Jean Craighead George Books in Order

A young red fox grows up in the Maryland woods, learning to find food and evade danger. As Vulpes matures, his survival depends on the instincts and cunning that help him escape pursuing hunters.

Spending the summer prospecting for gold with his grandfather in Colorado, Doug becomes fascinated by a water ouzel nesting near a waterfall. When the bird's nest is destroyed, caring for it gives him a closer understanding of mountain wildlife.

Tired of life in a crowded New York City apartment, Sam Gribley leaves home for the Catskill Mountains. He settles on his family's abandoned land, where ingenuity and knowledge of the forest become essential to living on his own.

Sixteen-year-old Luke Rivers joins his father on Block Island to study gulls. Their scientific work becomes a test of their relationship as Luke's ideas and methods clash with his father's demanding approach to research.

Craig, Steve, Johnny, and Phil secretly build a working rocket. When adults discover their project, the boys must face scrutiny from their parents and the police before finding out whether their ambitious invention can actually launch.

Spring brings changes to the ocean as marine animals reproduce, migrate, and search for food. This natural-history account explores seasonal life along American coasts, from small creatures such as sponges and oysters to porpoises and whales.

As March arrives in Michigan, a spotted salamander emerges from winter shelter and travels toward a woodland pond. Its journey and courtship reveal the seasonal rhythms of an animal whose life often unfolds beyond human sight.

Teenager Tenny Harkness releases a coyote in Manhattan, hoping to impress a street group. As the animal finds refuge in Central Park and attracts official attention, protecting it becomes a much more complicated undertaking.

A small opening in an apple tree grows as insects and other animals make use of it. The changing hollow provides shelter for a succession of woodland inhabitants, eventually becoming a home for a raccoon family.

Temporarily separated from its clan, a peccary piglet explores Arizona's Sonoran Desert in the summer heat. Following intriguing scents brings encounters with other desert creatures and dangers concealed within the seemingly barren landscape.

During the dry season in the Florida Everglades, a female alligator searches for food. Her struggle to survive reveals the relationships between wetland animals and the changing conditions of their threatened habitat.

November brings migrating caribou through Alaska's Toklat Pass, where gray wolves hunt to sustain their pack. Young wolves face the challenges of finding food and learning the skills they need to survive the northern winter.

Under the winter soil of the Great Plains, an eastern mole alternates feeding with sleep. Guided by touch and scent, it digs through a hidden world where predators and human activity can suddenly change its familiar routes.

A female black bear's life in the Tennessee mountains follows the changing seasons. From winter shelter through spring foraging and summer mating to autumn preparations, her activities reveal the rhythms that shape survival in the forest.

A mole cricket searches for others of its kind in the small world around a stone. Encounters with nearby creatures and the insect's calls bring attention to the busy lives unfolding within this easily overlooked habitat.

When a robin dies on the mayor's porch, eighth-grader Tony Isidoro investigates. Following environmental clues leads him beyond a single bird's death to the pollution and disrupted natural relationships affecting his community.

Thirteen-year-old Miyax becomes lost on the Alaskan tundra after leaving an unhappy home. To survive, she studies a wolf pack and learns to communicate with its members, while struggling to reconcile her Inuk heritage with another way of life.

A tiny yellow ant leaves her colony on a mission involving a beetle. Her journey across a sidewalk exposes her to rain, birds, and other hazards, revealing the chemical signals and relationships that organize insect life.

Spinner Shafter and his cousin Alligator catch an unusual cutthroat trout in the Snake River. Their discovery leads to an investigation of a disappearing fish population and the mountain environment on which its survival depends.

Secretly married teenagers Marcus and Melissa study mountain goats in Montana. Their time in the mountains is complicated by conflict between their families and opposing attitudes toward hunting and protecting the animals they observe.

An illustrated guide introduces fourteen major American walking trails, combining route information with their natural and historical backgrounds. Maps and suggested reading accompany accounts of the landscapes and communities hikers encounter along the way.

After saying goodbye to his father at sea, Dennis searches the beach for a rare wentletrap shell. His interest in the small sea snail gives this coastal story its focus on discovery and the life found along the shore.

Hired by his uncle to deliver an urn, Joe Crowbar takes a raft down the Colorado River. A wreck leaves him struggling to survive, helped by a young boy who cannot speak, while questions surround the purpose of his journey.

