Summer isn’t really summer without good books.
If you read a minimum of 10 nature-themed books during the course of the summer, you will earn a prize you can pick up at the NHSM*. Keep track of your reading on this Google Form, or just on a piece of paper. Please rate each book, and include one thing you learned.
2023 – All Together Now
The Maryland State Library’s 2023 “All Together Now” summer reading program’s focus is kindness, friendship, unity, cultural awareness, and community. To a naturalist, All Together Now in nature means symbiosis, the living arrangements made between members of two different species.
There are three types of symbiosis: mutualism, where both parties benefit; commensalism, where one party benefits while the other is unaffected; and parasitism, where one party benefits and the other is harmed, even to the point of death. It’s a jungle out there.
If you are interested in reading more about these living arrangements, please consider checking out the following book recommended by NHSM Program Director, Bronwyn Strong. If your library doesn’t have it, don’t worry. You can come by the Natural History Society of Maryland during open hours (WED. 2-6 PM, THURS. 10-2 PM) to read from it.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Macken Murphy, host of the popular animal podcast Species, introduces his favorite symbiotic relationships in his first kids’ nonfiction book, Animal Sidekicks.
Along the way he explains the cool science behind the baffling behavior of some animals—from friendly alliances to pesky parasites. Alongside him, illustrator Dragan Kordic skillfully brings to life head-scratching relationships in nature, including:
• The crab that wears a sea urchin as a hat;
• The bat that goes to bed inside a plant;
• The warthog that likes a mongoose massage.
NHSM encourages you to visit your local library in person or online to learn more about special programs to foster a love of reading.
2022 – Ocean’s of Possibilities
To complement the Maryland State Library’s 2022 “Oceans of Possibilities” summer reading program, The Natural History Society of Maryland developed a reading list to help you dive in and explore over 70% of the earth’s surface – our oceans.
The list is divided into three sections, oceans and ocean life, sharks, and fossils and ancient sea life. There are fiction and non-fiction options and titles for all ages. Use the list as a guide. Each book has been selected by a team of Naturalists. Read one. Read them all.