84 books like The Prairie Peninsula

By Gary Meszaros, Guy L. Denny,

Here are 84 books that The Prairie Peninsula fans have personally recommended if you like The Prairie Peninsula. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Book cover of The Tallgrass Prairie: An Introduction

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Author Of A Backyard Prairie: The Hidden Beauty of Tallgrass and Wildflowers

From my list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie.

Why are we passionate about this?

The short answer is, a retired university professor (Fred) and the coordinator of Natural Areas for the University of Illinois (James). That answer, however, doesn’t give a clue as to how we came to write our book. Fred and his wife established a small three-acre prairie on their land in 2003. They then enlisted James and Grand Prairie Friends, the local conservation organization he headed at the time, to help manage the prairie. Eventually, Fred, who had photographically documented the growth of the prairie and the beauty to be found therein, proposed that he and James describe the prairie with photos so that others could also learn to enjoy it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fred's book list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Why did Fred love this book?

Don’t know anything about prairie but want to learn? This slim volume is the perfect introduction.  And Cindy Crosby is the perfect person to do the introducing. She is a steward supervisor for the Schulenberg Prairie at the Morton Arboretum, near Chicago, Illinois. In the course of her job, she has become a writer and teacher on the prairie. In this engaging volume, Crosby describes what the tallgrass prairie is, how it originated, how people have interacted with it over the millennia, and what you can find in a prairie.

By Cindy Crosby,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Tallgrass Prairie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

More than a region on a map, North America's vast grasslands are an enduring place in the American heart. Unfolding along and beyond the Mississippi River, the tallgrass prairie has entranced and inspired its natives and newcomers as well as American artists and writers from Willa Cather to Mark Twain. The Tallgrass Prairie is a new introduction to the astonishing beauty and biodiversity of these iconic American spaces.

Like a walking tour with a literate friend and expert, Cindy Crosby's Tallgrass Prairie prepares travelers and armchair travelers for an adventure in the tallgrass. Crosby's engaging gateway assumes no prior knowledge…


Book cover of The Emerald Horizon: The History of Nature in Iowa

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Author Of A Backyard Prairie: The Hidden Beauty of Tallgrass and Wildflowers

From my list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie.

Why are we passionate about this?

The short answer is, a retired university professor (Fred) and the coordinator of Natural Areas for the University of Illinois (James). That answer, however, doesn’t give a clue as to how we came to write our book. Fred and his wife established a small three-acre prairie on their land in 2003. They then enlisted James and Grand Prairie Friends, the local conservation organization he headed at the time, to help manage the prairie. Eventually, Fred, who had photographically documented the growth of the prairie and the beauty to be found therein, proposed that he and James describe the prairie with photos so that others could also learn to enjoy it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fred's book list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Why did Fred love this book?

A more detailed and scholarly book than Crosby’s, this book is a description of the origin, character, and fate of the tallgrass prairie in Iowa. It is essential reading for those who wish to understand what the Iowa prairie (and by extension the prairie of neighboring states as well) was like before being settled by Euro-Americans and converted to agricultural use in the 19th century, what is left of that prairie today, and conservation and restoration efforts to replace some of what was lost.

By Cornelia F. Mutel,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Emerald Horizon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In ""The Emerald Horizon"", Cornelia Mutel combines lyrical writing with meticulous scientific research to portray the environmental past, present, and future of Iowa. In doing so, she ties all of Iowa's natural features into one comprehensive whole.Since so much of the tallgrass state has been transformed into an agricultural landscape, Mutel focuses on understanding today's natural environment by understanding yesterday's changes. After summarizing the geological, archaeological, and ecological features that shaped Iowa's modern landscape, she recreates the once-wild native communities that existed prior to Euroamerican settlement. Next she examines the dramatic changes that overtook native plant and animal communities as…


Book cover of Tallgrass Prairie

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Author Of A Backyard Prairie: The Hidden Beauty of Tallgrass and Wildflowers

From my list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie.

Why are we passionate about this?