Thirteen-year-old June Pritchard spends the summer learning to care for and train a young hawk named Zander. The responsibility brings difficult questions about freedom, attachment, and her own growing independence within her family.

Mandy raises a baby crow, forming a close bond with the wild bird. Caring for it changes how she sees herself and her family, as her interest in its behavior becomes part of her own growing understanding.

A mother grizzly and her cub must move on when food becomes scarce. Rather than hunting, she bluffs other bears and people out of their catches, until the consequences of her behavior force a change.

Jean Craighead George recounts her life as a naturalist, reporter, mother, and writer. Her family experiences, encounters with animals, and travels in Alaska illuminate the personal history behind her books about wildlife and the natural world.

This seasonal guide introduces young readers to finding, gathering, and cooking wild plant foods. Identification information and recipes connect outdoor exploration with the edible plants available at different times of the year.

Jean Craighead George contributes a bibliography of books about the outdoors to the Books for All Ages series. This reading list directs readers toward further exploration of nature through books.

A wounded mountain lion takes shelter in an abandoned hut during a hot day in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. Nearby creatures respond to the heat, until a sudden storm and flash flood transform the desert landscape.

Seminole teenager Billie Wind doubts her people's stories about animals and the earth. Sent alone into the Everglades, she learns that listening to the land and observing its creatures can be essential to survival and understanding.

Johnny explores the alpine tundra on Rendezvous Mountain in the Tetons. As plants and animals prepare for winter, an approaching storm and a falling rock formation reveal how quickly conditions can change in this high mountain environment.

Learn how cats communicate through scent, touch, posture, and movements of their ears, whiskers, tails, and eyes. George explains these signals and explores how people can respond through their own voices and body language.

George explains how dogs communicate through smell, touch, sound, and body language. Observing these signals helps owners understand what their pets are expressing and respond in ways that make communication between people and dogs clearer.

Henry hopes to photograph prairie dogs on an Oklahoma refuge. As he observes bison, predators, and the animals' warning signals, a threatening tornado reveals the dangers and interconnected lives of creatures on the grasslands.

Lincoln travels from Massachusetts to Alaska to find his uncle, who has gone north to protect bowhead whales. Living with an Inupiat whaling family challenges his assumptions about conservation, tradition, and the relationship between people and wildlife.

This natural-history guide explores Everglades National Park through its plants, animals, water, soil, and fire. It explains the relationships sustaining the wetland ecosystem and the effects of human activity on its continued survival.

Rebecca enters an eastern woodland searching for an ovenbird she imagines as a wizard. Her encounters reveal the forest's layers and inhabitants, while an accidental fire brings an urgent challenge during her day of exploration.

Fourteen-year-old Tomas is torn between helping his family fish off Baja California and staying in school to become a marine biologist. Searching for a great shark brings danger while commercial pressures threaten the fishing life he knows.

Sam Gribley's independent life in the Catskills is disrupted when a conservation officer takes his falcon, Frightful. When his sister Alice also disappears, Sam follows her trail through the mountains, facing new dangers and uncertainties.

A Venezuelan boy named Tepui joins a scientist searching for an unnamed butterfly in the rain forest. Finding it could secure the money needed to protect the forest before bulldozers arrive to clear the land.

On Washington's Mount Olympus, a young mountain lion moves through the wilderness beneath the August moon. Its search for food and encounters with other animals reveal the dangers and rhythms of a cougar's life.

Liza Poole and her mother live in an Everglades hammock where an alligator called Dajun helps keep the ecosystem balanced. When officials order his destruction and he disappears, Liza sets out to find him.

A mother chickaree raises her newborn squirrels in Montana's Bitterroot Valley during April. As she guards her young and stored seeds, her noisy protests help defend her territory against hungry intruders.

A young white-tailed buck faces September's changes in Connecticut's Mamacoke Marsh. A hurricane and encounters with rival deer test his ability to survive as the mating season approaches.

June brings fox pups out of their den and into a world full of unfamiliar animals. Their parents guide them as they explore, find food, and begin learning the skills they need to survive.

A song sparrow that failed to migrate must survive December in Ohio. Searching for food and shelter while avoiding a prowling cat, he faces the hazards of a northern winter.

A grandmother writes to Rebecca about the arrival of winter, explaining shorter days, the Earth's changing seasons, and the ways animals prepare for cold weather. Even in December, she finds signs of summer's eventual return.

