95 books like Not Your Nest!

By Gideon Sterer, Andrea Tsurumi (illustrator),

Here are 95 books that Not Your Nest! fans have personally recommended if you like Not Your Nest!. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Adopted by an Owl: The True Story of Jackson the Owl

Ellen Kalish Author Of The Christmas Owl

From my list on wildlife for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been an animal lover and caretaker all my life. I have memories of taking care of toucans, skunks, alligators, fish tanks, chameleons, various birds, and monkeys from the time I was a child! I received my licenses from the NYSDEC and US Fish and Wildlife Service and Ravensbeard Wildlife Center was founded in 2000. I hold permits to rehabilitate injured/orphaned wildlife and house unreleasable birds to educate communities in protecting wildlife. My entire life has been devoted to caring for animals and educating others about them, and I hope you can find joy in the books I recommended!

Ellen's book list on wildlife for children

Ellen Kalish Why did Ellen love this book?

This book provides readers of all ages with a heartwarming story about wildlife rescue and the bond between us and birds.

This story provides a unique perspective from a fellow wildlife rehabilitator about what it takes to save wildlife. The illustrations in this book are wonderful and it is based on a true story!

You can find videos and photos of Jackson, the real owl, online! 

By Robbyn Smith, Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Adopted by an Owl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the Author (Robbyn van Frankenhuyzen): "For twenty years we have rehabilitated a wide variety of wild critters, from fawns, foxes, skunks, and crows to opposums, raccoons, rabbits, and owls. Some of the animals were injured adults, others were orphaned babies, but all of them were in need of a little help to get them back into the wild. Growing up on a farm, as well as my training as an animal technician, prepared me for many of the medical situations that arose. Gijsbert took every opportunity to sketch, paint, and photograph our temporary guests during their stay on the…


Book cover of Hawk Hill

Ellen Kalish Author Of The Christmas Owl

From my list on wildlife for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been an animal lover and caretaker all my life. I have memories of taking care of toucans, skunks, alligators, fish tanks, chameleons, various birds, and monkeys from the time I was a child! I received my licenses from the NYSDEC and US Fish and Wildlife Service and Ravensbeard Wildlife Center was founded in 2000. I hold permits to rehabilitate injured/orphaned wildlife and house unreleasable birds to educate communities in protecting wildlife. My entire life has been devoted to caring for animals and educating others about them, and I hope you can find joy in the books I recommended!

Ellen's book list on wildlife for children

Ellen Kalish Why did Ellen love this book?

This book provides a dazzling look into a story of hope, friendship, and natural history with stunning watercolor illustrations.

I personally like how the book offers perspectives of both the human protagonist and the hawk. Another heartwarming story about a human bond with wildlife, specifically birds! Great story for kids interested in birds and natural history. 

By Suzie Gilbert, Sylvia Long (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hawk Hill as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Pete cannot seem to make any friends in his new town, until he takes a new road home one day and discovers something that will change him forever, in this carefully researched, captivating story told from both a human's and a bird's-eye view.


Book cover of Skyfishing

Ellen Kalish Author Of The Christmas Owl

From my list on wildlife for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been an animal lover and caretaker all my life. I have memories of taking care of toucans, skunks, alligators, fish tanks, chameleons, various birds, and monkeys from the time I was a child! I received my licenses from the NYSDEC and US Fish and Wildlife Service and Ravensbeard Wildlife Center was founded in 2000. I hold permits to rehabilitate injured/orphaned wildlife and house unreleasable birds to educate communities in protecting wildlife. My entire life has been devoted to caring for animals and educating others about them, and I hope you can find joy in the books I recommended!

Ellen's book list on wildlife for children

Ellen Kalish Why did Ellen love this book?

Another great story from Gideon Sterer! While this story is not directly related to wildlife, it is about a bond between grandfather and granddaughter supported by being outdoors.

This story takes place in a city, and although there are no “real” animals, it is a great story that children from more urban areas can relate to. It is great for connecting with children who may not have much outdoor experience, but can peak their interest into fishing for real fish. 

