When professor and children鈥檚 book critic Michelle Martin announced听that she wanted to move to California to pursue outdoor education, her mother was skeptical.听鈥淪he was like, 鈥楤lack people have been trying to get out of the woods for generations. Why are you going into the woods? It鈥檚 not a safe place,鈥欌�� Martin recalls. In the days of slavery, the men and women who set out north for freedom were stalked by terror, death, and dogs.听(John Muir, by contrast, walked from Indiana to Florida on a lark just two years after Appomattox.) This year, when Amy Cooper on Black birder Christian Cooper in Central Park, the was clear: you don鈥檛 belong here.

Despite her mom鈥檚 concern, Martin went west anyway in the late eighties. She鈥檇 felt at home in nature since she was a little girl, collecting toads with her cousins in the red clay of the South Carolina Midlands. Today, as a professor at听the University of Washington鈥檚 Information School, she and draws attention to the dearth of Black protagonists in children鈥檚 books about nature. Children鈥檚 literature scholar Rudine Sims Bishop that books serve as 鈥渨indows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.鈥� They let young readers understand others, see themselves, and escape into other worlds as they build an identity and locate themselves in our planet鈥檚 tangle of life. 鈥淚f you have a diverse diet of books that introduce you to all kinds of different ways of being,鈥� Martin says, 鈥測ou develop more empathy. It prepares you to be a better citizen of the world.鈥�

After children鈥檚 literature researcher Andrea Breau read about Martin鈥檚 work , she dug into the data. Breau is a project coordinator at , an organization dedicated to collecting, researching, and promoting children鈥檚 books with diverse characters. 鈥淚 was not surprised but definitely disappointed,鈥� she says. Her identified just 16 books鈥攐ut of more than 3,000 in Diverse BookFinder鈥檚 collection of diverse picture books鈥攊n which Black children 鈥渁ctively explore the outdoors with no purpose other than to convene with nature.鈥� (She excluded stories about slavery or outdoor labor.) Only four of the books Breau identified qualify as , a hashtag coined by YA author Corinne Duyvis to identify kids鈥� books 鈥渁bout diverse characters written by authors from that same diverse group.鈥� More disturbingly, when Breau analyzed the narratives, she found that even when the child鈥檚 own parents feature in the story, it鈥檚 white characters who often introduce the child to nature or facilitate their experience in the outdoors. Of the nine books she found听that feature Black families, Breau wrote, only three 鈥減ortray Black parents who actively foster the relationship between their child and nature.鈥澨�

Whether books with Black protagonists are a mirror or a window for your child, parents can help kids make the leap from the pages to real life. For example, Breau suggests pairing relevant reading with candid discussions about the national parks鈥� . For a while, was Martin鈥檚 daughter鈥檚 favorite book. 鈥淲e probably wouldn鈥檛 have thought about going to the country to pick blueberries if it hadn鈥檛 been for that book,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the same thing with being outdoors. If it鈥檚 not portrayed as a possibility, then it makes it harder for you to see yourself doing that.鈥澨�

The statistics are dismal, but is a first step toward change. Here are some of Breau and Martin鈥檚 favorite books about Black children in nature.

鈥榃e Are Brothers,鈥� by Yves Nadon, illustrated by Jean Claverie

This story of two brothers, featuring gorgeous听illustrations, is a favorite among the Diverse BookFinder team. A boy is determined to follow his big brother in a beloved summer tradition at a swimming hole. In his quest, he discovers new kinship not only with his sibling听but with the natural world.

鈥楬iking Day,鈥� by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell

When Martin received this book to review, she thought, Why is this amazing? 鈥淎nd I couldn鈥檛 think of any other book where a Black family goes outside,鈥� she says. In fact, they don鈥檛 go far. For the first time, the family hikes a mountain they can see from their house. The author and illustrator, a mother-daughter team, let readers share the little girl鈥檚 awe as she summits the peak听and discovers that adventure can be just around the corner.