At a research station, twelve-year-old Maggie investigates insects that grow abnormally and then die. With computer-savvy Mitch's help, she explores possible environmental causes and tries to solve the mystery behind their deaths.

The story of the first Thanksgiving begins long before the Pilgrims' arrival, tracing Plymouth's landscape and the Patuxet people's history. Squanto's experiences and Native assistance connect the settlers' struggle for survival with their harvest celebration.

A female monarch butterfly travels north during spring, laying eggs along the way. Her journey and the developing caterpillars reveal how migration and successive generations carry these butterflies through their seasonal cycle.

Under January's moon in the Catskill Mountains, great horned owls begin their courtship. Their calls and encounters reveal how these nocturnal birds prepare to raise a family in the winter woods.

Ten accounts explore animals that became famous through their actions and relationships with people. Subjects include Balto's lifesaving journey, Smokey Bear's escape from a fire, and Koko's communication through sign language.

Julie rejoins her father and discovers how much his life has changed. When the wolves she loves threaten his livelihood, she struggles to reconcile her bond with the pack and her place in the human community.

This illustrated wild-food guide introduces readers to finding, gathering, and preparing edible plants. Forty recipes, including acorn pancakes and dandelion salad, turn outdoor discoveries into dishes to make in the kitchen.

A walk beside a Hudson Valley stream leads toward a waterfall. Along the route, trout pools, rocky passages, and woodland creatures invite readers to notice the life surrounding the moving water.

Spinner catches a cutthroat trout in the Snake River where that kind of fish is thought to have disappeared. She and her cousin Al head into the mountains to investigate, confronting dangerous weather, terrain, and wildlife.

Jean Craighead George recalls raising her children alongside an extraordinary assortment of wild pets. Stories of owls, ducks, raccoons, and other animals show the surprises of sharing a home with creatures that inspired her writing.

Born in Barrow, Alaska, Luke receives the Inupiat name Kupaaq from an elder. As he grows, the Arctic landscape and the people around him introduce him to the animals and traditions of his northern home.

Kapu takes over leadership of the wolf pack after Amaroq's death. Told through the wolves' experiences, the story follows rivalries, illness, and new generations as the pack struggles to survive on the Arctic tundra.

Three Alaskan wolf pups grow from newborns into members of their pack over the course of a year. Their play, communication, and changing responsibilities unfold alongside seasonal signs that readers can recognize closer to home.

Angry about logging restrictions that cost his father work, Borden blames spotted owls. Caring for a starving owlet named Bardy brings the bird into his family's home and challenges their views about forests and conservation.

Katie imagines Hawaii's volcano as Pele, the powerful goddess of island tradition. Her grandmother responds with an explanation of the Earth's crust, bringing scientific ideas into conversation with Katie's understanding of the volcano.

Baby elephant Odon follows his herd on a long journey led by the matriarch Silvertusk. Hungry and puzzled by the relentless walk, he gradually discovers why the elephants are traveling together.

Young giraffe Cam leaves the herd in search of something tasty to eat. His wandering brings him within reach of a stalking lion, while his mother must protect her adventurous calf.

A young white rhinoceros named Simu romps across the African plains and becomes separated from his family. His mother and aunt must find him and bring their wandering youngster back to safety.

Released because Sam cannot legally keep an endangered falcon, Frightful must learn to live independently. Hunting, nesting, and migration bring new challenges, while her attachment to Sam continues to shape her choices.

Seven-year-old gorilla GG tries to act like the adults and resents the attention given to his little sister. His experiments and mischief draw other members of the group into trouble.

Ten true stories introduce animals whose remarkable experiences captured people's attention. Balto's journey, a cat's long trip home, and Koko's use of sign language explore the varied ways animals connect with humans.

From eastern dawn through a Midwestern afternoon to evening in the West, animals follow the changing light. Their feeding, movement, play, and rest create a portrait of wildlife across a single day.

Bessie steps onto the frozen Arctic landscape and meets a polar bear cub. As the youngsters play, her brother and the cub's mother keep watch over an encounter that carries risks for both families.

Three autumn stories follow a Connecticut deer through September, an Everglades alligator during October, and an Alaskan wolf pack in November. Each animal faces the changing conditions of its habitat as winter approaches.

Amaroq and his wolf pup, Nutik, chase a football stolen by another boy. Their search takes them across the tundra, where losing the ball becomes less urgent than finding their way home.

