We’ve had lots of fun with our photography unit, using books mainly for preschoolers through elementary-age kids. Here are some of our favorite books for a photography theme!
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Just choose books based on your child’s age and what you think will engage your child’s interest. I recommend checking out the “Read Sample” feature on Amazon and reading reviews there. Another place to learn about a book is on YouTube. You can typically see the entire book there.
Montessori-friendly books use photos or realistic illustrations. They don’t have talking animals or a lot of fantasy. But many books that have fantasy and talking animals are wonderful books, and I love sharing them with children who understand the difference between fantasy and reality.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).
Books for a Photography Theme
The books on our shelves for this unit are for preschoolers through elementary-age kids.
Of course, there are many books with examples of amazing photography for babies and toddlers. And I especially recommend Montessori-friendly books for babies and toddlers that use photographs for illustrations. One of my favorite series is the Global Fund for Children books of beautiful babies from around the world.
Books for a Photography Theme
Here are the books we’ve especially enjoyed for preschoolers through elementary-age kids:
Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
- Photography for Kids: A Beginners’ Book (for ages 8-11, includes the basics of photography, examples of photos to illustrate concepts, and photography activities for kids to do).
- National Geographic Kids Guide to Photography(Comprehensive photography information for kids ages 8-12)
- Photography for Children: A Young Person’s Guide to Taking Pictures
2nd Shelf:
- Photo Adventures for Kids: Solving the Mysteries of Taking Great Photos
- Dorothea’s Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth
- It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph
- My Wild Life: Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer (Fascinating photographs and information from a wildlife photographer. My 25-month-old granddaughter loves to go through this book and have me read the photo captions to her.)
3rd Shelf:
- Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America
- How Does a Camera Work?
- The Secret Life of Squirrels (My 8-year-old grandson thinks this book is hilarious! It’s a great example of using creativity in photography.)
4th Shelf:
- National Geographic Kids PhotoArk: Celebrating our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures
- How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods (My 25-month-old granddaughter has me read this to her almost every day! She loves talking about emotions, and this uses creative photography to talk about emotions in a fun way.)
- A Love Letter to Our Planet: Thank You, Earth ( a beautiful use of photography and poetry to celebrate our planet)
Bottom Shelf:
We’ve also enjoyed these books during our photography unit:
- National Geographic Photo Basics (not a children’s book but has gorgeous photos as examples and is great for elementary-age kids ready for more advanced photography concepts)
- Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail (This has many options for fun nature activities. The Backpack Explorer series is lots of fun for nature explorers. These books have lots of beautiful photographs and engaging illustrations along with lots of ideas for nature activities. I have the 5-book set, which also includes a nature collection box to display nature treasures.)
You can see lots of photography books for kids here.
Related Resources and Activities:
Montessori-Inspired Photography Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Photography Printables and Montessori-Inspired Photography Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Photography for Kids
- Go on a Smile Hunt with Your Child
- Photography for Kids Pinterest Board
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