鈥楢 Beach Tail,鈥� by Karen P. Williams, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

After Gregory听loses track of his father,听he finds himself alone on the beach鈥攁n anxious moment听that quietly echoes the feelings of loneliness and fear that recur throughout life. As Gregory听retraces his steps to reunite with his dad, acclaimed illustrator Floyd Cooper takes us down the shoreline through the boy鈥檚 eyes.

鈥楾he Hike,鈥� by Alison Farrell

When three girls set out to explore听their local woods, they discover听that hikes can be unpredictable. They spot wildlife, take detours, and get worn out. Along the way, the illustrations feature plenty of plant and animal听labels, and a glossary of scientific terms prepares young armchair adventurers to mount their own expedition.

鈥楾he Snowy Day,鈥� by Ezra Jack Keats

This award-winning 1963 classic follows Peter around the big city as he revels in the wonder of a first snowfall. When Martin was growing up, this picture book was one of the few that featured a character that looked like her鈥攁nd she wasn鈥檛 the only one enchanted with it. A perennial favorite, it has been checked out of the New York Public Library . In The Atlantic, Martin the story鈥檚 popularity to its quiet, universal appeal and Keats鈥檚 stunning illustrations, which see the world from a child鈥檚 point of view.

鈥榃here鈥檚 Rodney?,鈥� by Carmen Bogan, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

This tale听illustrates a common situation, Martin says: 鈥淎n听African American boy in a class with a teacher who really doesn鈥檛 get him. And he鈥檚 acting out.鈥� When the teacher threatens to take away his field trip to the park, Rodney isn鈥檛 concerned. He knows all about the park, which he passes every day. But Rodney鈥檚听field trip is to a type of park he鈥檚 never visited before. He finds more room to play than he ever imagined and a space where he can be himself. (Keep an eye out for Bogan鈥檚 forthcoming picture book about a girl in Rodney鈥檚 class. She doesn鈥檛 feel included among her classmates on the playground, but she begins to break down those barriers鈥攚ith the help of a turtle.)

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鈥楾he Camping Trip,鈥� by Jennifer K. Mann

While car camping with her aunt and cousin, a little girl explores the edge of her comfort zone in the great outdoors. Ernestine鈥檚 trip to the lake is full of unexpected delights, and campers of any age can relate to her frustration as she wrangles a tent for the first time. Martin says that this story, which features a single dad helping his daughter prepare for adventure, is a favorite in her stack of new releases, adding that the final pages are especially poignant, 鈥淚 teared up at the end of this one,鈥� she says.

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鈥楬ike,鈥� by Pete Oswald

Published earlier this year, this quiet story follows a father and child听on a day hike, and while the characters are not explicitly African American, they are people of color. Near the summit, the pair don climbing gear and scramble to the top, where they plant a seedling to help ensure the forest will be there for future fathers and children听out adventuring together. Oswald鈥檚 expansive illustrations take precedence over words here, inspiring close observation and thoughtful reflection.

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Keep Exploring听

• ,听by Gaia Cornwall, focuses on another activity where Black children are underrepresented: swimming.听
• ,听by Shabazz Larkin, helps children connect these insects听with the food they eat and fosters an appreciation for the sometimes-scary pollinators.听
• , by Dolores Johnson, is a different kind of picture book. It听tells the true story of Henson, who went on seven polar expeditions, including Robert Peary鈥檚 1909 trip to the geographic North Pole.听
  听

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had to post a bouncer at the door. The garden supplier鈥檚 small storefront in Asheville, North Carolina, was so swamped in early March that staff began to let only six customers in at a time, long before social distancing . Inside, victory-garden vegetables, like tomatoes and squashes, were the first to go. Curated seed sets鈥攖he Homesteader鈥檚 Kit, the Preparedness Kit鈥攙anished. Then the storefront closed, and for about a month, all of its听employees became warehouse staff, frantically filling orders for as much as a year鈥檚 worth of seeds. Sales this March were double what they were last March.