Julie brings home a sick wolf pup and asks her brother Amaroq to help care for it. As the boy and Nutik grow close, he must face the prospect of returning his companion to the wild pack.

Four winter stories explore the lives of a song sparrow, moles, great horned owls, and black bears. Their different responses to cold weather reveal the seasonal demands of surviving in North American habitats.

When Axel's dog Grits becomes stranded on a ledge in Wyoming's Tetons, an approaching storm makes rescue urgent. Axel and his father tackle the cliff before lightning turns the climb even more dangerous.

Oksi, one of Frightful's three falcon chicks, shows an independent spirit as she grows. Her journey toward adulthood intersects with Sam's life, forging a bond after he helps save her.

A salamander heads to a woodland pond to mate, a chickaree guards her newborn young, and a monarch travels north toward Canada. These three animal stories follow the changing moons of spring.

Summer stories follow fox pups learning about the world, a young peccary searching for its mother in the Sonoran Desert, and mountain lions in Washington. Each faces the challenges of growing and surviving in its habitat.

Fourteen-year-old Jack Hawkins explores the Okefenokee Swamp in a canoe he built himself. An accident tests his wilderness skills, and an unexpected discovery gives his adventure a new direction.

A rafting trip on Idaho's Salmon River becomes a struggle for survival when a forest fire closes in on Axel and his family. Their escape also reveals how fire changes the wilderness and helps forests regenerate.

Axel and his rival Kelly test their snowboarding skills in the Teton Mountains despite dangerous snow conditions. When an avalanche strikes, Axel's dog Grits becomes crucial to their rescue in a story that explains the hazards of fresh snowfall.

Charlie brings a baby raven home hoping it will help his ailing grandfather. As Blue Sky grows into an intelligent, demanding companion, Charlie learns about wild birds and the dangers they face in the Teton Mountains.

Rescued from a plastic ring by a girl, young sandhill crane Luck joins his parents on their migration from Texas to Siberia. His habit of remembering unreliable human landmarks complicates the return journey and his search for the way home.

Oksi, the daughter of Sam Gribley's falcon Frightful, has chicks of her own in the Catskills. When Baron Weasel sets his sights on the young birds, their mountain home becomes the setting for a contest between predator and prey.

A newly hatched goose follows a boy as though he were its mother, and a duckling soon joins them. Their comic adventures introduce imprinting and migration as the birds gradually discover where they belong.

This illustrated account traces the persecution and recovery of wolves in the American West. Their return to Yellowstone shows how restoring a predator can change an ecosystem and help bring its natural relationships back into balance.

Inspired by Sam Gribley's wilderness life in My Side of the Mountain, this practical guide introduces outdoor skills and activities. Readers learn about shelters, fires, fishing, useful plants, and other ways to explore nature in parks or backyards.

After escaping an attempt to drown her, Rachet joins the feral cats living near Roxville train station. A foster child named Mike hopes to befriend her, but gaining her trust means understanding the cats' difficult, fiercely independent lives.

Tigluk and his grandmother follow a polar bear across the changing Arctic landscape and discover an orphaned cub. Their effort to care for it becomes a story about survival as melting ice threatens the bears' future.

This picture book follows American bison from their place in Indigenous life through mass slaughter and near extinction. Conservation efforts and returning herds show how people can help restore an animal central to the prairie ecosystem.

The story of Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise, introduces the history and evolution of Galápagos wildlife. Tracing his ancestors and the changes brought by humans, the picture book explores adaptation and extinction.

Hunter leaves a pile of stones on Grammy's porch before going home. As visitors find unexpected uses for them, his simple gift becomes a celebration of imagination, practical kindness, and the bond between a grandmother and her grandson.

A boy helps care for an eaglet in this picture book about the recovery of America's bald eagles. The story connects his small contribution with the volunteers and conservation efforts that brought the birds back from near extinction.

Lonesome George's life provides a window into the evolution of giant tortoises on the Galápagos Islands. The story traces their ancestry, adaptations, and encounters with humans, ending with the loss of the last member of his species.

After a boy helps cause the destruction of a whale pod in 1848, the lone survivor Siku becomes bound to his family through a curse. Alternating human and whale perspectives follow their intertwined lives across generations.

A boy rescues an abandoned baby crow and hopes to prove to his skeptical grandfather that the bird is more than a pest. As Crowbar learns to speak, their growing bond reveals the surprising intelligence of a much-maligned species.