Nature Books For Kids

What others are saying:
Daytime Nighttime, All Through the Year features engaging rhymes and evocative artwork . . .[This book] will prove to be a unique and appreciated addition to family, elementary school, and community library Pets/Wildlife picture book collections. –Children’s Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review (January 2018)

The rhyming text is cleverly divided into twelve months, depicting twenty-four animals and their typical activities during the day and night. Illustrations are large, colorful, and comfortingly realistic as they reflect details mentioned in the text.  –Catherine Greene, Catholic Library World (Volume 88 No.2)

From soaring eagle to sleeping bear, Diane Lang’s delightful book shines a light on the lives of animals through the seasons, revealing the diverse ways that some animals are active at night while others are active during the day. — David Lukas, Naturalist and author of Language Making Nature (July 2017)

Reading Daytime Nighttime flooded me with memories! I wanted to grab my hiking boots and explore as a seven year old all over again. This little book carries the passion of youthful exploration. It offers a peek into what wildlife is doing by day, by night, and through the seasons. It will stimulate the imagination. It will get kids outside and immersed in nature. It rings true. — Dave Johnson, Zookeeper, children’s book author, and Director and Founder of the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund (July 2017)

An effective, engaging, and entertaining collaboration between author Diane Lange and illustrator Andrea Gabriel, “Daytime Nighttime, All Through the Year” features engaging rhymes and evocative artwork to introduce the busy diurnal and nocturnal activities of the animal kingdom, from eagles that dive for fish and tortoises that dine on cactus flowers to bats that catch moths and cougars that prowl in the dark. As educational as it is recreational, “Daytime Nighttime, All Through the Year” also features a ‘Match Game’, ‘More About the Animals’, ‘Teachable Moments’, and a bibliographic listing of other ‘Nature Awareness’ titles from Dawn Publications.

Simply stated, “Daytime Nighttime, All Through the Year” will prove to be a unique and appreciated addition to family, elementary school, and community library Pets/Wildlife picture book collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that “Daytime Nighttime, All Through the Year” is also available in paperback and digital format.

—Children’s Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review (January 2018)

This is an informative and beautifully illustrated book about animal behavior. The rhyming text is cleverly divided into twelve months, depicting twenty-four animals and their typical activities during the day and night. Illustrations are large, colorful, and comfortingly realistic as they reflect details mentioned in the text. This gives young readers opportunities to find baby quail, beavers chewing branches, and young deer with tiny antlers gazing directly at you.
The text is warm and inviting: phrases such as “velvety soft,” “mama opossum,” and “scamper and scurry” portray the activities of each animal. For each month, one page shows a daytime animal activity while the opposite page depicts an animal busily at work (or sleeping) at night.

To keep young audiences further engaged, the author includes a matching game with clues based on the text. A section for teachers and parents (“More about the Animals”) provides additional fascinating facts about the twentyfour animals in the book. “Teachable Moments” highlights main science concepts that can easily lead to insightful discussions. Websites for lesson plans and activities are also provided in addition to an annotated bibliography.
This small book, besides being a powerhouse of information, carefully leads children to an understanding of how animals live in their natural habitats.

The author is a seasoned teacher, naturalist and writer; her website is dianelang.net. The illustrator has written and illustrated children’s nature books for many years; her illustrations for this book use both watercolor and digital techniques.
Recommended for home, school, and public libraries.

— Catherine Greene, Catholic Library World (Volume 88 No.2)

Nature is a gentle teacher for children as they learn the skills and attitudes that will lead them to lifelong happiness and success. The examples and messages in Wonderful Nature, Wonderful You support children in remembering how wonderful they are, but they’re so much more than simple esteem boosters. They offer reassurance and guidance about how to perseverance, accept change, meet challenges, trust themselves, get along with others, and have fun. These messages are great for adults, too!

Every year the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council (CBC) selects the most outstanding science trade books.

Tall Tall Tree has just been selected for this prestigious honor! Young readers explore the wildlife in a redwood tree through counting, rhyme, and some hidden surprises.

Reading science trade books is the perfect way for students to build literacy skills while learning science content.

Other Dawn books that have won this award include:

Early experiences in nature enrich and shape a child’s life. That was one of the messages that came through so clearly in the new movie about Jane Goodall.

As a young girl she spent hours outside, climbed trees, and watched her dog’s behavior. As an adult she rocked the scientific community  through her groundbreaking discoveries. How did you make her discoveries? Doing the same things she did as a child! She spent hours outside where the chimps lived, climbed trees, and closely watched their behavior.