20 books like One Garden Against the World

I have guru-phobia, so I had avoided this book because so many people I knew were declaring it one of the best books ever and that Robin Wall Kimmerer was wonderful. Stupid, right?! But then I read it and could understand.

More than reading and listening to it, I met the author at a literary festival and was even more impressed by her gentle wisdom. She writes about the importance of reciprocity—about the rest of life being just as important as we are. Her work merges wonderfully with Jane Goodall’s, and I would recommend reading them in tandem. 

I have not read as much fiction as I would like, but this book reminded me how important imagination can be in building ideas. Tokarczuk tells a wonderful story—part mystery, part fairytale—but what really hooked me was the permission she gives for us to consider the animals in the forest as important characters.

There is no anthropomorphism, just an understanding that nonhuman animals matter. I rarely re-read books, but I dive back into this when I have time!

This book changed my world. Jane’s work exploring the behavior and ecology of chimpanzees was simply inspirational when I first read it as a child. I wanted to do what she did—study animals.

It was only when I returned to it that I realized the significance of her ability to tell stories about the animals she met, introducing their characters as well as the data. Additionally, her work went on to break the barriers of personhood. If we accept human exceptionalism—that we are so special because of what we can do—then we need to remember that there are many other species that can do much of what we can—and many other things we can’t. It is good to embrace some humility.

I had the pleasure of meeting Alick soon after reading this—he was every bit as interesting and accessible as this fascinating book.

Perhaps the most important message for me was the importance of recognizing animals as individuals—capable of experiencing joy, fear, and pain.

This helped me in the work for my book—it is all too easy to remove individuals and their suffering from the equation.

There’s a leaf-collecting hedgehog in Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, and Say Hi to Hedgehogs! teaches you more about these wonderful animals, following a hedgehog’s story through the seasons. I love everything about this book – the illustrations are beautiful, with a ridiculously cute hedgehog family, magical night scenes, and cosy autumn and winter pages; I learnt some fascinating hedgehog facts from the notes scattered through the story; and the book even includes tips for making your home hedgehog-friendly.

I have always believed that fairies can be girls or boys, young or old. What I love about this series is that each story is written about a different fairy animal. There’s Daisy the Deer who helps a frightened hedgehog overcome his nighttime fears; there’s Chloe the Kitten who helps a lost mouse find his way home; and there’s Poppy the Pony who overcomes her own shyness. There are 12 different books in the series. The adorable characters are beautifully illustrated and of course, have wings! These are early chapter books with sweet stories that are easy to read and have lessons to teach. They are available in a small paperback format that 5 to 8-year-olds love to collect.

This book inspired my family to start reading poetry together, to create playlists of poets of the Harlem Renaissance, and even to have a Calico Critters poetry reading with tiny dollhouse books (the elephants and hedgehogs are especially good poets). 

Exquisite’s extraordinary illustrations and playful prose, which honors Gwendolyn’s rhythms, take us through the poet’s childhood love of poetry—she begins writing as early as 7. Poetry is Gwendolyn’s world. Eventually, her poems are published—first in her neighborhood, then in her city and beyond—but they don’t pay the bills. Then one day a phone call delivers the news: She is the first Black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize! I adored this book, about how art can elevate and bring joy to everyday life—with all its limitations—and gifted it to several families this year.

Compared with many of those writing about bird conservation, using his sabre-like pen, Jonathan Franzen, gets to the very heart of the issues. No one else comes close to opening up the obscene bloody thorax of Mediterranean bird-killing. In this set of essays, Franzen is the master surgeon, desperate to diagnose, expose and extract the cancer that permeates this entire region. Several million small migrant birds, such as golden orioles, bee-eaters, and warblers, are shot, trapped, and eaten here each year. These millions are from bird populations across Europe and Africa already decimated by a multitude of other things including climate change, cats, and habitat loss.

I was handed this book after meeting Dr. Jane Goodall herself and was captivated an inspired by our world’s animals.

This book left me feeling hopeful in the otherwise disparaging world news of habitat loss and species extinction. Remaining optimistic has been a huge part of my journey and this book will leave you with just that: hope.

Our children are hearing about the catastrophic impacts of humans on the planet, from climate change to pollution, from overpopulation to habitat destruction.  For them, the future looks both bleak and daunting. We need to give our children a measure of hope. And hope starts with caring for the Earth.

Studies have demonstrated the more kids feel connected to the natural world, the more they will engage in environmental advocacy. Richard Louv, in his addendum to his seminal book The Last Child in the Woods, provides 500 practical, hands-on ways we can strengthen our connection to nature.

Grounded in research but easily doable for families and children of all ages, the book is a much-needed guide to rekindling our love for the natural world.