KIDS STUFF / Nature books

"Nature Explorer" (DK, $14.99): Birds, stars, the weather and more are covered here. There are lessons (why are birds' eyes on the side of their heads?) and interesting projects, including how to make your own fossils. Parental assistance is recommended, making the projects something an entire family can work on. A section looks at fungi and explains how to make a spore print or a semipermanent record of a mushroom.

"The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families and Classrooms" (Storey, $14.95) by Clare Walker Leslie encourages kids to become naturalists. The year is divided into months, giving kids study topics. There's room for notes and sketches. "The Nature Connection" is aimed at ages 8-13; younger ones will need help from an adult or older sibling. Younger kids can walk through a neighborhood and choose a tree. Then, they can visit it to document seasonal changes.

"The Practical Naturalist" (DK, $19.95) is beyond the reach of small children, but perfect for older kids and parents. It has information for budding naturalists. It begins with tips on equipment, safety and recording observations, then gets to visiting settings (grasslands, bogs, backyard) and teaching about plants and animals they'll encounter. One project encourages kids to visit a lake to see how freshwater wildlife changes. Still water of lowland lakes is rich in plants and animals.

"Natural History: The Ultimate Visual Guide to Everything on Earth" (DK, $50) starts with an overview and climbs the evolutionary ladder. This reference book presents thousands of plant and animal species. In addition to a photo, a short copy block offers descriptions. This is an explorer's delight and can captivate a kid for life. Today, he or she is poring over 14 pages of frogs and toads; tomorrow, the subject is the splashback poison frog in Brazil.