Check out The John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Children if you are interested in finding literature (NOT textbooks) about nature. This list results from a competetive selection process every year and is associated with the American Museum of Natural History.

"The John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers, recognizing outstanding natural history books for children that contain perceptive and artistic accounts of direct experiences in the world of nature, was established in 1988 to recognize Burroughs' efforts to awaken interest in young naturalists." (From the website).

And here's a picture of the "Whitmanesque" figure from the AMNH archives but lifted from the Ecology Hall of Fame website:

-- Michael Gatton (mwgatton@hotmail.com), November 22, 2000

Answers

The NSTA also has a list of outstanding science trade books. Their list is annotated and includes general age-appropriateness notation.

http://www.nsta.org/ostbc

-- Michael Gatton (mwgatton@hotmail.com), November 16, 2001.