Is your child a young naturalist? If so, then this new book, If I Were a Park Ranger by Catherine Stier, is sure to grab their attention! We are so excited to share this If I Were a Park Ranger book review with you today! We often encourage kids to be doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, artist, and teachers but there are so many more careers out there. Especially for those kids that love to be in nature! This new book offers a glimpse into the world of those working for national parks as park rangers!
If I Were a Park Ranger Book Review
If I Were a Park Ranger by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Patrick Corrigan, is a charming and educational picture book for kids that explores what life is like for a national parks park ranger. It’s a career path that I think many kids would be interested in but it’s also a career doesn’t get a lot of mainstream attention. This book opens children’s eyes to this really great career path! Plus it teaches them about all the care and hard work that goes into maintaining our national parks.
My husband is a park ranger (for our state parks system, not national parks) and because of this my daughter also wants to be a park ranger when she grows up. We’ve always been able to find many books about each of our national parks but there has never been much available for kids about the park ranger career. This book fills that void and helps kids explore what life is like as a park ranger!
If I Were a Park Ranger by Catherine Stier
“Imagine serving as a park ranger for our U.S. National Parks! Being a park ranger means protecting animals, the environment, and our country’s natural and historical heritage, from the wilds of Denali to the Statue of Liberty!”
The images in this book are really beautiful and will make you want to visit all our national parks!
The colors are bold and bright, pulling you into the landscapes and the jobs of the park rangers. I also liked that the rangers depicted are very diverse, women and people of color are depicted in many of the images. The illustrations clearly show what park rangers do and the range of environments that they work in. This makes it easy for younger children to understand what the story is about, even if they can’t read yet.
I love how thorough the book is about the career of a park ranger. The jobs can vary so much by location and position. The author does a great job of showcasing the wide range of responsibilities that park ranges can have in our national parks.
They do so much more than people realize!
Most people assume that park rangers are hiking through forests or cleaning up trails but there are many more things that they do. This book really explains all the different ways park rangers make our national parks that much more special. It shows how hard they work and all the ways that kids can one day work for national parks.
This book also gives kids a quick history of the parks and people that had a big impact on them. We liked reading about all the different people that helped make our parks what they are today. My older kids also really liked the section in the back of the book where they can learn more in-depth information about national parks. They learned about art in the parks, how national parks helps scientists and researchers, and how STEM plays an important role in our park service today,
This book is perfect for children and families that visit national parks often or even just love nature! I highly recommend that you add this great book to your library today!
Buy it now –> If I Were a Park Ranger by Catherine Stier
Already own the book? Author Catherine Stier has a fun curriculum guide that goes along with this book! It’s perfect for kids that want to learn more or for homeschooling families! You can find it by visiting Catherine’s website <— click the link to find it!
Do you want to be a park ranger now? My daycare kids all do now! 🙂
I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. See full disclosure policy here.