Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library highlights nature picture books

Rooted in Nature: Topeka Library’s Read Alouds Send Kids Outside This Season

The change of seasons is a good reminder to enjoy nature and the world around us, and the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library reported this week that it is turning that reminder into a stack of stories. The library is highlighting some of its favorite picture books about life outside, building a reading list that moves families from the couch to the park, the trail, and the backyard.

At the center of the push is Lightning Bug Jamboree, written by Stephanie Brinkley and illustrated by Victoria Mikki. The whimsical rhyming story celebrates nature and has been named the 2026 Kansas Reads to Preschoolers featured book, a designation that places it at the heart of a statewide early-literacy effort. Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library reported that families can pick up a free copy to keep from the Kids Library from Nov 15-21, 2026, one copy per family while supplies last.

The book itself is built for little hands and big imaginations. Lightning Bug Jamboree offers a tale brimming with friendship and joy, interesting facts about lightning bugs, a catchy original song with musical accompaniment, and details about the Kansas writer and artist behind the celebration. It is the kind of book that turns a bedtime routine into a small adventure, complete with rhymes to chant and bugs to count.

Local authors take spotlight at Topeka & Shawnee Co. Public Library

“Reading and rhyming with children are essential, enjoyable ways to nurture language, social-emotional skills, imagination and confidence in children of all ages,” said deputy state librarian and Center for the Book coordinator Valarie Lamoreaux. “The State Library of Kansas supports everyone who reads books with children.”

Shapes Everywhere, If You Look

The library’s list does not stop at one title. Melissa Stewart’s Shape Search presents stunning nature photography that prompts both children and grown-ups to hunt for every shape found in the natural world. Once you start looking, you will find shapes everywhere. Kids will love the game of identifying shapes on plants, animals, rocks, raindrops and all around. The library suggests reading this book before you head outside for a walk or an afternoon in the park, turning the pages into a preview of what is waiting on the sidewalk and under the trees.

A Family Walk Through the Fall Harvest

For readers who want a longer story with more to talk about, Fall Feast: Nature’s Harvest offers a seasonal walk. Written by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss and illustrated by Cinyee Chiu, the book invites readers to discover the wonder of fall and learn how wildlife prepares for winter. Readers accompany a family strolling to the park while they talk about the major and minor shifts from summer and the changes approaching with winter. As they move through various wildlife environments, they start to realize that nature teems with life during this abundant season. They observe the small details—seeds drifting on the breeze, fungi on the forest floor, and hollow shells scattered everywhere. Thanks to ecologist, journalist and educator Alex Morss, the book also includes interesting facts about plants, animals and insects.

Latest Topeka library exhibit invites you to explore nature indoors

The common thread across all three books is attention. Each one asks a child to slow down and look at the world with fresh eyes, whether that means tracking a lightning bug at dusk, spotting a circle in a raindrop, or watching seeds travel on the wind. That is the quiet work of a read aloud: it gives a family a shared reason to go outside and a shared vocabulary for what they find there.

The practical detail for Topeka families is the calendar. The free copies of Lightning Bug Jamboree are available at the Kids Library from Nov 15-21, 2026, one copy per family while supplies last, so the window is short and the supply is finite.