From classics like “The Land Remembered” to kid-friendly books like “Can you Count the Critters?” the UF/IFAS summer reading list has something for every family member. Each of these reads can be found both online and in-person at the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore.
Can You Count the Critters?
From Adventure Publications:
From one monarch butterfly to twelve bison, this book helps children learn to count and recognize iconic, adorable animals at the same time. You’ll have fun teaching youngsters numbers with the help of fuzzy, furry little critters.
Backyard Bugs
By Jaret C. Daniels
From the Publisher:
How many times have you seen a bug and wondered, “What in the world is that?” Here’s an easy and fun way to identify backyard bugs. Acclaimed entomology and nature author Jaret C. Daniels presents a simple yet informative guide to backyard bugs of the United States and southern Canada. Featuring more than 150 species organized by where the bugs are generally found – such as at lights or on flowers – this fascinating book covers everything from ants to mosquitoes to spiders.
A Land Remembered
From the publisher:
Here are three generations of the MacIvey family, from dirt-poor Crackers to wealthy real estate tycoons, in an epic portrayal of the American pioneer will to survive against all odds. Here is the sweeping story of the land, how at first bare survival is scratched from it, and then how it is exploited far beyond human need. Here is a rich, rugged history of Florida’s pioneer spirit and the natural world.
Florida Rivers
From Pineapple Press:
Florida’s rivers comprise a tapestry of natural wonders. They lend character to the regions through which they pass. They offer superb scenery and exciting recreational opportunities. Florida’s rivers played a key roll in the state’s history, from the Spanish explorations, through the Seminole Wars, into the modern era. Even their names – Apalachicola, Caloosahatchee, Ocklawaha, Suwannee, Withlacoochee – evoke images of the state’s rich cultural heritage.
This book provides a detailed profile of every significant river in the state. No other sources provide such comprehensive coverage. This book features more than two hundred color photographs of waterways, fish, and wildlife. It also includes sixty river-system maps. Anglers, history buffs, nature enthusiasts, boaters, and others will find great value in its contents. It will acquaint the reader with waterways that so many people depend on, but so few really know.
The Nature of Plants
From University Press of Florida:
Plants play a critical role in how we experience our environment. They create calming green spaces, provide oxygen for us to breathe, and nourish our senses. In this book, ecologist and nursery owner Craig Huegel demystifies the complex lives of plants and provides readers with an elucidating journey into their inner and outer workings.
With color illustrations, photographs, and real-life examples from his own gardening experiences, Huegel equips budding botanists, ecologists, and even the most novice gardeners with the knowledge that will help them understand and foster plants of all types.
Florida Weather & Climate
From University Press of Florida:
Florida is home to two of the world’s major types of climate – tropical wet-dry and humid subtropic. It ranks among the top states for tornadoes and is more frequently affected by lightning and thunderstorms than any other state. Florida is vulnerable to fog, drought, and wildfires. And it is notorious for its most prominent natural event – the hurricane. This book explores the conditions, forces, and processes behind Florida’s surprisingly varied and dynamic weather.
With many maps, helpful diagrams, and clear explanations, this book is an illuminating and accessible guide to Florida’s dramatic weather and climate.
Family Forests
From the publisher:
About one-third of Florida’s 17 million acres of forest lands are owned by families and individuals, many of whom manage the land themselves for conservation, forestry, wildlife habitat, recreation, or agriculture. This book, beautifully illustrated with photos and filled with useful information, tells the stories of nine unique forest landowners—how they got started, their goals, stewardship philosophies, challenges, and the rich natural and human histories of the land they tend. If you’ve ever wanted to live and work in a forest or wondered about the forest lands you’re passing on the highway, you’ll find this book intriguing and inspiring.
Bonus Book – A recommended read fromthe new UF/IFAS Vice President Dr. Scott Angle:
The Wizard and the Prophet
From Penguin Random House:
From the best-selling, award-winning author of 1491 and 1493–an incisive portrait of the two little-known twentieth-century scientists, Norman Borlaug and William Vogt, whose diametrically opposed views shaped our ideas about the environment, laying the groundwork for how people in the twenty-first century will choose to live in tomorrow’s world.
0