The short answer is, a retired university professor (Fred) and the coordinator of Natural Areas for the University of Illinois (James). That answer, however, doesn’t give a clue as to how we came to write our book. Fred and his wife established a small three-acre prairie on their land in 2003. They then enlisted James and Grand Prairie Friends, the local conservation organization he headed at the time, to help manage the prairie. Eventually, Fred, who had photographically documented the growth of the prairie and the beauty to be found therein, proposed that he and James describe the prairie with photos so that others could also learn to enjoy it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fred's book list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Why did Fred love this book?

A beautiful and lyrical book, this sumptuous display of wonderful photographs by Frank Oberle is supplemented by text by John Madson. Madson describes in lyrical prose the reactions of early French explorers when they encountered prairie for the first time, and then recounts the subsequent settlement and plowing of the prairie. It is not really possible to get a true sense of what an open prairie must have been like 300 years ago, but this book will give readers a bit of its flavor.

By John Madson, Frank Oberle (photographer),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Tallgrass Prairie is an inspired tribute to a uniquely American landscape. John Madson's elegant text blends history and natural science with observations drawn from a lifetime on the prairie. Noted photographer Frank Oberle's remarkable images are alive with the prairie's timeless grace-its yearly pageant of wildflowers, vast skies, wildlife, and wind-swept seas of grass. Tallgrass Prairie was published in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, for years a leader in efforts to preserve and restore native prairies. It includes a directory to the best remaining examples of tallgrass prairie throughout the country.


Book cover of Prairie: A Natural History of the Heart of North America

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Author Of A Backyard Prairie: The Hidden Beauty of Tallgrass and Wildflowers

From my list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie.

Why are we passionate about this?

The short answer is, a retired university professor (Fred) and the coordinator of Natural Areas for the University of Illinois (James). That answer, however, doesn’t give a clue as to how we came to write our book. Fred and his wife established a small three-acre prairie on their land in 2003. They then enlisted James and Grand Prairie Friends, the local conservation organization he headed at the time, to help manage the prairie. Eventually, Fred, who had photographically documented the growth of the prairie and the beauty to be found therein, proposed that he and James describe the prairie with photos so that others could also learn to enjoy it. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fred's book list on the beauty of tallgrass prairie

Fred Delcomyn and James L. Ellis Why did Fred love this book?

The most scholarly and detailed book of our five choices, this book by Candice Savage, now in a revised edition, considers in depth not just the tallgrass prairie, but the entire sweep of North American grasslands. Savage recounts details that most people will never have thought of – such as how the bison were an integral part of the prairie ecosystem by creating buffalo wallows that persisted for years and provided shallow and temporary wetlands in what, to the west, was an otherwise dry environment. Start your exploration of prairie with this book or finish with it, but do not skip it. Its overview of the entire region puts the information in the other books into context.

By Candace Savage,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Candace Savage's acclaimed and beautifully written guide to the ecology of the prairies, now revised and updated.

Praise for the previous edition of Prairie:
"Impelled with its sense of the miraculous in nature."-Globe and Mail

This revised edition of Prairie features a new preface along with updated research on the effects of climate change on an increasingly vulnerable landscape.

It also offers new information on:
* conservation of threatened species, including the black-tailed prairie dog and farmland birds;
* grassland loss and conservation;
* the health of rivers and the water table;
* the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on prairie…


Book cover of Where The Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie

C. Thomas Shay Author Of Under Prairie Skies: The Plants and Native Peoples of the Northern Plains

From my list on honoring our precious prairies.

Why am I passionate about this?

My first true prairie encounter was during a class trip to Waubun Prairie in northern Minnesota. Such a wide sweep of verdant grassland splashed with beautiful color—I was instantly smitten! After years as a professional anthropologist and educator, I wrote Under Prairie Skies to celebrate the prairie and share the region’s early ethnobotanical history. I was pleased that several reviewers called the book “a love story.” My list of recommendations includes some which inspired me on that journey. It is an honor to highlight such superb communicators who share my love for the prairie.

C.'s book list on honoring our precious prairies

C. Thomas Shay Why did C. love this book?

This book is an absolute gem. I love it! Perhaps no other work has captured the majesty and recent history of this almost-extinct biome. Award-winning author John Madson’s poetic style won me over.

I am especially inspired by this description of the tallgrass prairie: “It was a flowing emerald in spring and summer when the boundless winds ran across it, a tawny ocean under the winds of autumn, and a stark and painful emptiness when the great long winds drove in from the northwest.”

