The aim of the paper is to incite a discussion about textbooks and to stimulate the general as well as specialized didactic research in this field. It points out the need of the theoretical analysis and empiric research of textbooks in the real school practice. On basis of the analysis of a collection of nature sciences textbooks with the ecological orientation for the 3rd until 9th classes of the elementary school, the author formulates various general didactic key problems. She is of the opinion that its solution can help increase the level of elaboration of textbooks.