Title Author

A Field Guide to the Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-Central North America Peterson, Roger Tory and Margaret McKenny

The flowering plants of Iowa's prairies and other natural areas are included in this classic and relatively easy-to-use field guide. Arranged by color, and then by family and genus, this is a good introduction to plant nomenclature.

A Log's Life Pfeffer, Wendy

Readers are introduced to the life cycle of a tree through informative, lyrical text complemented by three-dimensional paper sculptures that showcase the forest ecosystem. Readers will be inspired to take a closer look at the trees -- and logs -- in their own backyards.

A Sea of Grass Dvorak Jr., David

"In pictures of glowing color and a spare, sometimes poetic, text, naturalist Dvorak uses the photo-essay to celebrate the tallgrass prairie and to warn that it is in danger of extinction. As the seasons change, he captures both the open landscape stretching to the horizon ("like a sea, waves of grass in the wind") and the immense variety of particular plants and animals: the grasses and wildflowers, insects, birds, and buffalo. Above all, he shows the essential connections between them, the delicate balance that is threatened. Young children will find it a focused conservation story, and for middle-grade readers caught by the pictures, there's an afterword on the endangered ecosystem and a list of prairie preserves and reservations." -- Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association

A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet Claudia McGehee

Illustrator Claudia McGehee brings the glory of the prairie to life in A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet. From the yellow stargrass that welcomes springtime to the butterfly weed that attracts summer’s favorite winged visitors, from the horned lark that soars in the fall to the little bluestem that fights its way above the snow—each season unfolds in the vibrant color and vivid details of McGehee’s scratchboard illustrations.

A Walk in the Prairie Johnson, Rebecca

Part of the Biomes of North America series.

A Woodland Counting Book Claudia McGehee

From one splendid white oak to fifty busy carpenter ants, illustrator Claudia McGehee counts the wonders of the woodlands in this beautifully illustrated companion to her previous children’s book, A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet.

America's Prairies and Grasslands: Guide to Plants and Animals Wallace, Marianne

A fun, learner-friendly guide to vast ecosystem of North America's prairies and grasslands. Readers find out how plants survive after wild prairie fires, learn where to find water sources and when best to view the animals in these habitats. Each prairie or grassland region-Tallgrass Prairie, Mixed Grass Prairie, Shortgrass Prairie, Palouse Prairie, California Valley Grassland, and Semidesert Grassland-features full-color illustrations which helps you identify plants and animals.

An Illustrated Guide to Iowa Prairie Plants Christiansen, Paul and Mark Muller

Using text, distribution maps and line drawings, this is an easy-to-use guide for novices and a source book for the initiated.

Botany in a Day Elpel, Thomas

Looking for a faster, easier, and fun way to identify plants? Botany in a Day offers a simplified way of identifying plants through learning the patterns in over 100 plant families.

Counting Wildflowers McMillan, Bruce

An ALA Notable Book. "This carefully planned and executed counting concept book is rich in content ... Number concepts 1 through 20 are presented in full-color, high-quality photographs of common field and woodland wildflowers." -- School Library Journal

Fire: Friend or Foe Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw

Patent's authoritative text -- coupled with William Munoz's spectacular photographs -- documents scientists' growing knowledge of the inevitable and healthy role of fire in the rhythm of all ecosystems.

Forest and Shade Trees of Iowa (2nd Ed.) Van Der Linden, Peter J. and Donald R. Farrar

This book provides a list of trees with detailed descriptions and pictures. Close-ups of leaves and bark to help with identification. This book also has a dichotomous key to use when identifying different trees.

Grasses: An Identification Guide Brown, Lauren

"Focusing on the color, shape, and texture of the plants, and avoiding the technicalities presented by most botanical guides, this first and only popular book on the subject provides a lively account of the history, ecology, and uses of 135 species of grasses." -- Horticulture. 368 line drawings.

How to Manage Small Prairie Fires Pauly, Wayne R.

A practical, informative "how-to" guide for conducting controlled prairie burns.

If You Were a Pioneer on the Prairie Kamma, Anne

This new addition to the question-and-answer history series invites readers to step back in time and see what it was like to grow up on the Great Plains more than 100 years ago. What kind of house would you live in? What kind of clothes would you wear? What would you do for fun? Would you go to school? The answers to these and 34 more questions give eight-to-ten-year-olds a vivid idea of a pioneer child's day-to-day life as well as the hardships the pioneering family faced as they attempted to settle in the vast and often forbidding prairie lands.

