Books published by publisher Yosemite Conservancy

An inviting guide to Yosemite National Park just for kids! In eight chapters covering everything from “Yosemite’s Rich Past” to “Endless Things to See and Do,” Mike Graf calls on the park’s most knowledgeable insiders — biologists, rangers, even the park’s resident entertainer — to share their most exciting stories and best advice. Colorful photos and illustrations enable young readers to get up close and personal with Yosemite’s waterfalls, Giant Sequoia trees, sheer granite walls, and, of course, those famous black bears. This guide also recommends gear for a national park visit and offers safety tips, a wildlife observation how-to and birding guide, tips on managing a wildlife encounter, and a guide to rock climber lingo and a difficulty ratings system. Also featured are detailed accounts of famous climbs, tips on how to protect the park and keep it green, an historical timeline, and a list of popular hikes.

Delight in nature with Little Muir! This playful book invites children to ramble through rolling hills, climb friendly trees, and listen to bird song on the breeze as they follow along with famed conservationist John Muir’s lyrical prose and award-winning illustrator Susie Ghahremani’s irresistibly cheerful paintings. The sun shines not on us, but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. With creatures to spot and small adventures to follow, Little Muir’s Song takes young readers on a journey of appreciation for the natural world.

b>This book shares the life story of the giant sequoia, casting light on natural questions: How does this tree grow so big? How does it live so long? From tiny seed to world's largest tree, the giant sequoia is a living wonder of nature. This ancient and tremendous species grows naturally only on the western slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada. Each sequoia begins life as a seed no larger than an oatmeal flake—yet can grow as tall as three blue whales stacked chin to tale. The oldest sequoias have lived as long as forty human lifetimes. The largest are so enormous, twenty children holding hands can’t wrap their arms around the trunks! In evocative text and vibrant paintings, The Sequoia Lives On reveals all of this fascinating information and more. An extensive author’s note completes the portrait for young readers, inviting them to become the next generation of protectors for this amazing tree.

A Black boy’s transformative day out in nature, recommended by Social Justice Books and We Are Kid Lit Collective Rodney is that kid who just can’t sit still. He's inside, but he wants to be outside. Outside is where Rodney always wants to be. Between school and home, there is a park. He knows all about that park. It’s that triangle-shaped place with the yellow grass and two benches where grown-ups sit around all day. Besides, his momma said to stay away from that park. When Rodney finally gets a chance to go to a real park, with plenty of room to run and climb and shout, and to just be himself, he will never be the same.

John Muir wrote many wonderful books about his travels, but one story—about his long walk from San Francisco to Yosemite—is one book he did not author himself. In April 1868, a very young John Muir stepped off a boat in San Francisco and inquired about the quickest way out of town. “But where do you want to go?” was the response, to which Muir replied, “Anywhere that is wild.” Using Muir’s personal correspondence and published articles, Peter and Donna Thomas have reconstructed the real story of Muir’s literal ramblings over California hills and through dales, with lofty Sierra Nevada peaks, Englishmen, and bears mixed in for good measure. The trip is illustrated by charming cut-paper illustrations that take their inspiration from Muir's love of nature. John Muir’s story-telling is so compelling that even 150 years later, seeing the world through his eyes makes us want to head out into the wild.

Told for the first time in a graphic novel, this is the exciting life story of John Muir—who sailed to America as a boy and ended up changing the world. John Muir led an adventurous life, starting with his wild and playful boyhood in Scotland and culminating in his legendary exploits in America, where he became an inventor, an explorer, a bold champion of wilderness—and even made friends with a president! His heart was always in the outdoors and he aimed to experience all he could. Most importantly, though, John Muir told the world about the wonders of nature. His words made a difference and inspired people in many countries to start protecting planet Earth— and they still do.

Here is an entertaining collection of John Muir’s most exciting adventures, representing some of his finest writing. From the famous avalanche ride off the rim of Yosemite Valley to his night spent weathering a windstorm at the top of a tree to death-defying falls on Alaskan glaciers, the renowned outdoorsman’s exploits are related in passages that are by turns exhilarating, unnerving, dizzying, and outrageous.

This engaging retelling of the Southern Sierra Miwok legend features the great Yosemite Valley monolith, El Capitan, and how it came to be. Mother Grizzly Bear thinks that her two playful cubs are wrestling and having fun along the Merced River while she is checking her fish traps. When she returns to join her sons, however, she discovers the cubs are nowhere to be found. It takes an unlikely hero to bring her cubs safely home. Populated with characters based on real Sierra animals, this story is about the value of all beings, the nature of courage, and the idea that being a hero has very little to do with one’s size. Includes notes about the life and culture of the Southern Sierra Miwok and a bibliography.

An original board book that encourage a bedtime in tune with nature. Join Little Muir as he bids good night to the natural world and experiences the wonder of a starry night outdoors. Legendary conservationist John Muir’s dreamy prose and award-winning illustrator Susie Ghahremani’s cheerful paintings come together in this luminous board book. Young children will be treated to nighttime creatures—owls, bats, bears, and more—in this colorful ode to our planet and its celestial neighbors, which directly supports the legacy of Yosemite National Park.

It's the little things that matter in this whimsical romp in Yosemite National Park.A bear and a chickaree help the youngest visitors notice tiny natural treasures, like a wee Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, a dainty alpine shooting star, a surprisingly teensy giant sequoia cone, and more. Small children will appreciate that everyone, even a bear, feels small in the big park. And at the end of a busy day it’s best to leave only little footprints in beautiful Yosemite.

This colorful volume is a wonderful introduction to the story of the giant sequoia, the world’s largest tree. Tracing the life of one special sequoia that lived for over 2,000 years, it shows the stages of development of the tree in relation to important events in world history. When the Tree of Time is only a seedling, Hannibal and his elephants are crossing the Alps. While the sequoia grows, humankind progresses from wooden-wheeled chariots and rock paintings to space ships on the moon and computers. Children will be captivated by the parade of events illustrated here, and there’s an informative time-line of world history that runs throughout the book. The reader is left with a real appreciation for the remarkable age of the Tree of Time and giant sequoias generally.