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Dawn Publications


Dawn Publications began with the genius of one man – Joseph Cornell - for sharing nature with children. With the publication of Sharing Nature with Children (1979) he began a career of connecting people with nature - his "nature games" produced a revolution in nature education with their hands-on nature experiences. The response was so positive (over 500,000 copies in English and many more in 15 languages) that Joseph went on to develop his popular series of books.


One day in 1992, a manuscript for a childrens picture book came in the mail from an unusually talented 14 year-old junior high school student. Her name was Kristin Joy Pratt. With A Walk in the Rainforest (1992) and then her second book, A Swim through the Sea (1994), we were thrilled to bring beautiful, inspiring books directly to children. Dozens of children's books later, with authors and illustrators all over the U.S., we are very pleased to present a unique line of nature appreciation titles. More recently, we published a series of guides to assist teachers to share nature in the classroom. We sincerely hope that these products help future generations to cherish the Earth and live appreciatively on it.


In each of these products, our passion is to assist parents and educators to open the minds and hearts of children to the transforming influence of nature. Our books not only seek to inform, but also to inspire. In other words, we try to reach the heart as well as the mind, for the heart is the impulse that will motivate children to a lifelong relationship of respect, stewardship and intelligent cooperation with our Earth home and Mother Nature.


Our offices are in an oak and pine forest in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s, just outside of Nevada City, California. We feel fortunate to have a business so close to nature-where deer and wild turkeys often amble by! As you might suspect, our team is a nature-loving bunch.