If You're Not from the Prairie Bouchard, David

From "Booklist:" The initial premise of the poem--if you're not from the prairie, you can't understand wind, cold, grasses, and such--mellows out by the end as "you" and "I" agree to understand each other because we share the same sun. The colorful acrylic paintings draw you in immediately, catching the vastness of prairie living, with a strong sense of the flat expanses of the horizon, and the vastness of the sky. This is a world of children on the prairie, physically lying on the land, playing in the mud, walking through the snow.

In the Tall, Tall Grass Fleming, Denise

Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book. Redbook Top Ten Picture Book. "A terrific story-hour book. As day turns to night, a caterpillar crunches and munches his way through the tall, tall grass. . . . Besides a treat for eyes and ears, this can be used as an introductory nature lesson." -- Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association

Iowa's Wild Places Kurtz, Carl

An insightful explanation of Iowa landscapes presented in photographs and prose. This book helps the reader become acquainted with the diversity of Iowa' flora, fauna, landforms, habitats and weather.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder Louv, Richard

Today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, says child advocacy experts. Gathering thoughts from parents, teachers, researchers, environmentalists and other concerned parties, Louv argues for a return to an awareness of and appreciation for the natural world. Not only can nature teach kids science and nurture their creativity, he says, nature needs its children: where else will its future stewards come from?

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers Appelt, Kathi

A biography/picture book about Lady Bird Johnson, tracing her passion for wildflowers and the environment. Illustrations enable kids to identify flowers using a key.

Mouse in a Meadow Himmelman, John

From School Library Journal: In this straightforward story, told in simple declarative statements, readers learn about the flora and fauna that live in a meadow, starting with a mouse. The unsuspecting rodent, while eating a nutlet, starts a chain of events that ultimately leads readers back to him.

Nature's Heartland: Native Plant Communities of the Great Plains Boon, William and Harlen Groe

In nature, plants commonly grow in association with a select group of other compatible plants. Following nature, this book groups plants by plant communities. Through photographs plants are shown in their seasonal moods and their natural habitats. Detailed maps and clearly written text accompany the photos.

Near One Cattail Fredericks, Anthony

One in a series of Anthony Fredericks' award-winning "Sharing Nature with Children" books. Lyrical text and beautiful illustrations bring to life the amazing creatures found in wetlands.

One Day in the Prairie George, Jean Craighead

From Library School Journal: As in her two previous books in this series, One Day in the Desert (1983) and One Day in the Alpine Tundra (1984, both Crowell), George takes an ecological community, adds a child, and comes up with a story both factually accurate and exciting to read. With her usual skill, George describes the plants, the animals, and the insects of the prairie and their behavior as a storm approaches.

Prairie Food Chains MacAulay, Kelley and Bobbie Kalman

Prairie: A Natural History Savage, Candace

Detailed and scientifically up-to-date, Prairie: A Natural History provides a comprehensive, nontechnical guide to the biology and ecology of this ecosystem, offering a view of the past, a vision for the future, and a focus on the present. Sidebars throughout highlight various grasslands species, tell natural history and conservation stories, and present the traditional Native American view of the prairie and its inhabitants.

Prairies Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw

"Beginning with a map of North America that shows the extent and location of the shortgrass, mixed-grass, and tallgrass prairie environments, this well-balanced book explores the region from several points of view. Patent discusses the ecology driven by wind and fire, the distinctive plants, the interdependent animals, the history of prairie destruction, and the current efforts to restore small areas of prairie within this vast region. ... Colorful and sometimes dramatic photos illustrate this handsome book." -- Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association

Prairies: Biomes of Nature Murray, Peter

This is a great introductory book for students learning about prairies. Basic prairie information is accompanies by colorful, full-page photographs to enhance readers' learning.

Roadside Plants and Flowers Edsall, Marian S.

For both the novice and the expert, this is a great book to have while traveling, walking in the woods or biking. Even in the classroom, this easy-to-read reference will be useful to students studying native plants.

Seasons of the Tallgrass Prairie Lerner, Carol

An American Library Association Notable Children's Book . "Beautifully designed, illustrated, and printed, this is an intimate guide to the seasonal botany of the prairie. Detailed description of the seasons' ebb and flow combine with technical description to create a rhythm that truly suggests the changing of the seasons. -- Appraisal.

Stories from Where We Live -- The Great North American Prairie St. Anthony, Sara, Ed.

