The 10 Best Books For Cub Scouts: Inspiration, Information, Fun

Written by Jaci H in All Posts,Best of ScoutSmarts,Cub Scouting

Do books and Cub Scouts mix? We sure think so! While some may argue that Scouting is all about adventuring in the great outdoors, children can also embark on inspiring adventures and experience a sense of wonder through the pages of an exceptional book. That’s why, in this article, we’ll be sharing 10 fantastic reads to enhance the experience of any Cub Scout!

PS. This article is a guest post collaboration between Cub Scouting volunteer Jaci H and Cole 🙂

According to the Child Mind Institute, the benefits of reading go far beyond language skills. For example, kids can learn about the world — things like culture, history, and science — through nonfiction books. Of course, reading fiction takes your kids into imaginary worlds, which is also amazing! All kinds of books can help them explore the human experience.

HI! Jaci H here – My son is 18 and a new Eagle Scout. My daughter is 16. We always read to them when they were toddlers and have done our best to show a love of reading. While life and school get busy, they still enjoy a good book when there’s downtime. My son recently started re-reading some books that his dad had read to him when he was younger!

In this article, we thought it’d be fun to investigate the best books for Cub Scouts. We found some reads that should be stimulating and fun, others will make them laugh, and finally, some books that will offer history and reinforce Cub Scouting skills. We hope you’ll enjoy this mix of to epic Cub Scouting books! 

We’ve divided the books into five main categories. Plus, we’ll also share details about the reading age and reviews. Since ScoutSmarts is for Scouts all across the United States, all of these titles are available on Amazon. However, we also love libraries, local businesses, and used bookstores, so check their availability in your hometown too!

We had too much fun with this article, so if you’d rather skip to a specific section, you can select a book from the list of topics we’ve covered here:

Historical Cub Scout Books

The Jungle Book

We might as well start at the beginning with history! Have you ever heard of Cub Scouting’s connections to The Jungle Book? I first came across this Wikipedia article when I was writing about the term Akela (pronounced a-kay-la), which is a “symbol of wisdom, authority, and leadership.” 

Interesting Literature outlines five fascinating facts about The Jungle Book, and the first two have to do with Scouts! The first is as follows: Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouts, personally requested author Rudyard Kipling’s permission to use names and symbols from The Jungle Book in his new Scouting movement. 

The second item in the website’s list refers to Akela being adopted by Scouting to refer to the leader of the Scout pack. It has also come to be known as the term to refer to any Scout leader, and even Scout parents — all symbols of wisdom. 😉

As described on Amazon, “The Jungle Book” is a timeless tale about friendship and the importance of respecting nature. The reading age is 8-12 years old. The bestselling book is 154 pages and has rave reviews. Many kids are familiar with the latest movie adaptation (trailer just under two minutes below). Consider reading the book and then watching the movie with your Cub Scout for fun!

Informational Cub Scout Books

The next set of books we’ll share are informational or related to a skill. The books will help build — or reinforce — skills that Cub Scouts are learning. Depending on the age of your Cub Scout, you could read the books with them or let them enjoy them on their own. Reading with your child, of course, helps build another positive connection with them! 🙂

Pinewood Derby

You’ve heard of the Pinewood Derby, right? We’d be surprised if you didn’t! This activity is practically synonymous with Cub Scouting! In fact, author Troy Thorne has written at least eight books about the Pinewood Derby. Troy’s books include information for first-timers, designs and patterns, and a guide to building the fastest car. 

We liked the “Getting Started in the Pinewood Derby step-by-step workbook.” The 96-page book is designed for readers ages 8-12 years old. It looks super fun and engaging, promising “seven easy steps” to building your first race car. Fellow Scouting families must’ve loved it because the book has a 4.5/5 star review! 😀

Exploring The Great Outdoors

Gaining that appreciation and love of the outdoors is a huge part of the Scouting world. With “Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids: 50 Creative Projects To Spark Curiosity in the Outdoors,” you can supplement the mission! The book is geared towards kids ages 5-9 years old and is 134 pages. It has earned 4.8/5 stars with more than 4,000 reviews!

As described on its Amazon page, “This interactive kids’ book is full of fascinating facts and hands-on activities that will take them into the great outdoors. From hunting for bugs to identifying plants, kids will learn, grow, and go adventuring.” 

My kids are both currently teenagers, but I remember those early days when they were curious about anything and everything. I think exploration goes hand-in-hand with growing up! This book looks like a wonderful way to feed into adventures on their own. It might even be a useful tool for a den leader to tie into some rank advancements!