By Gideon Sterer, Poly Bernatene (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Skyfishing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

When Grandpa a fishing connoisseur moves to the city to live with his family, it doesn't take him long to notice that there is nowhere to fish. Unfazed, his granddaughter proposes they pretend to fish out a window . . . until they actually catch something: a Flying Litterfish! Soon the two are catching all kinds of fish: Laundry Eels and Signfish, a Constructionfish and a Waste-muncher. It's all in good fun, until the skyfishing attracts the attention of the Troublefish (read: police car). This might be the end of their skyfishing, but it's just the beginning of their new…


Book cover of The Midnight Fair

Ellen Kalish Author Of The Christmas Owl

From my list on wildlife for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been an animal lover and caretaker all my life. I have memories of taking care of toucans, skunks, alligators, fish tanks, chameleons, various birds, and monkeys from the time I was a child! I received my licenses from the NYSDEC and US Fish and Wildlife Service and Ravensbeard Wildlife Center was founded in 2000. I hold permits to rehabilitate injured/orphaned wildlife and house unreleasable birds to educate communities in protecting wildlife. My entire life has been devoted to caring for animals and educating others about them, and I hope you can find joy in the books I recommended!

Ellen's book list on wildlife for children

Ellen Kalish Why did Ellen love this book?

This story by the great Gideon Sterer is a beautifully illustrated, wordless picture book about what woodland creatures do after humans go to bed.

It is a fun story for young children interested in animals, with dazzling colors and funky illustrations. Great world-building in these child-friendly illustrations. I love how fun it is!

By Gideon Sterer, Mariachiara Di Giorgio (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Midnight Fair as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

A spectacular, surreal and cinematic wordless picture book about the secret life of animals.
Far from the city, but not quite in the countryside, lies a fairground. When night falls, and the fair is empty, something unexpected happens. Wild animals emerge from the trees, a brave raccoon pulls a lever, and the rollercoasters and rides explode back into bright, neon life. Now it's time for the woodland creatures to have some fun...


Book cover of False Knees

Jimmy Craig Author Of Are You Gonna Eat That? The Essential Collection of They Can Talk Comics

From my list on webcomics that are even better in print.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a comic fan first, then a comic creator. I grew up on the classics—Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side and excitedly watched as new comics popped up online. I love comic strips and have rows of collections lining my bookshelves. The coolest part of starting my own series has been becoming a member of a cartoonist community that I have always been a huge fan of.  

Jimmy's book list on webcomics that are even better in print

Jimmy Craig Why did Jimmy love this book?

Joshua has a really unique sense of humor that’s accompanied by absolutely stunning art.

The comics are really worth admiring in print, not to get lost amongst the sea of online ‘content’.

Both Joshua and I write comics that give readers a glimpse into the animal kingdom and I love seeing how our interpretations of the same world can differ, through our comedic voices and art… and yes, his work is art.

By Joshua Barkman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked False Knees as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Based on Joshua Barkman's popular webcomic by the same name, False Knees is animal humor taken to a very absurd, darkly delightful place.

In Barkman's debut print collection, False Knees fans will find old favorites along with an abundance of all-new material. Featuring creatures found in the author's native Ontario, this always sharp, sometimes head-scratchingly bizarre collection of comics offers a view into the secret, surprisingly insightful world of blue jays, squirrels, geese, wolves, and rabbits.


Book cover of What's Michael?: Fatcat Collection Volume 1

Abby Denson Author Of Kitty Sweet Tooth

From my list on cat-themed graphic novels and manga.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a cartoonist who often features cat characters in my books, including Cool Japan Guide, Cool Tokyo Guide, Dolltopia, and Kitty Sweet Tooth. As a life-long cat-lover, I enjoy drawing and writing about my beloved feline friends. I’m also an avid reader of manga and frequent visitor to Japan, where I studied in my college days, so I particularly love reading manga featuring cats and collecting Maneki Neko lucky cat figures as well. I hope you enjoy these books and consider adopting a cat!