By John Madson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Where The Sky Began as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“It was a flowing emerald in spring and summer when the boundless winds ran across it, a tawny ocean under the winds of autumn, and a stark and painful emptiness when the great long winds drove in from the northwest. It was Beulahland for many; Gehenna for some. It was the tall prairie.”—from the “Prologue”


Originally published in 1982, Where the Sky Began, John Madson’s landmark publication, introduced readers across the nation to the wonders of the tallgrass prairie, sparking the current interest in prairie restoration. Now back in print, this classic tome will serve as inspiration to those just…


Book cover of The Gardener's Guide to Prairie Plants

John Greenlee Author Of The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn

From my list on creating successful meadow and grass garden ecology.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an expert in grass ecology and champion of sustainable design, John Greenlee has created meadows not only in the United States, but throughout the world for over 30 years. Some of his most notable gardens include the Getty Museum, the Norton Simon Museum in Los Angeles, and the savannas at Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida. In addition to his consulting and design work for commercial and residential clients, John Greenlee enjoys sharing his knowledge by giving several presentations and lectures throughout the year on the use of natural lawns, native grasses, and meadow restoration.

John's book list on creating successful meadow and grass garden ecology

John Greenlee Why did John love this book?

I’ve been waiting almost thirty years for this book to show up, but it was clearly worth the wait. It is without a doubt the most important reference on creating prairies and identifying prairie plants.

I wasn’t disappointed and you won’t be either. My friend Neil Diboll is perhaps the most knowledgeable prairie pundit in North America. He has always been one of my greatest inspirations and together we have seen many of the endangered prairies across North America.

By Neil Diboll, Hilary Cox,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Gardener's Guide to Prairie Plants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A comprehensive and beautifully illustrated reference for all gardeners passionate about native plants and prairie restoration.

The Gardener's Guide to Prairie Plants is the one-stop compendium for all gardeners aspiring to use native prairie plants in their gardens. Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox-two renowned prairie gardeners-compile more than four decades' worth of research to offer a wide-ranging and definitive reference for starting and maintaining prairie and meadow gardens and restorations. Alongside detailed synopses of plant life cycles, meticulous range maps, and sweeping overviews of natural history, Diboll and Cox also include photographs of 148 prairie plants in every stage of…


Book cover of PrairyErth

Brian Meehl Author Of Suck It Up

From my list on history to evoke “who knew?”.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an author of YA fiction who spent his earlier years “wiggling dollies” (as the Brits say) in the trenches of Jim Henson’s Muppet world and then spent a decade writing children’s television of the PBS kind. After writing my first kids’ novel (Out of Patience), I never looked back. OK, I did glance back for the inspiration for a second novel…

Brian's book list on history to evoke “who knew?”

Brian Meehl Why did Brian love this book?

The “deep map” that Least Heat-Moon unfolds for us in this revelatory book is the history of Chase County, Kansas, home of the largest and least corrupted stand of tallgrass in America. He takes us with him—by car, on foot, and in mind—as he explores this story-rich land, its plants, animals, and the homespun people who have struggled to occupy this forbidding landscape.

In one breath, he reminds us it was the tall grasses of the African savannah that first made humankind stand up. In another, he tells us that the humans who peer across America’s tall grasses have “prairie eyes.” In “a place where you see twenty miles sitting down,” you have prairie eyes if you take in the horizon with stoic calm, knowing it can bring the deliverance of rain or the destruction of a tornado, dust storm, prairie fire (the “red buffalo”), or locusts. 

Least Heat-Moon reports…

By William Least Heat-Moon,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. By the author of Blue Highways, PrairyErth is “a majestic survey of land and time and people in a single county of the Kansas plains” (Hungry Mind Review).

William Least Heat-Moon travels by car and on foot into the core of our continent, focusing on the landscape and history of Chase County—a sparsely populated tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of central Kansas—exploring its land, plants, animals, and people until this small place feels as large as the universe.