Skills-Focused Cub Scout Books

Wilderness Survival 

For Scouts a bit older, ages 8-11, we found a book to help reinforce those skills learned about being in nature: “The Wilderness Survival Guide for Kids: How to Build a Fire, Perform First Aid, Build Shelter, Forage for Food, Find Water, and Everything Else You Need To Know To Survive in the Outdoors.” What a long name! 😉

The book has 4.6/5 stars for its 126 pages of content. I saw a few complaints about the lack of photos, but there were more positive comments about the great information on surviving the outdoors, including the urban city setting. The author even has a similar book geared toward teenagers, so they must really love sharing their outdoor survival knowledge!

Learning Knots

Also tying into Scout skills…is a book about knots! 😛 “My First Book of Knots: A Beginner’s Guide” is 48 pages geared toward 6-12 year olds. The book has 4.7 stars with more than 900 reviews. It is filled with colorful illustrations!

Please note that this book does not target Scouts, and therefore may teach different knots. However, we think the practice and introduction would be valuable. I did find some interesting reviews that mention Scouting. One reviewer’s son learned so much that “he was even able to teach knots to his Cub Scout leader!” 🙂

All throughout my son’s years in Scouts — almost a dozen — knots were a consistent theme. The basic square knot is the first one they learn in Cub Scouts. Over the years, Scouts continue to build their knot-tying skills and put them to use. For example, while at summer camp, a proper knot helps secure a clothing line between trees to dry swim trunks!

Finding Your Way

Learning how to use a compass is another wonderful skill taught to Scouts. Although adventures are often changed and updated, there is an elective, Cub Scout Wolf Adventure: Finding Your Way, in which a compass is used for navigation to discover waypoints.

The 224-page book “How To Go Anywhere (and Not Get Lost): A Guide to Navigation for Young Adventurers” looks like a fun supplement to the idea of finding your way! The book covers the history of navigation and provides tips for understanding where you are using the landscape — and even the stars!

Social Skills

Growing up, kids (not just Cub Scouts) have to learn important social skills — how to be polite, take turns, use your manners, speak nicely… all that good stuff. When you’re within a group, you might have a conflict (kids or adults!), and handling that friction is another skill. 😀

“Social Skills for Amazing Kids:  Learn How to Make Friends and Keep Them, Identify, Regulate, and Communicate Your Feelings, Set Body Boundaries, Improve Your Attention Skills, and More” promises a lot! In 149 pages of this bestselling book (4.8/5 stars) geared towards 8-15 year olds, your Cubs will surely learn some essential social skills to use with their fellow Cub Scouts. 

The book includes exercises after every chapter and sample scenarios so you can engage in a discussion with your Cub Scout (and even older Scouts) as you read this book. It looks like a great opportunity to have some valuable bonding and teaching time with your child!

Books For Cub Scouting Fun!

Campfire Stories and Jokes

What’s camping without stories or jokes? We saved you the most fun for last! These two books will give your Cub the confidence and inspiration to share a story or tell a joke, whether it be while camping or during fun at a meeting — or even family travel!

With the 144-page “Campfire Stories for Kids: A Story Collection of Scary and Humorous Camp Fire Tales,” children are promised funny, corny, and scary tales. Reviewers gave the book 4.3/5 stars. No age range is shared, so we’d recommend a parent take a look at it first to determine if it’s a good fit for your Cub.

Reviewers gave 4.4/5 stars to the 139 pages of “Try Not To Laugh Challenge Camping Joke Book for Kids.” While the book mentions camping in the title, we can see so many more uses for it! Leaders might even want to borrow it for some meeting openers and other activities. “Make Me Laugh” was one of the ideas for Cub Scout Meeting Games and Activities that we wrote about here! 🙂

Conclusion

When we first came up with the idea to offer book recommendations for Cub Scouts, we weren’t really sure what we would find. We’re sure glad we looked because even one of these reads will help your Cub to have a better, more enriching journey through Scouting! We hope you’re as excited as we are to share these great book ideas with your Cub.

Bonus book alert!! Parenting Through the Ranks: How to Raise Successful Scouts, written by David Harakal, is, in my opinion, the ultimate guide for helping parents to become better supporters and cheerleaders for their Scout!

With this book, parents will have the tools to maximize the benefits of Scouting for their family and develop a richer, long-lasting relationship with their children. This is the perfect book to read if your Cub Scout is about to earn Arrow Of Light rank and cross over!

Thanks so much for dropping by, and for being an awesome part of Cub Scouting! If you enjoyed learning about the fantastic book ideas for Cub Scouts, I’d highly recommend also checking out any of the following articles if they spark your interest:

Happy reading! I hope these ideas inspire you to gift your Cub some fantastic books in the near future. Be sure to come back to ScoutSmarts again soon, because we’ve put together a ton of articles to help awesome families like yours make the most of their Scouting journeys. Until next time, I’m wishing you and your Cub some wonderful times with the Pack ahead! 😀

Jaci H

Jaci H is the proud mom of an Eagle Scout. She enjoyed volunteering with her son's Cub Scout pack and troop, most recently as the fundraising chair. She works as a freelance writer in Southern California.

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