Additional Reading Suggestions for Adventure Patches Field Trips

Below are links to additional reading suggestions for participants of Adventure Patches Field Trip tours. These titles can be read before or after the field trip and provide additional context and information for what is presented during the tour. The books are listed by field trip. The reading levels for grade and age come from Amazon. Links are provided to Amazon product pages.

Note: Adventure Patches receives credit through the Amazon Associates program for referring people through the Amazon links. Thank you!

Antelope Island

Buddy Bison’s Yellowstone Adventure by Ilona E. Holland

In this National Geographic Kids publication, a brother and sister go on an adventure exploring Yellowstone National Park with the help of their friend Buddy Bison.

  • Lexile Measure : 550L
  • Grade Level : Preschool – 3
  • Reading level : 4 – 8 years

Buy on Amazon

I Wish I was a Bison by Jennifer Bove

In this I Can Read! story, Ranger Rick helps kids learn what it would be like to be a bison from what bison eat to where they live.

  • Lexile Measure : 520L
  • Grade Level : Preschool – 3
  • Reading level : 4 – 8 years

Buy on Amazon

The Buffalo Are Back by Jean Craighead George

This text with beautiful illustrations, tells the story of the bison’s near extinction and their recovery in America.

  • Lexile Measure: 800L
  • Grade Level: Kindergarten – 3
  • Reading level : 5 – 8 years

Buy on Amazon

Camas & Sage: A Story of Bison Life on the Prairie by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

This story tells us about what life on the American prairie was like through the eyes of a bison calf.

  • Grade Level : 1 – 2
  • Reading level : 8 – 12 years

Buy on Amazon

The Legend of Jimmy Spoon by Kristiana Gregory

Jimmy Spoon thinks he’ll get a horse and return to his family in a day or two when really he ends up being adopted by a Shoshone tribe led by Chief Washakie. This historical fiction is based on real people and events and beautifully describes life with the Shoshone in the latter 19th century.

  • Lexile Measure : 790L
  • Grade Level : 3 – 7
  • Reading level : 8 – 12 years

Buy on Amazon

The Panda is Fat: And Other Panda Haikus by Nolen Lee

This fun book presents forty panda-themed haikus. Who doesn’t like pandas?

  • Grade Level : 3-7
  • Reading level : 8-12 years

Buy on Amazon

Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story by Maria Gianferrari

This lovely book tells a story about great horned owls, a bird that may be seen on Antelope Island. To tell the story, the author uses haikus.

  • Grade Level : Preschool – 3
  • Reading level : 4-8 years

Buy on Amazon

Tracy Aviary

How the Birds Got Their Colors & the Kaha Bird: Two Bird Tales retold by Kevin Earl


This book has two ancient bird tales retold in poetry with fun, colorful illustrations. “The Kaha Bird” is a retelling of an old Tajik tale about a selfless bird and a selfish fisherman told in limericks. “How the Birds Got Their Colors” is a retelling of an Australian Aboriginal myth that explains why all of the birds have colors except one.

Buy on Amazon

Fly With Me: A Celebration of Birds through Pictures, Poems, and Stories by Jane Yolen and others

This National Geographic Kids publication contains a collection of stories, poetry, photography, and interesting facts about birds.

  • Grade Level : Preschool – 3
  • Reading level : 4-8 years

Buy on Amazon

The Dancing Flamingos of Lake Chimichanga: Silly Birds by Karl Beckstrand

This is an whimsical story by a BYU-alumnus featuring exciting dancing birds and more.

  • Reading level : 0-7 years

Buy on Amazon

National Wildlife Federation’s World of Birds: A Beginner’s Guide by Kim Kurki

National Wildlife Federation’s World of Birds introduces kids ages 7 through 12 to more than 120 different species of birds in their native environments, with detailed illustrations and exciting, memorable information from Kim Kurki and the experts at the National Wildlife Federation.

  • Grade level : preschool and up
  • Reading level : 7-12 years

Buy on Amazon

Is a Bald Eagle Really Bald? by Martha E. H. Rustad

This fun illustrated story introduces the bald eagle as America’s mascot and symbol.

  • Lexile Measure : 560L
  • Grade Level : Kindergarten – 2
  • Reading level : 5-8 years

Buy on Amazon

Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story by Maria Gianferrari

This lovely book tells a story about great horned owls, a bird that may be seen on Antelope Island. To tell the story, the author uses haikus.

  • Grade Level : Preschool – 3
  • Reading level : 4-8 years

Buy on Amazon