I’ll always remember the bookshelves. They rose from the floor to the ceiling in my parent’s old house, their spines gleamed in the light through the window. With the rustling of loose pages from haphazardly stacked volumes fluttering gently in the breeze of the air conditioning, they almost seemed alive. Those bookshelves were an endless source of fascination for me with each book resting upon them acting as a doorway to a new adventure. I would climb up those shelves and pull out a new book each week. I spent most of my childhood reading through them, learning from them, and acting on what I had learned.
My parents weren’t big hunters or anglers, but they are both great readers and instilled their love of literature into me. Without anyone to mentor my wilderness pursuits, books taught me how to recreate in the outdoors, and it was from reading and applying what I read to the field that I eventually became competent and fell in love with the woods. Over the years, I developed a few personal favorites that I believe helped to shape me from a wide-eyed kid who would stare out the window in wonder into the outdoorsman I am today. So, if you have a kid interested in the outdoors, these books might just be the perfect thing to springboard them into that world, helping to ensure that you’ll have a hunting and fishing companion for life.
My Side of The Mountain (Jean Craighead George, 1959)
Perhaps one of the most in-depth outdoor books ever written, My Side of The Mountain tells the story of Sam Gribley, a 12-year-old boy who decides to leave the hustle and bustle of New York City behind to live off the land in the Catskill Mountains. A brilliantly written and rich text, My Side of The Mountain is a story of struggle and triumph in the outdoors as you follow along with Sam as he tries to survive.
The story is full of thorough and accurate methods for hunting gamebirds, fishing for trout, trapping snapping turtles, gathering edible plants, and even tanning hides. It’s also filled with illustrations that detail exactly how Sam creates different tools. From making fish hooks out of twigs and building a deadfall trap to preserving food, reading this book will soon have your kids out in the woods trying Sam’s methods for themselves.
Hatchet (Gary Paulson, 1986)
The quintessential outdoor story and required reading in many education systems, Hatchet has remained a favorite book for many adult hunters and anglers since its publication and is the perfect book for any young adult curious about the backcountry. The Newbery Honor-winning young-adult novel tells the story of Brian Robeson, a 13-year-old boy who is forced to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash strands him in the Northern Canadian wilderness.
Throughout the story, Brian learns to survive with nothing but a hatchet as he builds a shelter, hunts rabbits and grouse, catches panfish, and deals with nature’s wrath. An in-depth and extremely entertaining novel, Hatchet is the perfect book for any kid wishing to test their mettle in the wilderness and find out what the outdoor world is really all about.
Brian’s Winter (Gary Paulson, 1996)
A follow-up to Hatchet and the third book in the series, Brian’s Winter, explores what would have happened to young Brian Robeson if he hadn’t been rescued at the end of the first story. A much heavier-themed book than Hatchet, Brian’s Winter details the difficulties of winter and how much harder Brian must work to survive.
Throughout the story, Brian builds a winter shelter, constructs a pair of snow shoes, builds a more powerful bow for big game hunting, and subsequently deals with the emotional fallout of taking a life for sustenance and learns how to preserve meat. A detailed and instruction-rich text, Brian’s Winter is the perfect book for helping kids understand the realities of being an outdoors person and for teaching them to respect the harsh realities of nature itself.
Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls, 1961)
One of the most beloved novels of all time, Where the Red Fern Grows, is a story of determination, joy, sorrow, and love—but mostly, it’s a book about coon hunting. Set in rural Oklahoma in the 1920s, Where the Red Fern Grows tells the story of Billy Colman, a young man from the backwoods who wants nothing more in life than to get a pair of hounds so he can become a raccoon hunter.
Though his family cannot afford to get Billy the dogs he so desires, through hard work and determination, Billy eventually gets a pair of redbone hounds and subsequently becomes the best hunter in the country. In a text full of fantastic hunting references that reflect the respect and love a hunter should have for not only his dogs but for his quarry, Where the Red Fern Grows is an enthralling read for both children and adults alike. It is the ideal story for anyone who loves their dogs, the woods, and the magical combination those two things can make when brought together.
Little House Series (Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1932/1935)
Though it has become a rather controversial story in the modern age, there are still very few novels out there that will better introduce and educate young children in the ways of the outdoors than Wilder’s Little House book series. An autobiography based on Wilder’s own childhood growing up in the 1870s, Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie describe the homesteading skills that were both observed and practiced by Wilder and her family.
