We first became big fans of Cameron Russell when she stepped onto the modeling scene in the 2000’s, working for the likes of Prada, Calvin Klein, Victoria’s Secret, Vogue, and numerous others. Now a mother of three, Cameron is impressing us for a host of other reasons—including her advocacy work around sustainability and making the modeling world more equitable, her 2012 TED Talk (with 40M+ views and counting), her upcoming exhibit celebrating caregivers, and her debut memoir, How To Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone. The page-turner chronicles her 20 years in the modeling industry, enduring abuses both big and small, the male gaze, grappling with capitalism, and a complex mother-daughter relationship, amongst other big topics. Below, the New York-based multi-hyphenate dives into lighter fare, with her list of Mother Essentials—filled with lots of books for the whole family, and products and pastimes that celebrate Mother Nature.

Read Aloud Picture Books. “I love to read to our children. Some of our favorite picture books include the ¡Vamos! books and Malo and the Merry-Go-Round for illustrations that we can return to again and again. Doña Flor and Solomon and The Rusty Nail for stories that are absolutely brilliant. A Big Bed for Little Snow for a bedtime story that’s just a little bit raucous.” ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat, $13.94, Bookshop. Malo and the Merry Go Round, $5.49, Better World Books. Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart, $8.36, Bookshop. Solomon and The Rusty Nail, $8.99, The Eric Carle Museum. A Big Bed for Little Snow, $17.66, Bookshop.

Books For Big Kids “I love the middle grade classics The Pushcart War and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. First chapter book series Dory Fantasmagory and Ivy & Bean had moments that made me laugh out loud with the kids and we loved going on adventures overflowing with creativity and friendship.” The Pushcart War, $12.08, Bookshop. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, $8.36, Bookshop. Dory Fantasmagory, $7.43, Bookshop. Ivy and Bean’s Treasure Box, $18.59, Bookshop.

Hudson Valley Apple Project Mixed Bag. “They’ve been cultivating over 150 historically significant and unique varieties and it’s such a treat to bite into a crispy fall apple with a different taste (or even color, like the Almata Apple that is BRIGHT RED inside!). The kids love dipping them in peanut butter (sometimes with honey or Nutella for dessert).” Hudsonvalleyappleproject.com

Rancho Gordo Beans. “As a lifelong vegetarian, the introduction to so many heirloom beans I hadn’t tried before made standby meals. Like Tuscan white bean soup, or a simple minestrone, or a lentil salad—newly decadent.” RanchoGordo.com.

Fall-Winter Activity with the Kids. “We love to collect fallen leaves, arrange them on clear wax paper, place another sheet on top, and iron. We tape them in our windows for seasonal ‘stained glass.'” Reynolds Cut-Rite Wax Paper, $3.19, Target.

Jumbo Chalk. “For drawing very long hopscotch games, ‘train tracks’ for bikes and scooters, and murals enhanced with a final step of water + paint brushes that swirl all the colors together and make them more opaque on the cement.” Crayola Washable Sidewalk Chalk, $5.29, Target and Scribbles.

Mara Hoffman Tulay Skirt. “She’s closed her doors, but has some of the archive still available on Vestiaire! I have the Tulay skirt in three colors and wear them all the time. Their length, the weight of the linen, and the expert tailoring makes them such confident garments. And there’s something sexy to me about so much fabric with so much graceful movement.” Mara Hoffman Tulay Skirt, $318, Vestiaire Collective.

B Sides Jeans. “The fits are great, and they’re made with reworked denim, which is very resource-intensive to make new.” B Sides Jeans via Shopbop and BSidesJeans.com.

Secondhand Shopping. “10/10 taking the kids along on secondhand shopping expeditions. It normalizes used clothes and lets them experiment with self-expression.”

Common Threads Press. “All their zines tell radical histories of craft and making and help us learn about aesthetic culture. So much of what we understand to be fashion these days is really industry, where the primary motivation of making is profit. But for millennia, humans have crafted as a way to care for themselves and their families, express belonging or resistance, record and pass on history, and so much else. The work of this indie press is timely and urgent in a world drowning in disposable stuff, they remind us that what we make matters.” CommonThreadsPress.co.uk.

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics. “Last but not least, I’m currently binge listening to Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics.” BBC.com.

For more MOTHER ESSENTIALS, peep our recent features on author Nasozi Kakembo, kid-lit talent Bo Lu, artist Suzy Ultman, Super Smalls founder Maria Duenas Jacob, Lanee Slaughter of MAMA & OG, the mamas behind MAJO IDEAS, HAWKS founder Emma Flanders, celebrity hairstylist Kylee Heath, APRIL SHOWERS of Afro Unicorn, crafty mamas ERIN BOYLE AND ROSE PEARLMAN, writers CLEO WADE and ALEX ELLE, comedian JENNY SLATE, poet MAGGIE SMITH, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream co-founder LAURA O’NEILL, author and doula BRANDI SELLERZ-JACKSON, designer CLARE VIVIER, Miles & Milan founder SHENNEL FULLER, GRACE NA of Pistola, and the designers behind MILK TEETH.