Kamana Books, Field Guides & Resources

This list will help you determine what resources you will need for each level of the Kamana Naturalist Training Program. Please read it carefully, as there are some helpful hints within...

Our Kamana resource list is very useful while you while you shop on-line - purchasing your books and audio resources with us supports scholarships to connect kids of all ages with nature!

IMPORTANT: Where given options, be sure to choose books for your own bioregion. For example, if you live in California, choose Western bird guides, and if you are exploring Kamana Four and live in New Mexico, your best choice of forest guides is Peterson Field Guides: Rocky Mountain & Southwest Forests. For students outside of North America, check www.kamana.org for recommendations.

Note: The "recommended" Kamana books at the end of this list will enhance your learning experience.

Kamana One Required

Readers Digest: North America Wildlife
Seeing Through Native Eyes: Understanding the Language of Nature, CD set by Jon Young

Kamana Two Required

Nature Awareness Trail...

Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message, by Jake Swamp
Choose one:

Ingwe, by Ingwe

Spirit of the Leopard CDs, by Ingwe

Resource Trail...

Mammals
Peterson Field Guides: Mammals, by Fiona Reid
Peterson Field Guides: Venomous Animals & Poisonous Plants, by Steven Foster & Roger Caras
Peterson Field Guides: Animal Tracks, by Olaus Murie and Mark Elbroch

Note: Mammal Tracks & Sign, by Mark Elbroch will also cover this need

Birds
The Birder's Handbook, by Erlich, Dobson & Wheye
Choose one:
Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Birds, by Roger Tory Peterson
Peterson Field Guides: Western Birds, by Roger Tory Peterson
Peterson Field Guides: Birds of Texas, by Roger Tory Peterson

Peterson Field Guides: Birds of North America, by Roger Tory Peterson

Sibley Field Guide: Birds Eastern, by David Allen Sibley

Sibley Field Guide: Birds Western, by David Allen Sibley

Plants
Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, by Lawrence Newcomb
Choose one:
Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers Northeastern/North-Central, by Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny
Peterson Field Guides: Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, by John J. and Frank C. Craighead, and Ray J. Davis
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern & Texas Wildflowers, by Theodore F. Niehaus

Peterson Field Guides: Pacific States Wildflowers, by Theodore F. Niehaus

Note: If you live in the Northwest, an alternative for PFG: Pacific State Wildflowers is Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, BC & Alaska, by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon

Trees
Choose one:
Audubon Field Guide to Trees: Eastern, by Elbert L. Little
Audubon Field Guide to Trees: Western, by Elbert L. Little

Other
Golden Guides: Reptiles & Amphibians, by Hobart Smith & Herbert S. Zim*
Golden Guides: Pond Life, by George K. Reid*
Golden Guides: Insects, by Herbert Spencer Zim & Clarence Cottam*
*Note: If you already have more detailed versions of these guides, they are optional

Kamana Three Required

Botany in a Day, by Tom Elpel
Skulls and Bones: A Guide to the Skeletal Structures and Behavior of North American Mammals, by Glenn Searfoss
Golden Guides: Bird Life, by Stephen W. Kress

Note: Helpful in that it illustrates bird calls. If budgeting, not absolutely essential.
Golden Guides: Weather, by Paul Lehr

Note: Not necessary if you already have a weather book or guide.
Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants, by Lee Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson

Note: Not necessary if you already have a local wild-edible guide.

Choose one:
Peterson Field Guides: Medicinal Plants & Herbs Eastern, by Steven Foster & James A. Duke
Peterson Field Guides: Medicinal Plants & Herbs Western, by Steven Foster & Christopher Hobbs

Kamana Four Required

Stokes Guide to Animal Tracking, by Donald W. Stoke and Lillian Q. Stokes

Note: This book is really great, though it is not essential if you are on a tight budget.

Choose one:
Stokes: Field Guide to Bird Songs, Western, CDs by Kevin J. Colver with Donald and Lillian Stokes
Stokes: Field Guide to Bird Songs, Eastern, CDs by Donald and Lillian Stokes and Lang Elliott

Choose one:
Peterson Field Guides: Reptiles & Amphibians, Eastern, by Roger Conant and Joseph Collins
Peterson Field Guides: Reptiles & Amphibians, Western, by Robert C. Stebbins

Choose one:
Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Forests, by John Kricher and Gordon Morrison
Peterson Field Guides: California & Pacific Northwest Forests, by John Kricher and Gordon Morrison
Peterson Field Guides: Rocky Mountain & Southwest Forests, by John Kricher and Gordon Morrison

Kamana Recommended Books and CD's

These resources are highly recommended for the Kamana student's growing library:

Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature: For Kids of All Ages and their Mentors, by Jon Young, Ellen Haas and Evan McGown

Advanced Bird Language: Reading the Concentric Rings of Nature, CD set by Jon Young

National Audubon Society regional field guides

Note: These guides are excellent if they have one for your bioregion. (We carry the NAS Field Guide to the Rocky Mountain States.) They will be especially helpful for family journals in Kamana Three.

Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species, by Mark Elbroch

The Tracker, by Tom Brown, Jr.

Jungle Lore, by Jim Corbett

Note: We no longer carry Jungle Lore, but you can find it through other online bookstores or the publisher, Oxford University Press.

Also, please check out any of the other resources recommended in our Tracking Section!