From tadpoles to snakes to chameleons and crocodiles, the Reptile and Amphibian animal classes include a variety of cold-blooded vertebrates that are fascinating to young learners! Listed below are some of my favorite picture books about reptiles & amphibians to share with your children. If you’re looking for a companion lesson to expand your study, be sure to check out Rabbit Trails Through Science: Reptiles & Amphibians!
Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs by Douglas Florian
This book is full of adorable poetry about different reptiles and amphibians. Rabbit Trails Through Science: Reptiles & Amphibians includes these poems in the copywork sections of each lesson, plus you can have a fun poetry tea time reading them, too.
Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez & Felicita Sala
This inspirational biography details the life of Joan Procter, a 20th Century female herpetologist who became the curator of Reptiles at the British Museum of Natural History. With delightful illustrations and clever wordplay, Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor offers a wonderful introduction to a mostly misunderstood classification of animals.
Hip-Pocket Papa by Sandra Markle & Alan Marks
Detailing the Australian hip-pocket frog, this nonfiction picture book offers an inside look at these tiny, fingernail sized amphibians. With engaging storytelling, Markle introduces readers not only to the reproductive cycle of frogs, but the specifically unique role that the adult males play in this species.
Frog Went A-Courtin’ by John Langstaff & Feodor Rojankovsky
Written over 400 years ago and playfully illustrated in 1972 by Feodor Rojankovsky, this Scottish folk ballad has been sung by generations of children. Find the song on YouTube to learn the tune if you aren’t familiar with it, and enjoy this family classic of a frog who sets his sights on courtin’ a mouse.
The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer, Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
If your student loves wild creatures, especially ones that fit in their pocket and can come home with them, they’ll relish this imaginative tale of a boy and his new-found salamander. The story unfolds as the boy lovingly plans a perfect habitat, with illustrations envisioning the transformation of his human bedroom into one more fit for his new friend.
The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball by Lisa Horstman
First place winner of the National Park Service’s Award for Excellence, this story unfolds in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park where over 27 species of salamanders exclusively call their home. It’s a whimsical tale of a girl who — while camping with her family — encounters a group of salamanders engaging in a magical dance. This is also the main book for our Great Smoky Mountain lesson!
Verdi by Janell Cannon
Born with brilliant yellow skin and proudly determined not to turn green like the boring, slow adult pythons he’s known, Verdi becomes defiant when a green stripe appears along his back. This instructive tale about the inevitability of some changes like age also reminds us that it doesn’t mean we have to stop being ourselves and that we can learn to love the “skin” that we’re in.
Crictor by Tomi Ungerer
As an often villainized animal, Crictor offers a refreshing story about a pet boa constrictor who is friendly and kind and wins over an entire French village with his good manners. Fancifully told with beautifully drawn pen and ink illustrations, students will delight in seeing a boa “walked” on a leash, wearing a handmade sweater, and becoming a town hero while thwarting a robbery. Crictor is a main book in our Literature Volume 1 unit, too!
An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni
An Extraordinary Egg is a hilarious tale of mistaken identity as three frog friends declare the mysterious egg they’ve found to be that of a chicken. When a baby alligator hatches, and having never seen an actual chicken before, the frogs persist in the misnomer. Readers will roll with laughter as the frogs help the newly birthed creature reunite with its mother.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
Lyle the Crocodile lives in New York City with his human family, and all his neighbors love him except for one particularly grumpy one. Mr. Grumps and his cat hate crocodiles and insist Lyle belongs in a zoo. Can Lyle win over the cranky neighbor and convince him he’s really a friend behind a big toothy smile?
Gecko by Raymond Huber
Considered the escape artists of the lizard world, geckos’ ability to evade predators by use of camouflage, unique gripping capability and detaching their tails if need be make them fascinatingly skilled at self preservation. With many other interesting facts about geckos and brilliant watercolor, acrylic ink and color pencil illustrations, this non-fiction children’s book will engage young, curious readers.
Mossy by Jan Brett
Written and illustrated with dazzling detail, Jan Brett fans will adore this story of a happy eastern box turtle with a gorgeous garden growing on her carapace. Students will learn about respecting the environment and the freedom of its creatures while also observing fantastic side quests in Brett’s depictions of butterflies, fungi, orchids, seeds, crystals, ferns, mosses and more.
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Arnold Lobel’s classic Frog and Toad stories have been enjoyed for over 70 years and have won many famous children’s book awards and honors. In this level 2 I Can Read version, students share in 5 Frog and Toad adventures about the power of friendship.
Learn MORE about Reptiles & Amphibians inside of Rabbit Trails through Science!
Rabbit Trails through Science: Reptiles & Amphibians is filled with these wonderful books, plus 16 different science-based lessons. Check it out here!
Picture Books About Reptiles & Amphibians
That wraps up our list of picture books about reptiles & amphibians! We’d love to add to it, though. What suggestions do you have? Let us know down in the comments or inside of our online homeschool community.
