Secrets of the Forest: 15 Bedtime Stories Inspired by Nature

by Alicia Klepeis, Alicia Klepeis, Kristen Adam (Illustrations)

A beautifully illustrated collection of 5 minute bedtime stories about the wildlife found in woods around the world.

Every forest contains a thousand secrets… In this charming anthology of stories by Alicia Klepeis readers will be guided into forests to meet the amazing animals that live there. In one story a squirrel hunts for an elusive acorn it buried earlier in the year, while another looks at an Alaskan wood frog as it freezes itself alive to survive a harsh winter. Children will be thrilled by the tale of a reindeer that gets separated from its herd in the snowy woods of Scandinavia, and marvel at a chameleon changing colour in the forests of Madagascar.

Other stories feature elephants, wild cats, pangolins, badgers, foxes, monarch butterflies, otters, walking fish, a tree that can live for thousands of years, and even forest-dwelling penguins! All of these creatures and their habitats are brought to life with impressive skill by illustrator Kristen Adam.

Each story in Secrets of the Forest is based on the real biology and behavior of these amazing wild animals, and at the end of each tale readers will find out more about the science that inspired the story. So as they drift off to sleep, they will know a little bit more about the world around them.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Audiobook, Science

160 pages, Hardcover

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

From color-changing creatures to extreme environments to far-out foods, Alicia Klepeis loves to research fun and out-of-the-ordinary topics that bring the world to young readers. Alicia began her career at the National Geographic Society. She is the author of more than 200 kids’ books. Her nonfiction titles include Go Wild! Frogs; Gutsy Girls Go For Science: Astronauts; Jane Goodall; Living In The Rain Forest; The Philadelphia Eagles; Polar Bears & Penguins: A Pretty Cool Introduction to the Arctic and Antarctic; The Science And Technology Of Ben Franklin; Superfast Cars; and The World’s Strangest Foods.

Alicia's fictional titles include the anthology Secrets of the Forest: 15 Bedtime Stories Inspired By Nature, named Children's Book of the Week by The Independent. Her picture book Francisco’s Kites was named to the Tejas Star Reading List. She is also the author of several World Adventure chapter books including Mountains, Monsoons, and Mules. She has written over 100 articles in magazines such as National Geographic Kids, Kiki, and FACES. Alicia is currently working on several projects involving amazing animals, American history, and world cultures. She lives with her family in upstate New York.

Reviews

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet stories about unique animals from around the world including a great story-science break about a frog 🐸 that lives and hibernate in the snows of Alaska. Wow!

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Very cute stories with facts about the animals involved after each story. This is great to listen to and have on in the background while your child is playing with legos or whatever.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my 5-year old and we both loved it! It was fun reading about unique animals all over the world. Each had a short story and the facts at the end. We’re excited to read it again!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I listened to this audiobook. We learned a ton about animals all over the world. We enjoyed talking about new information we learned from listening to this one.

[Themountainbookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best as an audiobook

[Lynn Sodergren · Rating 5 out of 5]

We started reading this collection of nature stories when our son was born and finally finished it

[Addy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it to my siblings and we loved it! The part I liked most was the interesting facts.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales of animals and the real facts that factor into their story.

[Kolby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iris loved

[Martina P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely tales for anytime not just before sleep.