RECOMMENDED BOOKS on POLLINATORS and HABITAT for YOUNG READERS

This list is in no way complete, but is instead intended to get you and the children in your life excited about the natural world and wanting to learn more! If you have a recommendation you think we should add, let us know!

We have divided the books into general categories of: picture book, young/intermediate readers, field guides, and more advanced readers. Scroll down to see all the categories. 

PICTURE BOOKS

B is for Bee. P is for Pollen.: An ABC book about Nature and Pollination by Flora C Caputo 2020
ABCs are a lot more fun to learn when birds, bees, and butterflies can come along for the journey. It’s never too early to get to know our natural world, and the important role each of us plays in it. Celebrate the magical world of plants, flowers, and pollinators with your child. Together we can make the world a greener, happier place, one letter at a time!

How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside Kari Percival 2022 Picture book.
Say “hello” to worms, dirt, peas, and more in this gentle how-to guide for connecting with nature. Age 2 – 4 (A great book to look at with babies too.)

Inch by Inch Paperback Picture Book, by Leo Lionni 2018
The Caldecott Honor winning classic about a brave and clever little caterpillar from beloved picture book creator Leo Lionni. A small green inchworm is proud of his skill at measuring anything a nightingale threatens to eat him if he cannot measure his song. Children will enjoy the clever inchworm’s solution. 

Protect the Pollinators by Rachael Rose Zoller 2017
A vibrant and whimsically illustrated children’s book introducing seven of the Earth’s pollinators and their importance. This storybook also shares about where chocolate comes from and introduces a furry surprise pollinator at the end! Pollinator-friendly resources are included at the end of the book. 

The Reason for a Flower: A Book About Flowers, Pollen and Seeds by Ruthe Heller
This classic explains all about flowers, pollen, pollinators, and seeds in rhyming text, with lots of examples kids will recognize, along with some unexpected ones (bats!). This book offers a good foundation for learning about plants and pollination. 

Señorita Mariposa Hardcover Spanish Edition by Ben Gundersheimer (Mister G) Text in both English and Spanish 2019
Rhyming text and lively illustrations showcase the epic trip taken by the monarch butterflies. At the end of each summer, these international travelers leave Canada to fly south to Mexico for the winter. Children share in the fascinating journey of the monarchs and be introduced to the people and places they pass before they finally arrive in the forests that their ancestors called home.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This is the beloved story about a small caterpillar who emerges from an egg and begins eating everything in sight. After six days of eating he becomes “big and fat”. He builds a cocoon and two weeks later emerges as a multi-colored butterfly. Toddler to young reader. There are numerous educational aids and activities related to this book. Search for “The Very Hungry Caterpillar activities”.

YOUNG/INTERMEDIATE READERS

A Butterfly’s Life Cycle from Cycles in Nature series; leveled reader science 1 by George Pendergast
The life cycle of a butterfly describes the step-by-step process it takes to go from caterpillar to butterfly. Each stage is explained in detail with photographs. Learning scientific terms that describe the life cycle will help expand the reader’s vocabulary and understanding of the patterns and cycles of the world around them.

A Place for Butterflies by Melissa Stewart     
This fact-filled, colorful look at the amazing world of butterflies includes a call to action to protect these beautiful insects. Stewart shares the basic facts about butterflies, including how they transform from caterpillars to butterflies, where they live, what they eat, and how they benefit plants and animals. Sidebars throughout the book contain information about how human action has harmed butterflies and ways people can protect certain butterfly populations in wild places and in their own neighborhoods. Stewart reminds children of the interconnectedness of our world and shows how the actions of one species can inadvertently harm another. The realistically detailed illustrations highlight the diversity of the species. 

Am I Even A Bee? by Felicity Muth
Through the story of Osmia, we are introduced to some of the colorful varieties of bees.

Animal Pollinators by Jennifer Boothroyd
Many plants depend on animals to help move pollen around so that the plants can reproduce. Readers will see how hummingbirds, mice, bats, and other animals play a big role in pollination. Simple text and supportive photos and diagrams help readers understand key ideas and details about this important science concept. Starting reader.

Begin with a Bee by Liza Ketchum, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, and Phyllis Root, Illustrations by Claudia McGehee
Through the life story of one queen bee, a rusty-patched bumblebee, Begin with a Bee teaches us not only about bees but also about our own responsibilities in the natural world. With handsome block print illustrations of the life cycle of one bee, the authors help readers of any age understand and appreciate the contributions and significance of all bees and the basic science of the now rare rusty-patched bumblebee, the first bee to appear on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species list. This book has received numerous awards for best informational book for younger readers. One can print out coloring and science activity sheets from the upress.umn website: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/begin-with-a-bee

Mason Meets a Mason Bee: An Educational Encounter with a Pollinator  by Dawn V Page (Author, Photographer), Heather Holm (Photographer) 2015
Mason, like many other kids, is afraid of bees. An encounter with a mason bee helps Mason conquer his fear of bees and learn to help protect them. In a light and fun way his story teaches timely and important lessons about wild bees, habitat, pesticide use and native plants. Even though the book looks and reads like a picture book for early elementary students, the science and social concepts are big enough for adults to ponder. This book is meant to be read aloud and discussed with kids as it is read. Additional resources at the end of the book continue the learning.

