{"id":136201,"date":"2020-01-21T10:59:39","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T18:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=136201"},"modified":"2020-04-02T12:34:34","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T19:34:34","slug":"editors-picks-outdoor-books-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/editors-picks-outdoor-books-for-kids","title":{"rendered":"Editors’ Picks: Outdoor Books for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, the New York Public Library, the largest system of its kind in the country, announced The Snowy Day<\/em> topped its list of most checked out books <\/a>in the system\u2019s 125-year history<\/u>. The story of a child enjoying the magic of winter also happens to be one of our most loved tales for kids.<\/p>\n

In celebration of the connection between picture books and the great outdoors, we asked the co-op\u2019s editorial staff to share each of their all-time favorites. Here are our top seven.<\/p>\n

The Snowy Day<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by Ezra Jack Keats, Viking<\/a>, 1962<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The story: <\/strong>In this Caldecott Medal-winning book, a boy named Peter finds joy in a snow-covered day. Through its bright illustrations and simple yet meaningful text, it was also one of the first mainstream children\u2019s books<\/a> to show a non-caricatured African-American protagonist.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts: <\/strong>\u201cI remember loving the colors and art and also being so envious of kids who got regular snow days, as us Pacific Northwesterners didn\u2019t ever have anything but a gray, wet holiday season.\u201d \u2013Chelsea Davis, podcast producer and content strategist<\/p>\n

The Boy Who Spoke to the Earth\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by Chris Burkard and David McClellan, Dreamling Books<\/a>, 2015<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The story: <\/strong>A young boy wondered, \u201cWhere can I find happiness?\u201d And the planet responded, sending him on a journey to deserts, mountains and even the top of the world\u2014the places the Earth is proudest of. But the boy discovers that happiness is unexpectedly hard to find. Surf and adventure photographer Chris Burkard and Disney Interactive artist David McClellan came together to create a feast for the eyes.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts: \u201c<\/strong>This is the first book I gave to my nieces and nephews. The images are gorgeous and stoke wonder in all ages.\u201d \u2013Anders Nordblom, content and media business development lead<\/p>\n

The Giving Tree<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

by Shel Silverstein, HarperCollins<\/a>, 1964<\/p>\n

\"The<\/h3>\n

The story: <\/strong>Unfolding over the course of a lifetime, Shel Silverstein\u2019s book explores the nature of giving and receiving. In it, we follow an apple tree and a boy. The early stages of their relationship have the boy playing in the tree\u2019s branches, while in the end, all that is left is an old man and a stump.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts: <\/strong>\u201cIt holds a special place in my heart for a very personal reason: I was actually very sick when I was younger and spent most of my eighth year in a hospital\/ICU. I have fond memories of reading both The Giving Tree<\/em> and Shel Silverstein\u2019s other poems during that time. I had a craniotomy that year, and a day or so after I got out of surgery, I began reciting Shel Silverstein\u2019s poems by heart (my eyes were swollen shut for awhile, so I couldn\u2019t see to read), and my family and doctors were so excited. It was a sign that the surgery hadn\u2019t damaged my brain.\u201d \u2013Sarah Grothjan, news and features writer<\/p>\n

The Great Kapok Tree<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

by Lynne Cherry, Scholastic<\/a>, 1990<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The story: <\/strong>Writer and illustrator Lynne Cherry\u2019s visit to Brazil\u2019s Amazon rainforest inspired this book, which introduces conservation to young ones. The story follows a man into the rainforest to chop down a kapok tree. But when he lies down underneath it to rest, the creatures that call the tree home whisper to him reasons he shouldn\u2019t cut it down. Some murmur subtly that all living things depend on one another while others state their thoughts more strongly: \u201cA ruined rainforest means ruined lives.\u201d To us, the book feels even more pertinent today than when it was originally released three decades ago.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts: <\/strong>\u201cI remember loving all the different animals (a three-toed sloth! A toucan! A jaguar!) and learning what you call groups of them (a troop of monkeys!). My mom gave each character a different voice, and I would correct her if she mixed any up. Mostly though, I remember the reminder of my place on this Earth, and legit just realized that my stance on conservation was born from this book.\u201d \u2013Maren Horjus, gear editor<\/p>\n

An Awesome Book<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

by Dallas Clayton, HarperCollins<\/a>, 2012<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

The story: <\/strong>\u201cThere are places in the world where people do not dream\u2026\u201d the book begins. But that world is far from the one in which author Dallas Clayton places us. In Clayton\u2019s world, there are wild animals with diamond-coated wings and cars that run on jelly beans. Written for everyone, no matter their age, this jubilantly illustrated book is the nudge we all need toward bigger, bolder flights of fancy.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts: <\/strong>\u201cThe book educates about the power of dreams and ideas. In parallel, it reminds adult readers about the consequence of losing that ability to dream and juxtaposes the material goals adults often trade for the innocent dreams they had as children. Dream big, dream often and with limitless potential. Isn\u2019t that what any parent really wants for their children?\u201d \u2013Paolo Mottola, content and media director<\/p>\n

We\u2019re Going On a Bear Hunt<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

by Michael Rosen, Little Simon<\/a>, 1989<\/p>\n

\"We're<\/p>\n

The story: <\/strong>A group of adventurous kids and their pup set out to\u2014you guessed it\u2014hunt a bear. They travel through mud, jump over rivers and plod into a snowstorm before they encounter a bear in its cave. What happens next? No spoilers\u2014you\u2019ll have to pick it up to find out.<\/p>\n

Our thoughts: <\/strong>\u201cI don\u2019t have kids, but when I was one, I loved We\u2019re Going On A Bear Hunt<\/em>. Despite the name, it\u2019s not really about hunting a bear. It\u2019s about going out in the woods as kids and solving problems along the way, such as how to get past thick, oozing mud or how to cross a deep cold river.\u201d \u2013Nicholas Hunt, travel editor<\/p>\n

Get Dressed, Sasquatch!<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

by Derek Sullivan and Kyle Sullivan, Hazy Dell Press<\/a>, 2015<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/p>\n

The story: <\/strong>Born and built in Seattle, Washington, we know the Pacific Northwest. Which is how we know that there is a big, naked Sasquatch lurking in the forest around us. In this funny yet poignant book, we find out what happens when a rule-following park ranger tells Bigfoot about the new Ranger Rule 352: \u201cPeople in the park must never be nude.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our thoughts: <\/strong>\u201cI like this one as it introduces different types of animals that live in the forest, features a Sasquatch and a park ranger, and it also has a good message about being yourself and wearing what feels right.\u201d \u2013Theo Stewart, SEO program manager<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

During this process we noticed that nearly all of our favorites featured boys. What are your go-to kid’s books? Do any highlight brave protagonists of other genders? Tell us in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, the New York Public Library, the largest system of its kind in the country, announced The Snowy Day topped its list of most checked out books in the system\u2019s 125-year history. The story of a child enjoying the magic of winter also happens to be one of our most loved tales for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":151935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[739,156,1044,727],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-136201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social","tag-books","tag-family","tag-kids","tag-latest-posts"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/social\/editors-picks-outdoor-books-for-kids","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Editors’ Picks: Outdoor Books for Kids","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/editors-picks-outdoor-books-for-kids","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/editors-picks-outdoor-books-for-kids"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/the_desert-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/01\/the_desert-1.jpg?fit=1476%2C756"},"articleSection":"Social","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["books","family","kids","latest posts"],"dateCreated":"2020-01-21T18:59:39Z","datePublished":"2020-01-21T18:59:39Z","dateModified":"2020-04-02T19:34:34Z"},"rendered":"