From Booklist: Stories, poems, journal entries, and essays that reflect life on the prairies of the U.S and Canada. The selections, both historical and contemporary, comprise a good mix of fiction and information, and reflect the ethnic diversity of the inhabitants. St. Antoine showcases familiar authors such as Carl Sandburg, Willa Cather, and Louise Erdich, as well as lesser-known writers. Also valuable are the generous appendixes, which include maps of the region, a detailed discussion of various kinds of prairies, listings of flora and fauna, an index sorted by state or province, listings of parks and preserves, and bibliographies.

Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Common Wildflowers and Plants of the Prairie Midwest Ladd, Doug

This classic field guide to the plants of the Midwestern tallgrass prairie has been fully revised and updated to reflect new trends in conservation and plant identification.

The Emerald Horizon Cornelia Mutel

Since so much of the tallgrass state has been transformed into an agricultural landscape, the author focuses on understanding today’s natural environment by understanding yesterday’s changes. The book also presents techniques for restoring native species and ecological processes as well as a broad variety of ways in which Iowans can reconnect with the natural world.

The Gift of the Tree Tresselt, Alvin

From School Library Journal: New illustrations breathe freshness into this book originally published as The Dead Tree (Parents, 1972; o.p.). It stands as a tribute to the mighty oak tree, focusing on its majesty in maturity, through gradual decline to final decay. The interdependence of plant and animal life is clearly evident, including both those that seek its shelter and those that hasten the decaying process to prepare the soil for new life.

The Illustrated Book of Trees: The Comprehensive Field Guide to More Than 250 Trees of Eastern North America Grimm, William and John Kartesz

William Carey Grimm's classic Illustrated Book of Trees--the authority in eastern North American tree identification for over 40 years--is now available in a completely updated edition, describing recently-introduced species and incorporating changes in taxonomy, nomenclature, and geographic range.

The Life Cycle of a Flower Aloian, Molly and Bobbie Kalman

One of several books in the Life Cycle series. This emphasizes botany and "how it works."

The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America's Lost Grasslands Collard, Sneed

With engaging text and large, color photographs, the prairie restoration efforts at Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge in Iowa are explained. Readers are encouraged to become ecologically involved.

The Prairie Community Vyn, Kathleen

One part of this book takes you through the prairie by seasons. Another part tells about use of the prairie by Indians and by pioneers.

The Tiny Seed Carle, Eric

Colorful illustrations and simple but dramatic text tell the fascinating story of the life cycle of a flower in terms of the adventures of a tiny seed.

Tree Finder: A Manual for the Identification of Trees by Their Leaves Watts, May

A classic guide to identifying native (and some widely introduced) trees of U.S. and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. Organized as a dichotomous key, the book leads the user through a series of simple questions about the shape or appearance of different parts of a tree. Includes 161 species. Illustrated with line drawings. The small (6" by 4") format fits in pocket or pack to take along on a hike.

Where the Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie Madson, John

This book gives an inside look at prairies of the past, and some of what prairies are today. This book is not all Iowa-based, but there are excerts that are about Iowa.

Why Should I Protect Nature Green, Jen

Part of a child’s development is asking questions and learning about the environment. With amusing pictures and simple text, this book shows the importance of protecting nature.

Wildflowers and Other Plants of Iowa Wetlands Runkel, Sylvan and Dean Roosa

The book was designed to help the casual observer become better acquainted with the plants of Iowa's wetlands. A description of each plant and its habitat, bloom period and natural history/folklore accompany a close-up photo.

Wildflowers and the Stories Behind Their Names Busch, Phyllis S.

This book looks at the origin of some wildflowers' common names.

Wildflowers and Winter Weeds Brown, Lauren

Roger Tory Peterson calls this book "a joy to those wood-walkers and strollers who have been puzzled by the skeletal remains of herbaceous plants that they see in winter."

Wildflowers of the Iowa Woodlands Runkel, Sylvan and Alvin F. Bull

The book was designed to help the casual observer become better acquainted with the more interesting wildflowers of Iowa' woodlands. A description of each plant and its habitat, bloom period and natural history/folklore accompany a close-up photo.

Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie Runkel, Sylvan and Dean M. Roosa

The book was designed to help the casual observer become better acquainted with the wildflowers of Iowa' prairies. A description of each plant and its habitat, bloom period and natural history/folklore accompany a close-up photo.

Winter Tree Finder Watts, May

This is an excellent and inexpensive pocket-sized key to winter identification.

Young Person's Guide to the Prairie Scullin, Wendy

Young Person's Guide to the Prairie is a book which goes beyond the basic field guide to describe the prairie as a living system. Anyone interested in prairies, natural history, and ecology, will find many complex concepts explained in an easy to read, understandable writing style.