Childrens Book Review: Into the Field Guides- A Walk on the Beach and A Walk in the Woods

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received these books, free of charge, from Downtown Books,  for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about them.

Ah Summer, you want to get the kids outside (as much as possible!), but you want to avoid brain drain AND give them some great hands on education too, right?
Today I have the solution for you!

Two new Field Guides from Downtown Books can give your kids all 3 of those things,

AND your kids will have FUN with them!

The books both come as paperbacks, or you can get them as kits, with the paperback book and needed 'exploring supplies' (both contain a mesh collecting bag and a magnifying jar).and a treasure box for storing your finds.

Right now there are 2 books- A Walk on the Beach and

Let's head to the Beach first!

Synopsis: A totally unique field guide to cool yet common critters, plants, shells, and more--this portable companion is guaranteed to get kids excited about exploring waterfront life.

This portable, durable guide is a hands-on introduction to cool, yet common beach life--from hermit crabs and seagulls to mussels and slipper shells. The book only includes seashells, creatures, and plant life that kids are likely to encounter on a walk on the beach anywhere in the US--Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf Coast, bay side, and/or in inlets. Section openers teach kids how to be keen observers and good collectors. Carefully culled facts make for rich and rewarding beach time. And ideas for excellent activities--from making wind chimes to digging for mussels--are designed to engage.

How easy is it for kids to use this book as a resource? Check out these sample pages:

Review: Miss Grace was TOTALLY enraptured with these books when they came in! She grabbed them, flipped the beach guide open, SMILED, and said "Mom, you can look at these when I'M DONE, they're MINE", and off she went to the sofa. Literally. I did NOT have a chance to check them out before she sat down and went through EVERY page in the book. She's 6. To me this was absolutely AMAZING that my kid was so enrapt in an educational book, and was actually READING it (ie more than she reads during her daily lessons!)! I had to sit in a chair by her and see what she was doing with the book. So every now and then she would look up and tell me a 'fact' from the book,  or an instruction that we needed to do the next time we went to the beach, or show me a picture and exclaim that she 'had one/saw one/needed to find one' of whatever was in the picture. The TV was totally ignored (and her favorite show was on!)  I finally snapped 3 pictures ("Mom, I'm BUSY"), got a huge thumbs up and went and had a cup of coffee with Meme.

Eventually she came up for air, after finishing the book, and came outside and regaled us with more instructions, directions and thoughts from the book (she really liked the shell and bird sections). She then handed it to me and told me NOW I could look at the Beach book, but only til she finished the other one! okay dokey then! The beach guide is only 112 pages, so it is small enough to take to the beach with you.

Next month we're heading off to Jackson to see friends and relatives, and to take Miss Grace to the Petrified Forest. As we had talked about the forest and I had shown her a petrified piece of wood, I knew she would find the second Into the Field Guide interesting too!

And now off to the woods!

Synopsis: A totally unique field guide to cool yet common critters, trees and flowers, this portable companion is guaranteed to get kids excited about exploring nature.

This portable, durable guide is a unique, hands-on introduction to cool, common critters, trees, flowers, and rocks found in the woods all over North America. The book only includes flora and fauna that children are most likely to encounter on a walk in the woods--from chipmunks to chicadees to maple trees (which they would learn to recognize from the shape of the leaves). Section introductions teach kids how to be good observers and explorers. And throughout the book are suggestions for engaging kids in their outdoor adventures--a guide to edible berries; charts of animal tracks, homes, and droppings; how-to projects such as pressing flowers, rubbing leaves, and even climbing trees!

Review: Once again Miss Grace went off to her sofa to read! Only this time she couldn't contain herself, and had to keep coming outside and telling us about things in the book she was learning! We started calling these 'news alerts', as she was overly dramatic with every telling of them! We learned how many different types of trees we had in the yard (!!), the number of birds we have that were listed in the book, the differences in pine cones, how Oak trees only make acorns when they are 20 years old, 

. 

Course there was the momentary PANIC alert, when she realized that the snake skin we had found out by one of the large pine trees was possibly a rattler one (Papa had already checked- no snakes around). But once again I was stunned by how much she was actually READING- the pictures don't tell the info- you have to read the accompanying words. And she was! Can I get a WOOT? 

The biggest surprise from the book? That the sticky balls from the Sweetgum tree are actually FRUIT, just like how an acorn is the oak tree's fruit! Who knew? Course this also enlisted a search for a green ball to cut open- which is rare- usually by the time we step on them, they are brown (like above)and twice as spindly! No luck though.

Final Thoughts: The kits sell for under $20, the books for under $10. 

To me, this is the STEAL for the Summer! 

Seriously, spend the extra $5 for the kit, and watch how your kids have to run out and explore their own back yard first (based on where you live of course), and then beg to take a 'field trip' and explore. The wonder in a childrens eyes as they explore and discover is priceless, as is the hands on learning they are getting. And just think how well it will enrich their studies when school starts! So buy your kids these books and rediscover nature with your kids!

About the Authors:
Laurie Goldman is a marine biologist and science journalist. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband and two children.

Emily Laber Warren is a science writer and editor who contributes to Scientific American Mind, Psychology Today, and Earth 3.0, among other publications. A former editor at Popular Science, she has taught feature writing in NYUs Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting school and feature writing at CUNYs Graduate School of Journalism. She is also the mother of twin boys who love to explore.

Thanks to Downtown Books 

for making our Summer more interesting!