Book Lovers Day! Our 20 favorite nature and animal books
Thank goodness for books! Especially in recent times they have become even more treasured and there’s so much we can gain from them! They can teach us, help us escape, take us on adventures, make us fall in love and so much more.
Today we celebrate all things books and the people that love them, so to mark the occasion we have compiled a list of some beautiful books all about nature and animals for you to enjoy! We went through the reviews, so you don’t have to!
We also asked Team Sloth what their favourite books are, so if you’re looking for some new and imaginative recommendations to read, this list is for you!
For Toddlers & Young Children (and big kids too)!
1- Moto and Me – By Suzi Ezterhas
“Moto and Me tells the firsthand story of wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas’s care for an orphaned baby serval—a small, spotted wildcat—in Kenya.”
2- An Anthology of Intriguing Animals – By Ben Hoare
“This animal encyclopedia with a twist showcases more than 100 animals in close-up detail. Arranged from biggest to smallest, the wildlife of the world is revealed with stunning photography and gorgeous illustrations” (and of course it includes a sloth)!
3- National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia
“Graphic designer and molecular biologist Sabina Radeva has recast ‘On the Origin of Species’ in the light of subsequent scientific discoveries, providing an enlightening commentary alongside beautiful illustrations.”
4- On the Origin of Species (for kids & adults!) – By Sabina Radeva & Charles Darwin
“Graphic designer and molecular biologist Sabina Radeva has recast ‘On the Origin of Species’ in the light of subsequent scientific discoveries, providing an enlightening commentary alongside beautiful illustrations.”
Coffee Table Books
5- Sloths: Life in the Slow Lane – By Dr. Rebecca Cliffe
“Sloth expert Dr. Rebecca Cliffe has teamed up with world renowned wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas to produce this stunning coffee-table book which takes readers on an immersive journey through the jungles of South America to discover the secret lives of sloths.”
6- Overview – By Benjamin Grant
“Inspired by the “Overview Effect”– a sensation that astronauts experience when given the opportunity to look down and view the Earth as a whole–the breathtaking, high definition satellite photographs in OVERVIEW offer a new way to look at the landscape that we have shaped.”
Animal and Nature Novels (Fiction)
7- The Call of the Wild – By Jack London
“Originally published in 1903, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is an action-filled story featuring a narrative from an animal point-of-view—Buck the dog. Buck lived happily on a ranch in Santa Clara Valley, California, until one night, he’s stolen away by the gardener’s assistant and sold to traders. Eventually, he ends up in the Klondike region of Canada, where he is trained to become a sled dog.”
8- Life of Pi – By Yann Martel
“When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger.”
9- Where the Crawdads Sing – By Delia Owens
“Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.
Real life Stories
10- In the Shadow of Man – By Jane Goodall
“World-renowned primatologist, conservationist, and humanitarian Dr. Jane Goodall’s account of her life among the wild chimpanzees of Gombe is one of the most enthralling stories of animal behavior ever written.”
11- Gorillas in the Mist – By Dian Fossey
“One of the most important books ever written about our connection to the natural world, GORILLAS IN THE MIST is the riveting account of Dian Fossey’s thirteen years in a remote African rain forest with the greatest of the great apes.”
12- Jaguar: One Man’s Struggle To Establish The World’s First Jaguar Preserve – By Alan Rabinowitz
“In 1983, zoologist Alan Rabinowitz (1953-2018) ventured into the rain forest of Belize, determined to study the little-known jaguar in its natural habitat and to establish the world’s first jaguar preserve. Within two years, he had succeeded. In Jaguar he provides the only first-hand account of a scientist’s experience with jaguars in the wild.”
13- A Life on Our Planet – By David Attenborough
Coming soon!
(We had to put David Attenborough in here somewhere)!
“A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake – and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited. ‘All we need is the will do so.”
Team Sloth’s Favourite Books
Get to know Team Sloth a bit better through their favourite books!
14- Dr. Rebecca: Pink Boots & a Machete – By Mireya Mayor
“I read that book when I was 19 and just starting out on my sloth journey! I was struggling to be taken seriously because I didn’t ‘look like a scientist.’ That book taught me that I don’t have to choose between looking more scientific or looking feminine – I can be both!”
15- Sarah: Harry Potter (particularly The Order of the Phoenix) – By J.K. Rowling
“These books remind me of home and happy times. I re-read them every 1-2 years and just love the series because it is full of pure escapism, magic, and wonderful characters that you grow to love like you know them.”
16- Amelia: Everything I Know About Love – By Dolly Alderton
“I grew up in the same area as the author and this book is uncannily similar to my life. It is almost like reading a memoir written by another person. It helped me to realize that I wasn’t the only one making stupid decisions as a teenager!”
17- Cecilia: Open Veins of Latin America – By Eduardo Galeano
“This book is so important to me because it helped me to understand my Latin American identity. It chronicles the looting of resources, the destruction of nature on this continent, the people and companies responsible for it, and the inherited injustice because of this history. This book is a must to anybody who wishes to understand the true history of Latin America.”
18- Katra: The Golden Compass – By Philip Pullman
“I have always loved fantasy that borders on realism and the Golden Compass series (aside from being a wonderful adventure trilogy) really makes you think about the nature of the universe. I read this series as a child and later as a young adult and it was so curious how the meaning changed for me overtime.”
19- Patricio: The Lost World – By Arthur Conan Doyle
“I read this book when I was a kid and it really changed me at the time. It opened my mind to thinking about nature and exploring, something I hadn’t really considered before. Today I really enjoy literature about science.”
20- Tess: The Mists of Avalon – By Marion Zimmer Bradley
“I’ve always loved reading books that have a historical background. Coincidentally, I read this book for the first time on a family trip to France and we accidentally stopped at ‘foret de Brocéliande’ which was connected to the book. Reading this book brings up fond memories of that wonderful trip.”
What are your favourite nature and animal books?
*All books on this list are available via Amazon or your local book retailers! #supportlocal
-Sarah Kennedy
