slickety Quick: Poems About Sharks
By: Skila Brown
Age Level: 9-12 years old
A poem about the well-known Great White begins this handsomely illustrated collection of poems...
Songbirds (Peterson Field Guides: Young Naturalists)
By: Karen Stray Nolting, Jonathan Latimer
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Featuring the original art and bird identification system of celebrated naturalist Roger Tory...
The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region
By: Donald Stokes, Lillian Stokes
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Created for beginning or experienced birders, this comprehensive, easy-to-use guide features 545...
The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region
By: Donald Stokes, Lillian Stokes
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Created for beginning or experienced birders, this comprehensive, easy-to-use guide features 636...
The Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea
By: Sy Montgomery
Age Level: 9-12 years old
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (Second Edition)
By: David Allen Sibley
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk
By: Jan Thornhill
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The Great Auk was a northern penguin that lived and thrived in the cold waters of the Atlantic....
The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guides)
By: Bill Thompson III
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Covering 300 of the most common birds in the U.S. and Canada, this guide for young people is...
Wild Wings
By: Gill Lewis
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
A story about Callum, a boy from Scotland and Iona, a girl from West Africa who join together to...
Hands-on Activities
Build on what you're learning together through books with these family-friendly activities, experiments, and crafts.
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5 DIY Bird Houses
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Animal Camouflage
-
Animal Homes Hike
National Wildlife Federation -
Animal Migration
-
Animals in Winter
National Wildlife Federation -
Backyard Scavenger Hunt
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Bee Dance
-
Bee Hummer
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Bee Thankful Smoothie
Start with a Book -
Beehive Model
-
Bird Beaks
-
Bird Feeder
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Bird's Nest from Twigs
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Birdfreak Guide to Taking Kids Birding
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Blow Fish Toy
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Bug Hunting
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Bug Spotter
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Bugs at Night
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Busy Blossoms
National Wildlife Federation -
Butterfly Feeder
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Eat Like a Bird Relay Race
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Engineer a Bird's Nest
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Firefly Friends
National Wildlife Federation -
Flower Powder: How Pollination Works
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Flying Insects Spotter
-
Framing Nature
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Hexagon Hunt
Lawrence Hall of Science -
How Bees Make Honey
Start with a Book -
How to Make a Pinecone Birdfeeder
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I Spy Binoculars
-
Insect Symmetry
National Wildlife Federation -
Insects in Action
National Wildlife Federation -
Invent a Pollinator Robot
-
Match Bird Beaks to Food
-
Nature Box
-
Nature Exploration Table
-
Nature in One Minute
National Wildlife Federation -
Nature Journal
-
Nature Sound Safari
-
Nest Quest
National Wildlife Federation -
Outdoor Pollen Game
-
Pigeon Study
National Wildlife Federation -
Plant a Bee Garden
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Plaster Casts of Animal Tracks I
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Plaster Casts of Animal Tracks II
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Pollinator Hunt
National Wildlife Federation -
Pond Dipping
-
Pond Dwellers
National Wildlife Federation -
Recording Robins
National Wildlife Federation -
Red, White and Blue Nature Scavenger Hunt
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Snug as a Bug: Animal Shelters
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Soda Can Vibrating Bug
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Sound Science
-
Spy on Ants!
National Wildlife Federation -
Spy on Squirrels
National Wildlife Federation -
Stuff to Do Outside
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Summer Nature Sleuth
-
Swinging Bird Toy
-
Tidepool Water Scope
-
Tracks and Trails
National Wildlife Federation -
Water Scope
National Wildlife Federation -
Water Strider
-
Weaving a Food Web
-
Webby Wonders
National Wildlife Federation
Summer Writing
Give kids a chance to flex their writing muscles all summer long. Try one of these prompts, selected from our writing contest archives and other literacy organizations.
Great Websites for Kids
Dive deeper into topics of interest with these media-rich and interactive sites.
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Amazing Bees
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Aphid Eater
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Audubon for Kids
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Bee "Waggle Dance" (PBS Nova)
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Bird Sleuth
-
Bird Sounds
-
BlackHOLE Collections
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Brain Pop: Paleontology and Anthropology
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Bug Hunt
-
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
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Buzz About Bees
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California Academy of Sciences: Live Webcams
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Dairy Farm
-
Earth Rangers
-
EcoKids
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Great Sunflower Project: Citizen Pollinator Count
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Humpback Whale Migration Game
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Journey North
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Monterey Bay Aquarium Games
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My Submarine Explorer: Creatures and Features
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National Aquarium
-
National Geographic Kids
-
National Zoo Animal Webcams
-
Native Buzz: Citizen Bee Mapping Project
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Nature Sound Map
-
NOVA: Nature
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Ocean Adventures: Shark Protector
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Ocean Adventures: Whale Watcher
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Pollinator Game
-
Project Noah
-
San Diego Zoo Animal Webcams
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San Diego Zoo: Elephant Odyssey
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San Diego Zoo: Polar Bear Plunge
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San Diego Zoo: Safari Park
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Summer Sounds: Insect Songs
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Switcheroo Zoo
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Waggle Dance of the Bees
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Whale Sounds
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YardMap: Citizen Bird Mapping Project
Great Podcasts for Kids
Listen and learn with these podcasts especially for kids. These podcasts are free and easy to listen to from any device via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher — or from Listen Notes, a podcast search engine.
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Animal Sound Safari
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Bird Intelligence
The Science of Birds
-
BirdNote
-
Birds: Moon Migration, Cher Ami, Cluck Old Hen, and More!
The Past and the Curious
-
Dinosaurs Take Flight! How Birds Evolved to Fly
Wow in the World (NPR)
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Earth Rangers
-
Edible Insects Are on the Menu!
Wow in the World (NPR)
-
Fun Kids Science Weekly
Fun Kids
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How do monarch butterflies travel so far?
Brains On!
-
Oh, So Many Birds!
The Past and the Curious
-
Song of the Singing Mouse
Wow in the World (NPR)
-
The Science of Peregrines' Fast Flight
Tumble Science
-
The Scientific Buzz on Bees and Math
Wow in the World (NPR)
-
Tumble Science Podcast
-
Wow in the World
NPR
Educational Apps
Educational apps recommended by Common Sense Media and other trusted reviewers.
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ABC Wildlife
$
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Animal Planet: Trivia Challenge
$
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Animalia
$
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Audubon Owls
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BiomeViewer
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Britannica Kids: Snakes
$
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Discovery Kids Sharks
$
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Habitactics
$
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iTrack Wildlife Lite
-
Journey Into the Deep
$
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Meet the Insects: Forest Edition
$
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Meet the Insects: Village Edition
$
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Meet the Insects: Water & Grass Edition
$
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The Grunts: Beard of Bees
$
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The Strange & Wonderful World of Ants
$
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Wild Kratts Rescue Run
$
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World Book’s World of Animals
$
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ZOOLA
$
More Themed Resources
Growing Readers Tip Sheets
Simple activities for parents and kids to do together to build reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Read online or print the PDF.
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Capturing and Sharing Images
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
Journals and Field Notes
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
Making Predictions
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
Outdoor Explorations
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
Patterns and Categorizing
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
STEM Tools at Home
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
The Night Before the Museum
Download PDF: English | Spanish
Our Summer Blog
Washington DC for Kids
