Theme · Forest
Forest and woodland books for children: four picture books, and what outdoor learning reported
A mouse walking through the woods, owlets waiting in a hollow, an oak tree over a thousand years, a forest of Truffula trees: woods are a favourite setting in picture books. Below are four with publisher and age, and what an English outdoor-learning project reported about children outside.
What is known about children and the outdoors, and what isn't
First, the gap. We found no study of whether forest picture books do anything for children. The research we did find is about lessons outdoors, not about books.
What it reported. The Natural Connections project, run by Plymouth University for Natural England, Defra and Historic England, worked with 125 schools and more than 40,000 pupils. In surveys, 92 per cent of pupils said they enjoyed lessons more outdoors, and 92 per cent of teachers said their pupils were more engaged with learning outdoors.1
How far that goes. The figures are survey answers, not measured outcomes, and they describe school lessons, not a picture book at bedtime. We mention them because they show how much children can enjoy being among trees, which is part of why a wood is a good place for a story.
Four forest and woodland picture books, checked
Listed from the youngest listener to the oldest. Ages come from BookTrust or Common Sense Media, named for each book.
The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler · Macmillan Children's Books, 1999 · BookTrust: interest age 1 to 5
A little mouse walks through the woods and meets a fox, an owl and a snake. To scare them off he claims a fearsome Gruffalo exists, and when he meets the real one he cleverly invents another tale and escapes.
Owl Babies
Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson · Walker Books, 1994 · BookTrust: interest age 2 to 7
Three baby owls wake to find their mother gone and feel scared, but she returns safely. The book deals with a short separation, an experience children know from a parent going to work or starting nursery.
The Oak Tree
Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Victoria Sandøy · Alison Green Books, 2023 · BookTrust: interest age 4 to 5
The story follows an oak tree from an acorn a thousand years ago through centuries of change. It shelters animals, serves as a play space for children and eventually falls in a gale. Told in rhyme, with facts about oak trees at the end.
The Lorax
Dr. Seuss · Random House, 1971 · Common Sense Media: age 4+, publisher's recommended age 4 to 7 as listed there
A greedy businessman, the Once-ler, cuts down the Truffula Trees to make Thneeds. The Lorax protests, but the Once-ler keeps going until the trees are gone and the land is polluted. Common Sense Media calls it an environmentalist classic.
A wood is a stage
BookTrust lists The Gruffalo and Owl Babies among its picture books set in the woods for ages 0 to 5.5 In both, the wood is where something frightening might happen and where it turns out all right: the mouse outwits each animal, the owlets wait and their mother returns.23
What that means when you choose. For a young child who likes a little suspense, these two are good first woodland books. For a child who loves trees themselves, The Oak Tree follows one through a thousand years.4 The Lorax is for older children who can take a story about loss.6
Or a story of their own
If your child should be the hero
- Your child follows a trail of acorns through the woods and finds out who has been leaving them.
- On a family walk, your child hears an owl and goes looking for it, with a torch, a flask of cocoa and a very good sense of direction.
- Your child is chosen to look after the oldest tree in the wood for a day, and learns what lives in it.
Frequently asked questions
- What age are forest picture books for?
- From about one or two. The Gruffalo has an interest age of 1 to 5 at BookTrust, Owl Babies 2 to 7, The Oak Tree 4 to 5, and The Lorax is age 4+ at Common Sense Media.
- Is there research on forest picture books?
- We found none. The research we found is about outdoor lessons for school pupils, where in surveys most pupils and teachers reported positive effects. It says nothing about books.
- Are woodland books scary?
- Some have a little suspense. In The Gruffalo a mouse meets a fox, an owl, a snake and a Gruffalo, and in Owl Babies the owlets are scared while their mother is away. Both end well.
- Can our own wood or park be in the story?
- Yes. In your idea you can name the wood or park you know, or invent one, and say who your child meets there.
Sources
- 1.UK Government press release, 14 July 2016: England's largest outdoor learning project reveals children more motivated to learn when outside (Natural Connections Demonstration Project).What it confirms: 125 schools, more than 40,000 pupils; survey answers: 92 per cent of pupils said they enjoyed lessons more outdoors, 92 per cent of teachers said pupils were more engaged. Self-reported, not measured outcomes.
- 2.BookTrust Bookfinder: The Gruffalo.What it confirms: Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Macmillan Children's Books, 1999; interest age 1 to 5; the plot.
- 3.BookTrust Bookfinder: Owl Babies.What it confirms: Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson, Walker Books, 1994; interest age 2 to 7; the plot.
- 4.BookTrust Bookfinder: The Oak Tree.What it confirms: Julia Donaldson and Victoria Sandøy, Alison Green Books, 2023; interest age 4 to 5; the plot.
- 5.BookTrust: Forest and woodland books for 0 to 5 (booklist).What it confirms: A selection of board books and picture books set in the woods, which includes The Gruffalo and Owl Babies.
- 6.Common Sense Media: The Lorax (book review).What it confirms: Dr. Seuss, Random House, 1971; age 4+, publisher's recommended age 4 to 7 as listed there; the plot.
Other themes: Animals, Autumn, Dinosaurs, Rabbits, Moles, Elephants, Witches, Unicorns, Fire engines, Dragons, Cats, Football, Dogs, Pirates, Space, Diggers and trucks and Hometown. Or children's books by age, growing up, topic by topic and all the illustration styles.