Earth Day: Minnesota

Books to recognize the Earth’s seasons, beauty, living beings, past, and future.

Here are books to recognize the Earth's beauty, splendor, seasons, living beings, past, and future. This set focuses on Minnesota's natural history, people, and places.

BROWSE:

GENERAL INTEREST

MINNESOTA

SCHOLARLY

FULL COLLECTION

 

Ferns and Lycophytes of Minnesota: The Complete Guide to Species Identification Ferns and Lycophytes of Minnesota The Complete Guide to Species Identification Welby R. Smith 2023 Spring
The definitive field guide for understanding and identifying ferns and lycophytes in Minnesota
Big Belching Bog Big Belching Bog Phyllis Root 2023 Spring
A quirky romp through the peat bogs of northern Minnesota for young readers
A Natural Curiosity: The Story of the Bell Museum A Natural Curiosity The Story of the Bell Museum Lansing Shepard, Don Luce, Barbara Coffin and Gwen Schagrin 2021 Fall
A richly illustrated tour of Minnesota’s premier natural history museum after 150 years
Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic Hudson Bay Bound Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic Natalie Warren 2022 Spring
The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay
The Steger Homestead Kitchen: Simple Recipes for an Abundant Life The Steger Homestead Kitchen Simple Recipes for an Abundant Life Will Steger and Rita Mae Steger 2021 Fall
Personal and simple, earthy and warm—recipes and stories from the Steger Wilderness Center in Minnesota’s north woods
Loon Lessons: Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver Loon Lessons Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver James D. Paruk 2021 Spring
The nature of the common loon, from biology to behavior, from one of the world’s foremost observers of the revered waterbird
A Private Wilderness: The Journals of Sigurd F. Olson A Private Wilderness The Journals of Sigurd F. Olson Sigurd F. Olson 2021 Spring
The personal diaries of one of America’s best-loved naturalists, revealing his difficult and inspiring path to finding his voice and becoming a writer
Begin with a Bee Begin with a Bee Liza Ketchum, Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Phyllis Root 2021 Spring
Begin with a Bee and its story of the life of one queen bee, a rusty-patched bumblebee, teaches us not only about bees but also about our own responsibilities in the natural world
The Perennial Kitchen: Simple Recipes for a Healthy Future The Perennial Kitchen Simple Recipes for a Healthy Future Beth Dooley 2021 Spring
Recipes and resources connect thoughtfully grown, gathered, and prepared ingredients to a healthy future—for food, farming, and humankind
Watershed: Attending to Body and Earth in Distress Watershed Attending to Body and Earth in Distress Ranae Lenor Hanson 2021 Spring
A personal health crisis, stories from environmental refugees, and our climate in danger prompt a meditation on intimate connections between the health of the body and the health of the ecosystem
Minnesota’s Natural Heritage: Second Edition Minnesota’s Natural Heritage Second Edition John R. Tester, Susan M. Galatowitsch, Rebecca A. Montgomery and John J. Moriarty 2021 Spring
The definitive work on Minnesota’s natural history and ecology—updated, expanded, and copiously illustrated to account for profound changes to the state’s natural landscape over the past twenty-five years
Wolf Island: Discovering the Secrets of a Mythic Animal Wolf Island Discovering the Secrets of a Mythic Animal L. David Mech 2020 Fall
The world’s leading wolf expert describes the first years of a major study that transformed our understanding of one of nature’s most iconic creatures
Minnesota’s Geologist: The Life of Newton Horace Winchell Minnesota’s Geologist The Life of Newton Horace Winchell Sue Leaf 2020 Spring
The story of the scientist who first mapped Minnesota’s geology, set against the backdrop of early scientific inquiry in the state
The Lost Forest The Lost Forest Phyllis Root 2019 Spring
The story of a forest “lost” by a surveying error—and all the flora and fauna to be found there
Hush Hush, Forest Hush Hush, Forest Mary Casanova 2018 Fall
Lyrical words and elegant woodcuts capture the quiet beauty of the forest as day fades to night and autumn gives way to the North Woods winter
A Field Guide to the Natural World of the Twin Cities A Field Guide to the Natural World of the Twin Cities John J. Moriarty 2018 Fall
An illustrated guide to the natural habitats and rich diversity of wildlife in the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area
Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota: The Complete Guide to Species Identification Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota The Complete Guide to Species Identification Welby R. Smith 2018 Spring
The first comprehensive, fully illustrated field guide to Minnesota’s nearly 250 species of sedges and rushes
Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers: A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between Phyllis Root 2018 Spring
A beautifully illustrated, family-friendly guide to Minnesota’s native wildflowers and how to find them