Called a “modern-day Walden” by the Chicago Sun-Times, PrairyErth is a journey through place, through time, and…


Book cover of Going to Beautiful

Sue Jaskula Author Of Tangled Lies

From my list on romantic suspense with real-life characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

My administrative career covered a mix of legal and hospital work which provided a wealth of real-life scenarios to fuel my own convoluted story ideas. Thrilled to take early retirement and pursue a writing career, I have since published five romantic suspense novels. I strive to produce quality stories on par with the countless amazing romantic suspense authors I have enjoyed since my teen years. Storyline prompts surround us. A dark bunkie, screaming neighbor, or even an oddly shaped bag of garbage can trigger my suspicion. My favorite spot to walk is the peaceful shores of Lake Huron, where my twisted imagination soars, and my best stories come to life.

Sue's book list on romantic suspense with real-life characters

Sue Jaskula Why did Sue love this book?

Diverse characters who feel like friends; a picturesque town that will have you checking Google maps for your next road trip; a murder; an unexpected love story; what is not to love about this book?

This is my favorite read of the year. I still envision the characters months after reading, as if I visited “Beautiful” on a wild adventure to solve a mystery and met an eclectic bunch of new travel mates along the way. The ending will surprise you in more ways than one. An easy, solid 5+ stars for this one.

By Anthony Bidulka,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Going to Beautiful as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

International chef Jake Hardy has it all. Celebrity, thriving career, plenty of friends, a happy family and faithful dog. Until one day when a tragic accident tears it all apart. Struggling to recover, Hardy finds himself in a strange new world—a snow-swept prairie town that time forgot—a place where nothing makes sense. Cold is beautiful. Simple is complex. And doubts begin to surface about whether Jake’s tragedy was truly an accident after all. As the sun sets in the Land of Living Skies, Hardy and his glamourous, seventy-eight-year-old transgender neighbour find themselves ensnared in multiple murders separated by decades. In…


Book cover of The Prairie Thief

Kathleen Wilford Author Of Cabby Potts, Duchess of Dirt

From my list on the American prairie.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former high-school and middle-school English teacher and a current instructor in the Writing Program at Rutgers University. I live in hilly New Jersey, but I’ve always been fascinated by the flat, treeless American prairie and the people who have lived there, from the Native American tribes of the Great Plains to the early homesteaders. I believe that to understand where we are, you need to understand where we’ve been, which is why I love to read and write historical fiction.

Kathleen's book list on the American prairie

Kathleen Wilford Why did Kathleen love this book?

Apparently I’m not the only kidlit author who loves both the American prairie and all things British. When her Pa is accused of thieving, young Louisa is taken in by his accusers, the appropriately named Smirch family. Sour, mean-spirited Mrs. Smirch looks forward to seeing Pa hang. Louisa solves the mystery of the stolen items when she meets a gruff but sensitive... well, I won’t say, but he’s one of the Wee Folk from the Auld Country, far from home on the Colorado plains. A cute and lively read with a satisfying conclusion.

By Melissa Wiley, Erwin Madrid (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Prairie Thief as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Synopsis coming soon.......


Book cover of More Than Just The Prairie

Wendi Lou Lee Author Of Red Tail Feathers: Dare to Discover the Beauty of Grace

From my list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Yes, it was a fictional world created by Hollywood, but the foundation and lessons I learned about love, family, and faith have stayed with me. I now travel with the cast of Little House all over the country to engage and share with fans about how my experiences have shaped me. I can’t say enough about these memoirs or the cast members who wrote them. I know every Little House fan will love them too!

Wendi's book list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members

Wendi Lou Lee Why did Wendi love this book?

Jennifer’s memoir affected me in ways I didn’t expect. We were both twins on the set of Little House on the Prairie, but to read how she lost her sister had me in tears. I loved her honesty and vulnerability to share such a difficult part of her life. Indeed, there is so much more to Jennifer’s life than just the prairie. She tells it beautifully.

By Jennifer Donati,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked More Than Just The Prairie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the sets of the prairie to the real world of today, my journey has been one of resilience and transformation. As a baby, I started my life on the set of a prairie, surrounded by the loving family of the show. Years after the cameras stopped rolling, I faced the harsh reality of losing my twin, Sarah. She had been by my side since before our birth and was right there beside me on the sets of Little House on the Prairie, as we together portrayed Baby Rose Wilder. Losing her was my first encounter with the fragility of…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in prairies, wolves, and werewolves?

Prairies 26 books
Wolves 118 books
Werewolves 138 books