Despite assurances that supply chains are intact, bare grocery shelves and market听closures have underscored how fragile our global production systems听are, especially when it comes to food. But this wasn鈥檛 news to small-scale farmers, homesteaders, or the organizations that support them, like western North Carolina鈥檚 , a permaculture and homesteading school, and the nearby听, which supports local growers of all kinds.听In the Organic Growers School鈥檚 for aspiring homesteaders, instructors Lee Warren and Brandon Greenstein have long warned that there may come a time when self-reliance becomes imperative.

People have survived wars and epidemics through their ability to provide for themselves, Warren, executive director of Organic Growers School, says, 鈥渁nd because we鈥檝e become so dependent on the larger system, we鈥檙e just vulnerable. And that鈥檚 not going to change in the short term.鈥� As many Americans confront a world where basic needs aren鈥檛 automatically met for the first time, interest in self-sufficiency has, predictably, grown鈥攁nd it goes beyond food. Demand for Wild Abundance鈥檚 survival-skills course, for example, has also spiked. People want to know how to build a fire.

Beginning to understand and disentangle yourself from the industrial food systems we all rely on can be as simple as reading a book or growing a few herbs in your kitchen window this summer. Homesteading may sound extreme, but it鈥檚 really just a lifestyle of self-sufficiency鈥攁nd you don鈥檛 need to head west in your covered wagon听to get started. As Warren teaches, homesteading is an attitude. Here are a few ways to get your feet wet.

Grow Your Own Food

鈥淎 great way to get started is to just get some stuff in the ground and start experimenting with growing,鈥� Warren says. To ease into gardening, pick up a live basil plant at the grocery store and task yourself with keeping it alive. Houseplants, too, provide great practice for an eventual garden and a vital link to nature during days at home. If you have a sunny yard, patio, or even balcony, you can grow summer vegetables like peppers, squashes, tomatoes, beans, and eggplants. can even take the guesswork out of watering. You can order seeds by mail and pick up soil and other gardening听tools in a single, careful trip to the hardware store, a business that鈥檚 considered essential.

Despite social distancing, you don鈥檛 have to go it alone. Wild Abundance offers called Top 10 Vegetables to Plant That Will Really Feed You.听Over 7,000 people have already accessed the course, which is available to complete anytime.听 has a wealth of resources on and . 鈥淓very state has sustainable-agriculture organizations at the federal, state, university, and NGO levels,鈥� Warren says. She recommends a Google search to find one near you鈥攖hat way听the resources will be tailored to your climate and growing area. If you have the time and space, and enjoy fresh eggs. Many public and land-grant universities are required to provide taxpayers with free educational opportunities; these have historically focused on agricultural education, and they remain a valuable resource not just for growing and farming but also cooking, preserving, and other homesteading arts.

Reuse and Rethink

Homesteaders rely on creative reuse to harness every last bit of utility from household goods. It鈥檚 easy to turn vegetable scraps, for example, into . Inedible scraps, along with coffee grounds, eggshells, and other organic matter, go into the , which enriches garden soil. If you don鈥檛 have land, you can still compost. Many communities offer composting programs, or better yet, contribute your scraps to a grateful gardening friend鈥攋ust make arrangements to add it to their听compost pile when they鈥檙e听not around. Consider adding a rain barrel to your property. 鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be a big economic crunch going on, so we instituted a system of not wasting anything,鈥� says Cherie Jzar, an urban homesteader in Charlotte, North Carolina. 鈥淎nother important thing that people don鈥檛 think about is clothing. You鈥檙e at home,听you don鈥檛 need to wear an outfit every day.鈥澨�(To cut down on laundry, Jzar鈥檚 family also designates certain clothes for outdoor chores.) Hide your paper towels under the sink, and use a dish towel instead. Old T-shirts or sheets can become cleaning rags or鈥攊n a pinch鈥攖oilet paper, and mason jars can do just about anything. Do finicky tasks during the day, and rely less on lamps at night. Simply observe your consumption habits and begin to take manageable steps back.