Fawn Island Fawn Island Douglas Wood 2018 Spring
Join the beloved author of Old Turtle as he embarks on journeys large and small
Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year Onigamiising Seasons of an Ojibwe Year Linda LeGarde Grover 2017 Fall
Fifty short essays evoke the four seasons of the year, and of life, for the Ojibwe in northeastern Minnesota
Deep Woods, Wild Waters: A Memoir Deep Woods, Wild Waters A Memoir Douglas Wood 2017 Spring
The author of Old Turtle and a longtime wilderness guide charts a journey through the wilds of nature and the twists and turns of daily life
Creekfinding: A True Story Creekfinding A True Story Jacqueline Briggs Martin 2017 Spring
An enchanting picture book about restoring a creek, with all the wildlife it once hosted, in a farm field in Iowa. Ages 4-9.
One North Star: A Counting Book One North Star A Counting Book Phyllis Root 2016 Fall
Who lives here under one north star?
If Bees Are Few: A Hive of Bee Poems If Bees Are Few A Hive of Bee Poems 2016 Spring
An anthology of 2,500 years of poetry, from Sappho to Sherman Alexie, humming with bees, at a moment when the beloved honey makers and pollinators are in danger of disappearing
Wake Up, Island Wake Up, Island Mary Casanova 2016 Spring
In a picture book for all ages, lyrical language and elegant woodcuts celebrate the waking natural world on a North Woods island
The Meaning of Wilderness: Essential Articles and Speeches The Meaning of Wilderness Essential Articles and Speeches Sigurd F. Olson David Backes, Editor 2015 Fall
An indispensable collection of Olson’s rarest writings—at last in paperback
Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings Mary Siisip Geniusz 2015 Spring
The first complete resource for the practical use of plants in the Anishinaabe culture and the stories that surround them
North Shore: A Natural History of Minnesota’s Superior Coast North Shore A Natural History of Minnesota’s Superior Coast Chel Anderson and Adelheid Fischer 2015 Spring
The environmental history of Minnesota’s spectacular North Shore
Water and What We Know: Following the Roots of a Northern Life Water and What We Know Following the Roots of a Northern Life Karen Babine 2015 Spring
Personal essays exploring the link between natural history and memory, landscape and identity, place and meaning
Goodnight Loon Goodnight Loon Abe Sauer 2015 Spring
A charming retelling of a children's classic in a distinctly northwoods voice
Amphibians and Reptiles in Minnesota Amphibians and Reptiles in Minnesota John J. Moriarty and Carol D. Hall 2014 Spring
The most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Minnesota’s reptiles and amphibians
Plant a Pocket of Prairie Plant a Pocket of Prairie Phyllis Root 2014 Spring
An inspiring children’s book about the endangered prairie ecosystem and how we can help restore it
The Three-Minute Outdoorsman: Wild Science from Magnetic Deer to Mumbling Carp The Three-Minute Outdoorsman Wild Science from Magnetic Deer to Mumbling Carp Robert M. Zink 2014 Spring
Curious facts and fascinating insights into nature from scientist outdoorsman Bob Zink
Hawk Ridge: Minnesota’s Birds of Prey Hawk Ridge Minnesota’s Birds of Prey Laura Erickson 2012 Fall
A guide to understanding the eagles, hawks, and falcons of Minnesota, by two of the state’s most beloved authors
Wilderness Days Wilderness Days Sigurd F. Olson 2012 Spring
A selection of Sigurd F. Olson’s finest writing on the splendor of the great outdoors, hand-picked by the master himself
Twelve Owls Twelve Owls Laura Erickson 2011 Fall
A gorgeous guide to the owls native to Minnesota, with descriptions and portraits by two of the state’s most beloved authors
Memory of Trees: A Daughter’s Story of a Family Farm Memory of Trees A Daughter’s Story of a Family Farm Gayla Marty 2013 Spring
An evocative memoir of life on a dairy farm in Minnesota’s St. Croix Valley
The Great Minnesota Fish Book The Great Minnesota Fish Book Tom Dickson 2008 Fall
From walleye to bowfin to stickleback—vivid and entertaining profiles of Minnesota’s many different fishes
Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota Welby R. Smith 2008 Spring
Practical, comprehensive, and packed with information—the indispensable guide for identifying trees and shrubs in Minnesota
Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman Helen Hoover 2005 Fall
A classic story with a message of peace, tolerance, and kindness—illustrated by Betsy Bowen
Spirit of the North: The Quotable Sigurd F. Olson Spirit of the North The Quotable Sigurd F. Olson Sigurd F. Olson David Backes, Editor 2004 Spring
An accessible and inspiring collection of Olson’s most enlightening words
A Plague of Frogs: Unraveling an Environmental Mystery A Plague of Frogs Unraveling an Environmental Mystery William Souder 2002 Fall
An alarming account of the effects of environmental degradation-now in paperback for the first time!
A Wilderness Within: The Life of Sigurd F. Olson A Wilderness Within The Life of Sigurd F. Olson David Backes 1999 Fall
The critically acclaimed biography of this venerable naturalist and writer.