Take part in Conservation Week 2015 by bringing your children to the pre-school story time at your local library, and getting into nature to refresh your body and mind. Also enjoy the gifts of nature with the books about wildlife photography, small footprint houses, and outdoor activities for kids.

Standing my ground : a voice for nature conservation / Alan F. Mark
“For more than five decades, Alan Mark has been a voice for conservation in New Zealand. From his call in the 1960s for the establishment of tussock-grassland reserves in the South Island high country to his involvement in the 2011-13 campaign to save the Denniston Plateau from mining, he has been a passionate and effective advocate for the preservation of areas of ecological importance. As well as providing an important record of New Zealand’s conservation battles and documenting the life of an outstanding New Zealander, Standing My Ground is an inspiring reminder of the power of individuals to make a difference.” (Syndetics summary)

Wild coast : a celebration of the places where land meets sea / Marianne Taylor.
“This book is a celebration of the wildlife and landscapes of Britain’s most vital wildlife habitats – those that make up our coastline. Sheer limestone crags resound with the voices of thousands of bickering seabirds; endless acres of estuarine mud are packed with squirming invertebrates that sustain thousands of wading birds. In between are the dazzling chalk outcrops of the south coast with glorious floral communities on the clifftop meadows, shingle beaches where terns and plovers hide their eggs among the stones, and dune systems bound together with marram grass and supporting a unique and fragile ecosystem. Beautifully illustrated with colour photographs and authoritative text, this book is a celebration of the wilder aspects of the UK’s coasts.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Mother and child : wildlife photography / Reg Grundy ; preface by Douglas Kirkland ; foreword by Guy Cooper ; epilogue by Joy Chambers-Grundy.
“Reg Grundy is one of the key figures in the history of television, known in his native Australia and around the world for his successes as a producer and entrepreneur. Culled from more than four decades of archived photographs, Mother and Child is a breathtaking collection of photographs on the most universal of topics the enduring bond between mothers and their children, shared by all living beings. These evocative photographs take us from the red soil of the Arabian Peninsula to snowy, polar-bear inhabited corners of the arctic, offering glimpses of maternal relationships across boundaries of nation and species.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Sustainable : houses with small footprints / Avi Friedman.
“Have we passed a tipping point beyond which we can no longer reverse a course of action that was charted several decades ago? Sustainable: Houses with Small Footprints argues that we can indeed detach our dwellings from a dependence on many external systems and resources and adopt other building practices. What is known as living off the grid is possible, and Sustainable presents forty-five houses that demonstrate how architects have implemented sustainable design concepts around the world. The variety and ingenuity of the projects featured here make Sustainable a uniquely coherent and authoritative volume on sustainable residential design.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Pristine seas : journeys to the ocean’s last wild places / Enric Sala ; foreword by Leonardo DiCaprio.
“There are places in the ocean virtually untouched by man. They offer a fascinating glimpse into our past and an inspiring vision for the future. They are the last Pristine Seas, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala takes readers on an unforgettable journey to 10 of these astounding locations. From the shark-rich waters surrounding Coco Island, Costa Rica, to the iceberg-studded sea off Franz Josef Land, Russia, this incredible photographic collection showcases the thriving marine ecosystems that Sala is working to protect.” (Adapted from Syndetics summary)

Talk Trash: Moving Toward a Zero-waste World (Orca Footprints) [hardback]
“Humans have always generated garbage, whether it’s a chewed-on bone or a broken cell phone. Our landfills are overflowing, but with some creative thinking, stuff we once threw away can become a collection of valuable resources just waiting to be harvested. Trash Talk digs deep into the history of garbage, from Minoan trash pits to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and uncovers some of the many innovative ways people all over the world are dealing with waste.” (Syndetics summary)

How to raise a wild child : the art and science of falling in love with nature / Scott D. Sampson.
“American children spend four to seven minutes a day playing outdoors–90 percent less time than their parents did. Yet recent research indicates that experiences in nature are essential for healthy growth. Regular exposure to nature can help relieve stress, depression, and attention deficits. It can reduce bullying, combat illness, and boost academic scores. Most critical of all, abundant time in nature seems to yield long-term benefits in kids’ cognitive, emotional, and social development. Yet teachers, parents, and other caregivers lack a basic understanding of how to engender a meaningful, lasting connection between children and the natural world. How to Raise a Wild Child offers a timely and engaging antidote, showing how kids’ connection to nature changes as they mature.” (Publisher’s description)

Sustainable seas : managing the marine environment / Lucy Brake and Raewyn Peart.
“Demystifies a complex and overlapping legislative framework by clearly describing how decisions affecting the marine environment are made and by whom… an invaluable resource for all those who have an interest in New Zealand’s marine environment including members of the fishing, aquaculture, shipping and mining sectors, iwi and hapu, tourism operators, marine developers, recreational users, conservationists, catchment and marine managers, scientists and students.” (Syndetics summary)