Nature Mysticism in Children's Books

I'll update this blog post as I come across more books that express nature mysticism or a sacred connection with nature in children's books. Bonus points for beautiful illustrations!

If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments!




Singing Down the Rain by Joy Coley


Step into a small town where all the children are friends, but a brought has made the adults so grumpy they can't stop arguing! Only a miracle can heal this divided town. People are so hopeless, they almost don't recognise that that miracle when it appears as a women who specialises in rainsongs, Yet slowly the townspeople realise that with this faith they can sustain each other during the dry times, and then sing down the rain together.



Under the Lemon Moon by Edith Hope Fine

One night Rosalinda is awakened by a noise in the family’s garden. She is astonished to see a man creeping away with a sack of fruit from her beloved lemon tree. Rosalinda seeks out La Anciana for advice. The wise old woman offers an inventive way to help the tree and the man driven to steal her lemons. Set in the Mexican countryside, this charming story explores how it feels to get gifts — and to give them. 

 The Secret Place  by Eve Bunting

A small boy finds a secret place in the city that he shares with a white egret, mallards, and even ducklings. A book about finding nature in the heart of the grunginess of the city, and a child's connection with that sacred discovery.

What Does the Sky Say?  by Nancy White Calstrom

"What does the sky say?" a child asks. What does it say on a winter day, or on a Saturday night, or when the rain beats on its chest, or its mouth is full of moon? A child watches the sky in changing seasons and in all kinds of weather and learns to listen to its voice. In "What Does the Sky Say?", author Nancy White Carlstrom's imaginative and poetic text encourages all readers, both very young and older, to wake up to and participate in the opportunities for joy and learning each day offers. And Tim Ladwig's extraordinary illustrations perfectly capture the moods of weather and season, the magic of childhood, and our deep connection to all creation and its Creator.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

"As expansive as the broad sweep of the great owl's wings and as close and comforting as a small hand held on a wintry night . . . The visual images have a sense of depth and seem to invite readers into this special nighttime world."--School Library Journal, starred review. Full color. 1988 Caldecott Medal Book.