In his important and influential book Last Child in the Woods, child advocacy expert Richard Louv argues that today’s kids are increasingly disconnected from nature, a rift he explicitly connects to such alarming trends as the rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

Among the findings:

- Children today spend much less time playing outdoors than they did a generation ago
- Children at eight years old can identify 25 percent more Pokemon characters than wildlife species
- Children between the ages of six months and six years spend an average of 1.5 hours a day with electronic media, and youths between the ages of 8 and 18 an average of 6.5 hours a day

Last Child brings together research and indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children — and adults. His solution, essentially: get kids — and yourself — out into nature!  Louv suggests plenty activities and games to get kids engaged once they’re out of the house, And for adults he offers an extensive list of books designed to inspire, inform, and generally open our eyes to the wonders of nature — and prod us to go enjoy it with the kids in our lives. Here’s a small sampling.

1. Carson, Rachel. The Sense of Wonder
2. Cornell, Joseph. Sharing Nature with Children.
3. Lovejoy, Sharon. Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots: Gardening Together with Children.
4. Pretor-Pinney, Gavin. The Cloudspotter’s Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds.
5. Pyle, Robert Michael. The Thunder Tree: Lessons from an Urban Wildland.
6. Reed, Edward S. The Necessity of Experience.
7. Rezendes, Paul. Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign.
8. Snyder, Gary. The Practice of the Wild.
9. Wilson, Edward O. The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth.
10. Yankielun, Norbert. How to Build an Igloo: And Other Snow Shelters.

We want to hear from you: What books would you recommend to reawaken a sense of wonder in nature?