Stories to Connect with Nature
The power of a beautiful book to connect us with the world around us cannot be underestimated. I’ve organised some of my favourite books by their themes. Click on each section to find out more about books which can help build relationship with nature and some ideas for using these books as a springboard for teaching and learning in the outdoors.
Visit my online bookshop here for lots of inspiring books to help you and your children connect with the beautiful world around you.
Dragons
Dragons feature in so many wonderful picture books. Dragons are ancient, powerful creatures. They needed vast tracts of land to survive and many of the old tales of dragons tell of the conflict between man and nature. The growth of civilisation greatly impacts on the lives of dragons, a metaphor for our infringement on the wild. .
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Fairies
Faeries, the little folk, the fey and many other names for these other worldly creatures. They come in all shapes and sizes and are often mischievous. In older tales fairies were often malevolent creatures, but stories now represent them as tiny, winged, feminine creatures. .
Witches
In the not-so-distant past ‘witches’ were burnt at the stake. Often wise women, midwives and herbalists these women lived on the outskirts of societies, Nowadays we think of wicked witches as the evil characters in children’s stories. But increasingly there are a number of good witches, reflecting a change in societies views on these women.
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