Want inspiration to get the family outdoors? Boroondara Wild has a passport for young, brave explorers to explore, unwind, create and discover.
We have also created a reading list to help support families to experience nature here in their Boroondara backyard.
Enjoy picture book titles like A walk in the bush by Gwyn Perkins and Perfect by Danny Parker. Independent readers will enjoy the beautiful illustrations in Rockhopping by Trace Balla and exploring backyard bugs with Violet Mackerel in Violet Mackerel’s natural habitat by Anna Branford.
Visit the Boroondara Wild website to find other activities.
Picture books to promote nature play
- Unplugged by Steve Antony
- Jump and shout by Mike Dumbleton
- Puddles are for jumping by Kylie Dunstan
- Rain fish by Lois Ehlert
- Yucky worms by Vivian French
- All through the year by Jane Godwin
- Today we have no plans by Jane Godwin
- Counting Aussie animals in my garden by Bronwyn Houston
- In the bush: our holiday at Wombat Flat by Roland Harvey
- Welcome to country by Joy Murphy
- Perfect by Danny Parker
- A walk in the bush by Gwyn Perkins
- Florette by Anna Walker
Books to inspire outdoor activities and craft
- Nature crafts for Aussie kids by Kate Hubmayer
- Kids in the garden: gardening, craft, cooking by Mary Moody
- Screen-free fun: 400 activities for the whole family by Shannon Philpott-Sanders
- The wild book: outdoor activities to unleash your inner child by David Scarfe
- Let’s go outside: sticks and stones, nature adventures, games and projects for kids by Steph Scott and Katie Akers
Junior fiction that explores nature
- Violet Mackerel’s natural habitat by Anna Branford
- Rockhopping by Trace Balla
- Off the track by Cristy Burne
Junior fact books about nature
- My first book of nature by Camilla de la Bedoyere
- A walk through nature by Libby Walden
Books for parents
- Balanced and barefoot: how unrestricted outdoor play makes for strong, confident and capable children by Angela J. Hanscom
- Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder by Richard Louv
Reserve a book on the list
To reserve a book, click on the title and use your membership number and PIN to place a reservation.
More recommended reading
To view booklists on a variety of subjects, visit Booklists from our librarians.