Our million-hour reading expedition through the animal kingdom with Read City USA begins in the mountains.
Mountains are over 1,900 feet in elevation and typically have steep, sloping sides and rounded ridges and peaks. They tend to be rocky and barren above the tree line, and many mountains get significant amounts of snow in the winter months. Atop alpine mountains, the temperature drops, the air thins, and the sunlight is harsh. While many different plant and animal species thrive in lower elevations, it is an unforgiving landscape above the tree line, though some hardy species still survive at high elevations. Examples of mountain habitats include the Himalayas and the Appalachian Mountains, as well as volcanic mountains, like Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Animals found in mountain ecosystems include mountain goats, llamas, ibex, bighorn sheep, condors, lynx, and many others.
This book list explores the mountain habitat, the animals that live there, and the people that face breathtaking challenges against them. Join us on this exciting expedition!
Juvenile
- The Bear Went Over the Mountain by Ida Trapani Easy-Picture Book
- Gorilla by Suzi Eszterhas Juvenile-Nonfiction
- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George Juvenile-Fiction
- On My Mountain by Francois Aubineau Easy-Picture Book
- Over on a Mountain: Somewhere in the World by Marianne Collins Berkes Easy-Picture Book
- Pandas: All the Latest Facts from the Field by Ruth Strother Juvenile-Nonfiction
- Snow Leopard: Ghost of the Mountain by Justin Anderson Juvenile-Nonfiction
- A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry Juvenile-Fiction
- Wolf Storm by Dee Garretson Juvenile-Fiction
Teen
- Backwater by Joan Bauer
- Deadfall by Stephen Wallenfels
- Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett
- Girls of July by Alex Flinn
- Longbow Girl by Linda Davies
- A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
- Peak by Roland Smith
- Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus
- When I Am Through with You by Stephanie Kuehn
- Wildfire by Carrie Mac
Adult Fiction
- East of the Mountains by David Guterson
- In the Palm of Darkness by Mayra Montero
- The Wall by Jeff Long
- Wild Mountain Thyme by Rosamund Pilcher
- If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss
- The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel
Adult Nonfiction
- White Mountain: a Cultural Adventure through the Himalayas by Robert Twigger
- Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester
- On the Wild Edge: In Search of a Natural Life by David Petersen
- The Mountains of St. Francis: Discovering the Geological Events that Shaped our Earth by Walter Alvarez
Crafts
Print these templates to complete your own mountain animals crafts! When you complete them, log another hour of reading. (Printed versions of one craft each month will be available at your library location. Check with your location for specific availability.)