Nature’s Best Hope, young readers’ edition by Doug Tallamy
This book should be an essential tool in teaching kids to realize the necessity of a thriving natural world and, most importantly, that their actions can contribute to restoring and preserving the systems which give it life.

Summer’s Flight, Pollen’s Delight: Meet the Bees, Butterflies, Birds and other Creatures Who Keep Our World Green and Alive! by Flora C Caputo 2019
Pollination is important to our world. It helps grow our food, our flowers, and our plants. Bees and butterflies get most of the attention as important “pollen movers” for our flowers. But you may be surprised at who else does this important job. Come into the garden, and meet these amazing creatures, and find out how you can help keep the world green and alive! Jump into the vibrant world of pollinators with your family, with clever rhyme, pollinator facts, pollinator-helper tips, and lush watercolor illustrations.

The Puddle Garden by Jared Rosenbaum, illustrated by Laura Rosenbaum
In this children’s story full of native plants and wildlife, learn how Bear Cub invites friends to his new house – by creating a Puddle Garden. Bear Cub plants cardinal flower, swamp milkweed, elderberry, and more. His rain garden quickly fills with wild friends from hummingbirds to frogs, and his new home is no longer lonely.

FIELD GUIDES

Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies: A Family Guide to Our Garden Heroes and Helpers (Discover Together Guides) Hardcover Sticker Book, by Ben Raskin 2018
How to be a friend to bees, bugs & butterflies–an interactive guide to pollinators and their role in our gardens. This buzzing collection of exciting facts and activities will give you the inside knowledge on the power of pollination. Learn why pollination is so essential to the natural world through engaging projects and zany explanations–create characterful bug masks you can cut out and wear, play a game of Pollinator Pursuit (a fresh take on a traditional board game), and explore the menu at Predator Restaurant (who knew nematode nougat came in slug and vine weevil flavors?). By the end of Bees, Bugs & Butterflies you’ll know how pollinators work and which creatures work with which flowers; you’ll see how you can help pollinators by planting the right plants and creating safe homes for them; you’ll learn about the amazing tricks plants play on insects; and you’ll discover how to call nature’s very own SOS team in to give our nectar-sipping buddies (and us) a helping hand.

Birdwatching Books for Kids: Looking for Pollinators (Children’s Bug Books for Toddlers) by Sue Breeden 2020
This series invites discovery and learning in your own backyard. Macro photography along with Words to Know are placed throughout this activity reader for kids ages 3-8. Backyard spotting guide helps children Seek and Find wonderful creatures in yards, parks, and on nature walks. Includes 9 coloring pages; facts about the world of bees, butterflies, other insects, and hummingbirds; and help identifying pollinators. 

FOR ADVANCED READERS, TEACHERS, AND THOSE WANTING TO KNOW MORE

Caterpillars of Eastern North America, David L. Wagner.  (2005)
This field guide’s introduction explains when, where and how to locate caterpillars. It also has excellent photos of caterpillars and the butterfly or moth each becomes. The range of caterpillar shapes and colors, and the varieties of camouflage, are astounding. The brief text for each caterpillar  includes its geographic distribution and preferred food plants as well as a few significant notes about the species.

The Forgotten Pollinators by Stephen L. Buchmann, Gary Paul Nabhan 
Without interaction between animals and flowering plants, the seeds and fruits that make up nearly eighty percent of the human diet would not exist. Stephen L. Buchmann, one of the world’s leading authorities on bees and pollination, and Gary Paul Nabhan, award-winning writer and renowned crop ecologist, explore the vital but little-appreciated relationship between plants and the animals they depend on for reproduction — bees, beetles, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, bats, and countless other animals, some widely recognized and others almost unknown. Scenes from around the globe bring to life the hidden relationships between plants and animals, and demonstrate the ways in which human society affects and is affected by those relationships. The authors present a lively and fascinating account of the ecological and cultural context of plant-pollinator relationships. More than any other natural process, plant-pollinator relationships offer vivid examples of the connections between endangered species and habitats threatened by human-induced changes in pollinator populations caused by overuse of chemical pesticides, unbridled development, and conversion of natural areas into monocultural cropland, creating a ripple effect on disparate species, ultimately leading to a “cascade of linked extinctions.”

The Great Pollinator Count by Susan Edwards Richmond and illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman;  2025.
Useful book for teachers doing a pollinator unit. It follows a group of children that are counting 5 types of pollinators in their school pollinator garden: bumblebees, honeybees, small bees, carpenter bees, wasps, flies, butterflies and moths and other insects.

Our Native Bees: North America’s Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them by Paige Embry 2018
Honey bees get all the press, but the fascinating story of North America’s native bees—endangered species essential to our ecosystems and food supplies—is just as crucial. Through interviews with farmers, gardeners, scientists, and bee experts, Our Native Bees explores the importance of native bees and focuses on why they play a key role in gardening and agriculture. The people and stories are compelling: Paige Embry goes on a bee hunt with the world expert on the likely extinct Franklin’s bumble bee, raises blue orchard bees in her refrigerator, and learns about an organization that turns the out-of-play areas in golf courses into pollinator habitats. Our Native Bees is a fascinating, must-read for fans of natural history and science and anyone curious about bees. For young readers to adults.