A generally lighthearted read, the books both depict the hard work necessary for surviving in the wilderness and the fun that can be had along the way. The stories provide rich yet simple details about hunting and gathering as well as about butchering and preserving meat in such a way that children can be enthralled rather than repelled by the idea of hunting. It’s the perfect book for introducing a young child to the outdoors that will pique their curiosity and hopefully have them wanting to experience it for themselves.
Swiss Family Robinson (John David Wyss, 1812)
Though Disney’s 1960 film turned Swiss Family Robinson into a swashbuckling story of adventure, the original novel is actually an easy-to-read and wonderful story about a family who survive and thrive on an island by hunting, fishing, and gathering. The book opens with a Swiss family in the hold of a ship during a great storm, which is soon wrecked on a reef of a tropical island. The ship’s crew has evacuated, so William and Elizabeth, along with their sons Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Francis, must sail ashore to build their own homestead.
Over a period of ten years, the novel is chock full of details about the family’s needs and their homesteading operation, as well as details about hunting everything from deer and pheasants to lions and bears. The book also goes into detail about how to butcher and skin different animals and how to preserve their meat and hides, and even has a few good wild game recipes. Swiss Family Robinson is a story about respecting and working with the natural world instead of against it and is a great book for kids interested in hunting and fishing and utilizing the wild places of the world to their fullest potential.
The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling, 1894)
Another great work that is often muddled by its Disneyfied version, The Jungle Book is actually a collection of short stories written by Kipling that tell the story of Mowgli, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, and The White Seal. While it’s not a book about hunting per se nor a story about accurate animal behavior, The Jungle Book is nevertheless a great read for any child interested in the outdoors because all the stories maintain the underlying theme of respecting nature.
From “the law of the jungle” to the wildness and unrestrained energies of the different animal characters, the stories in The Jungle Book all reflect the responsibilities we have as outdoors folk to respect and protect the natural world. It’s a great book and a great way for kids to learn about conservation and to understand the responsibility that they have when they’re out in nature.
Call it Courage (Armstrong Sperry, 1940)
A story set in the Pacific Islands and focused on that culture, Call it Courage, is a short novel about a young boy named Mafatu, the son of a Chief, who is afraid of the sea. Originally titled The Boy Who Was Afraid, the book centers around Mafatu challenging himself by taking a canoe out onto the ocean alone.
He is caught in a storm and later ends up stranded on an island with only his dog, Uri, for company. To survive, Mafatu must learn to hunt and fish around the island and subsequently to find his courage through these tasks. An excellent story that gives accurate detail on several outdoor skills—from how to make a fishing line, to how to make a spear, to how to cook a whole wild boar—Call it Courage is a great read for any kid who is nervous about being outside alone or who wants to learn more about hunting and gathering for survival.
Skeeter (Kay Jordan Smith, 1992)
A relatively unknown book that can quickly become a personal favorite for young hunters, Skeeter is perhaps one of the most detailed and well-written stories about hunting published in the last century. The book tells the story of Joey and Steve, two teenage boys who are completely obsessed with hunting but still aren’t that good at it. That is until they trespass on the land of and eventually befriend an old woodsman named Skeeter.
Throughout the novel, Skeeter teaches the two boys how to become better hunters, with the text going into detail about the importance of accurate shooting, how to find game birds, rabbits, and deer, and even how to properly train a gun dog. It is an excellent piece of work and an ideal read for any young adult frustrated with their success in the field and looking to improve both their hunting skills and their knowledge of just what it takes to be a true woodsman.
Over the Rainbow
In a digital age where so many children are engrossed and entertained with iPads and video games and becoming less and less interested in anything not offered on a flashing screen, it seems like reading has almost become a lost art. Yet, it may be that books have become our last bastion to ensuring that future generations remain interested in the outdoor world.
For as helpful as outlets like YouTube and other internet resources can be, I still maintain that there is no better way to learn nor to stoke the fires of interest in a child than by having them read a good book. For kids interested in hunting and fishing or for parents wishing them to be so, having them read a certain book can change a quiet interest in the outdoors into a full-blown obsession—that is, so long as they are reading the right books.
And if you’re a parent reading this, be sure to check out Steven Rinella’s book Outdoor Kids in an Inside World, an essential resource for any parent looking to immerse their children in the outdoors.