Abby's book list on cat-themed graphic novels and manga

Abby Denson Why did Abby love this book?

This is a fantastic collection featuring humorous stories all centering around an orange cat named Michael and his interactions with different humans and animals. The humor is absurd and zany, and lampoons the behavior of cats and humans alike! I’m really happy to see that these Fatcat Collections are being released. All ages can enjoy this one, as the humor works for adult and child audiences.

By Makoto Kobayashi, Toren Smith (translator), Dana Lewis (translator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What's Michael? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

True-to-life daily cat scenarios and off-the-walls crazy feline fantasies combine in this epic manga collection. Makoto Kobayashi's hilarious New York Library Award and Parents' Choice Award Winning Series returns in a set of oversized collections.

What's Michael? FatCat Collection Volume 1 contains the out-of-print original What's Michael? Volumes 1 to 6. Over 500 pages of tumultuous fun, including the out-of-print volumes Michael's Album, Living Together, Off the Deep End, A Hard Day's Life, Michael's Favorite Spot, and Michael's Mambo.


Book cover of The Wolf Suit

Lauren Stohler Author Of Gnome and Rat

From my list on early graphic novels with unique vibes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an author/illustrator of picture books and early graphic novels! I love stories that are immersive, transformative, and moody. Some of my favorite vibes come from: smelling freshly-shaved pencils in autumn, hearing a great song for the first time, and finding exactly the right book when you need it!

Lauren's book list on early graphic novels with unique vibes

Lauren Stohler Why did Lauren love this book?

The vibe is: foreboding folklore with a comforting twist!

The Wolf Suit wends through a dark wood, illustrated in a stark folk-art style that is in turns haunting and verdant. The story takes its time, building a deeply delicious atmosphere of suspense before revealing a completely unexpected ending that turns a fearful forest into a much friendlier place.

Keep a bowl of blackberries handy (and maybe a blanket to clutch), and relish the page turns! While The Wolf Suit is long in pages, the text is concise and flavorful, making this book a conquerable challenge for young readers!

By Sid Sharp,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Wolf Suit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

"Gorgeous."-The New York Times * Best Books of 2022 lists: NYPL, School Library Journal, The Globe and Mail, Indigo * JLG Gold Standard Selection * Moonbeam Children's Book Award Winner * Kids Indie Next Pick

Bellwether Riggwelter is, once again, out of blackberries. This time, rather than tiptoe through a forest full of predators, he comes up with a new plan. He will keep himself safe by blending in-he will sew a Wolf Suit! The disguise works perfectly . . . sort of. Bellwether realizes he can't enjoy the forest in a bulky suit, and he may not be the…


Book cover of Quackers

Phaea Crede Author Of Jet the Cat (Is Not a Cat)

From my list on animals trying on new identities.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always identified as a weirdo and felt misunderstood, which led to lots of wasted time “trying to fit in.” As an adult, I’ve learned to love myself for exactly who I am, but it took a lot of work and self-reflecting. Looking back, I realize there were actually many kids who felt the same way as me and we just never managed to connect with each other! Finding people who “get you” is an important task—but I truly believe self-love and self-acceptance is the greatest goal for all humans. I hope my books speak to the “weirdos” and non-weirdos a like, and encourages all readers to love themselves just the way they are.

Phaea's book list on animals trying on new identities

Phaea Crede Why did Phaea love this book?

Quakers thinks he is a duck and discovers he’s really a cat! As a person who often felt pulled between many worlds (like being an introvert sometimes and an extrovert other times) and never really “fit in” I was cheered to see a relatable journey with a sweet, satisfying ending.

By Liz Wong,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Quackers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Jumpstart's Read for the Record® selection!

A cat who thinks he’s a duck?  He must be Quackers!!
This quirky funny book is about standing out, fitting in, and building a life with room for all.
 
Quackers is a duck. Sure, he may have paws and whiskers. And his quacks might sound more like...well, meows, but he lives among ducks, everyone he knows is a duck, and he's happy.