Buy in Bulk

Buying beans, grains, and other dry goods by the pound is a low-waste, cost-efficient way to stock up on essentials. Protein-packed beans and chickpeas are remarkably versatile and keep for years. But don鈥檛 be afraid to experiment with unfamiliar ingredients. 鈥淥ne thing that鈥檚 kind of fun is the value of millet,鈥� says Natalie Bogwalker, founder and director of Wild Abundance. Americans tend to be more familiar with millet as a birdseed than as a pantry staple, but it鈥檚 extremely cheap. (Many people enjoy millet鈥檚 uneven texture when cooked, but if you don鈥檛, try with it.) If electricity becomes unreliable for any reason, oats and buckwheat groats are beneficial in that they don鈥檛 require cooking; soaking alone yields an edible, healthy meal.

Practice Homesteading Arts

Seek out opportunities to do things yourself. Hone your cooking skills.听If you鈥檙e a beginner, online resources like the YouTube channel can help. If you鈥檙e an experienced home cook, branch out. Condiments like , , and are easy to make and lend complex flavors to homemade meals. Customize . Learn to can and , starting with . (This is a great habit to develop as summer approaches; you can learn to put away tomatoes and peaches at peak ripeness to be enjoyed in the winter, when it seems like turnips are the only thing in season.) Jump on the bandwagon and get a sourdough starter going. Your nearest likely offers online guidance for all these skills. Making things with your hands, food or not, provides a source of satisfaction鈥攁nd it鈥檚 something to do in the suddenly long evenings. Learn to or . Practice your . Take up carpentry. Build something useful. One of Jzar鈥檚 first homesteading projects was to construct听a swing set with her family. When something breaks, learn how to fix it. Make your own or . Crafts and physical tasks can counteract the malaise of another night of Netflix and supplant the phantom productivity of online shopping.

Get Some Context

Two generations ago, almost half of Americans farmed. Today听 identify as farmers, and their farms tend to be vast and industrial or small and entrepreneurial. Wendell Berry鈥檚 1977 book is an excellent primer on how this happened, and it鈥檚 become a foundational text for local-agriculture advocates like Warren.听鈥淏ig agriculture, globalization, and industrial food has caused a hunger crisis, health crisis, environmental crisis, and inequity problems. Wendell Berry made this obvious to us very early on,鈥� she听says. 鈥淏ut it has far-reaching effects and is even more true today.鈥� (The consequences of consolidation are currently playing out: three meat companies control of the American market, and we now face .)

Wendell鈥檚 daughter, Mary Berry, continues her father鈥檚 work as executive director of the , which advocates for farmers and a healthy relationship with the land. She recommends anything written by conservationist Aldo Leopold or Wes Jackson, cofounder of the , a sustainable-agriculture organization. For a bite-size introduction to these issues, check out agricultural journalist Alan Guebert鈥檚 column, the . And if you鈥檙e not quite ready to devote your bedtime reading to agriculture? 鈥淛ane Austen is an agrarian writer,鈥� Mary Berry says. 鈥淭rollope is an agrarian writer.鈥�

Cultivate Community

When you plant seeds in the ground, you embark on a collaborative relationship with the land. You become attuned to changes in season and the composition of soil, and you join a like-minded community. 鈥淎 lot of people think of homesteading and self-sufficiency as a really individualistic thing,鈥� Bogwalker says. 鈥淏ut if it鈥檚 going to be successful, it needs to be a community thing.鈥� Farm and homestead experiences are听hard-won, and community naturally springs up around swapping knowledge. Trade your tomato surplus for a friend鈥檚 fresh honey. Start a compost pile, and invite your neighbors to contribute. Call your gardening friend or a local nursery for advice. Make plans for the future. Season after season, in the face of uncertainty, planting seeds remains an expression of hope.

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