Then Quackers meets another duck who looks like him (& talks like him, too!)—but he calls himself a cat. So silly!

Quackers loves being among his new friends the cats, but he…


Book cover of The Saber-Tooth Curriculum

Guy Claxton Author Of What's the Point of School?: Rediscovering the Heart of Education

From my list on schools and education.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a cognitive scientist, and I love reading, thinking, and researching about the nature of the human – and especially the young – mind, and what it is capable of. Even while I was still doing my PhD in experimental psychology at Oxford in the early 1970s, I was gripped by the new possibilities for thinking about education that were being opened up by science. In particular, the assumption of a close association between intelligence and intellect was being profoundly challenged, and I could see that there was so much more that education could be, and increasing needed to be, than filling kids’ heads with pockets of dusty knowledge and the ability to knock out small essays and routine calculations. In particular, we now know that learning itself is not a simple reflection of IQ, but is a complex craft that draws on a number of acquired habits that are capable of being systematically cultivated in school – if we have a mind to do it.

Guy's book list on schools and education

Guy Claxton Why did Guy love this book?

This marvelous little book was first published in 1939 – and it is still bang up to date in its critique of conventional education. (As a society we seem to have learned far too little in the ensuing 80 years). Peddiwell tells the story of the first pre-historic educators who taught young people useful life skills like how to grab fish, or how to use fire to scare away saber-tooth tigers. Over the years the climate changed, but the elders refused to allow the curriculum to change with it. The saber-tooth tigers died out, but scaring them still had to be taught in schools because that knowledge had become a ‘cultural treasure’ even though it was now useless. It is very funny, and bang on the money, in showing just how stupid supposedly clever people can be. (Peddiwell and his story were both made up by a real professor called…

By Abner Peddiwell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Saber-Tooth Curriculum as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

McGraw-Hill first published "The Saber- Tooth Curriculum" in 1939, and it has remained a classic bestseller to this date. The book is just as relevant and applicable to the key questions in education today as it was when it was first published. With tongue firmly in cheek, Peddiwell takes on the contradictions and confusion generated by conflicting philosophies of education, outlining the patterns and progression of education itself, from its origins at the dawn of time to its culmination in a ritualistic, deeply entrenched social institution with rigidly prescribed norms and procedures. This fascinating exploration is developed within a fanciful…


Book cover of Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh, and L.A.

Connie Kronlokken Author Of So Are You to My Thoughts

From my list on deepening your understanding of California history.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a transplant to California, albeit more than 50 years ago, I am still fascinated by what makes this place at the edge of the Pacific so unique. It has accepted so many people, from so many places over a fairly recent period. I always feel I can deduce more history from well rendered characters set in specific times and places. Their wholeness and their meaning, as well as that of their culture, are to be found in literature.

Connie's book list on deepening your understanding of California history

Connie Kronlokken Why did Connie love this book?

The juxtaposition of Eve Babitz’s unabashed hedonism and her incisive ability to nail a situation are not what you normally expect.

This book ranges all over southern California of the 1960s and 1970s, always coming back to the place Eve loved best, Los Angeles, a place of “vast sprawls, smog, and luke nights: L.A. It is where I work best, where I can live, oblivious to physical reality.”

When I moved to Los Angeles, I was disposed to love it, but it was hard to find any confirmation in books! I am delighted with Eve Babitz, who, with extravagant and precise language, celebrates the place.

By Eve Babitz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Slow Days, Fast Company as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

No one burned hotter than Eve Babitz. Possessing skin that radiated “its own kind of moral laws,” spectacular teeth, and a figure that was the stuff of legend, she seduced seemingly everyone who was anyone in Los Angeles for a long stretch of the 1960s and ’70s. One man proved elusive, however, and so Babitz did what she did best, she wrote him a book.

Slow Days, Fast Company is a full-fledged and full-bodied evocation of a bygone Southern California that far exceeds its mash-note premise. In ten sun-baked, Santa Ana wind–swept sketches, Babitz re-creates a Los Angeles of movie…


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