What do you think?
Rate this book
Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature
This gorgeously illustrated volume of poetry — sprinkled with facts and fun things to do — sows an early love for nature in all its beauty and wonder.
The buzz of bees in summertime. The tracks of a bird in the winter snow. This beautiful book captures all the sights and sounds of a child’s interactions with nature, from planting acorns or biting into crisp apples to studying tide pools or lying back and watching the birds overhead. No matter what’s outside their windows — city streets or country meadows — kids will be inspired to explore the world around them. Written by award-winning author Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld, a breathtaking new talent in children’s books, Outside Your Window is a stunning reminder that the natural world is on our doorstep waiting to be discovered.
The buzz of bees in summertime. The tracks of a bird in the winter snow. This beautiful book captures all the sights and sounds of a child’s interactions with nature, from planting acorns or biting into crisp apples to studying tide pools or lying back and watching the birds overhead. No matter what’s outside their windows — city streets or country meadows — kids will be inspired to explore the world around them. Written by award-winning author Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld, a breathtaking new talent in children’s books, Outside Your Window is a stunning reminder that the natural world is on our doorstep waiting to be discovered.
108 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2012
11 people are currently reading
1053 people want to read
About the author
Nicola Davies
168 books183 followers"I was very small when I saw my first dolphin," says zoologist Nicola Davies, recalling a seminal visit with her father to a dolphin show at the zoo. Enchanted at the sight of what she called the "big fish" jumping so high and swimming so fast, she determined right then that she would meet the amazing creatures again "in the wild, where they belonged." And indeed she did--as part of a pair of scientific expeditions, one to Newfoundland at the age of eighteen and another to the Indian Ocean a year later. In WILD ABOUT DOLPHINS, Nicola Davies describes her voyages in a firsthand account filled with fascinating facts and captivating photographs of seven species of dolphins in action.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
August 16, 2021
I absolutely love this collection of poems! It squeezed my heart. It's full of the joy and wonder of nature that children so intrinsically know, and it helps older hearts remember that magic, too.
Of writing this book, Davies said, "I cast off my grown-up self and found the me I was at five or six. From inside that younger self I could see the world as I saw it first--not just the sights and sounds of nature but also the feelings and the thoughts about it that ran through me, strong as the tide. This book comes to you from that little girl, who sat in a barley field at dusk and felt the world turning."
This is a "kindred spirit" book for me. I would eagerly give it to new parents starting home libraries for their children. I imagine it will be appreciated on many levels, for many years.
Some readers have commented that the "A First Book of Nature" part of the title is a bit misleading. I agree that this isn't really a book to teach very young children about nature like a non-fiction book would. But it conveys a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature and I do believe some young children will really appreciate it.
*One small note, since this is a celebration of nature: one of the illustrations shows a boy feeding ducks at a pond but young readers should know that one should not actually feed bread or other human food to ducks/geese as it can negatively affect their health and the environment. The poem says only, "The moment they think you're going to feed them, the ducks come hurrying across the pond." There is no mention of actually feeding the ducks in the poem, so I cannot fault Davies (my children and I have often seen ducks and geese come flocking to us in the expectation of food, though we never feed them).
Of writing this book, Davies said, "I cast off my grown-up self and found the me I was at five or six. From inside that younger self I could see the world as I saw it first--not just the sights and sounds of nature but also the feelings and the thoughts about it that ran through me, strong as the tide. This book comes to you from that little girl, who sat in a barley field at dusk and felt the world turning."
This is a "kindred spirit" book for me. I would eagerly give it to new parents starting home libraries for their children. I imagine it will be appreciated on many levels, for many years.
Some readers have commented that the "A First Book of Nature" part of the title is a bit misleading. I agree that this isn't really a book to teach very young children about nature like a non-fiction book would. But it conveys a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature and I do believe some young children will really appreciate it.
*One small note, since this is a celebration of nature: one of the illustrations shows a boy feeding ducks at a pond but young readers should know that one should not actually feed bread or other human food to ducks/geese as it can negatively affect their health and the environment. The poem says only, "The moment they think you're going to feed them, the ducks come hurrying across the pond." There is no mention of actually feeding the ducks in the poem, so I cannot fault Davies (my children and I have often seen ducks and geese come flocking to us in the expectation of food, though we never feed them).
January 14, 2024
I’m not entirely sure what I think about this book.
I can’t tell if it’s for 3-year-olds or 10-year-olds. It’s decently long, moderately detailed at times, but then has a lot of sounds and repeated words. I can’t really see myself reading this out loud to either age. Maybe you hand it off to your readers, but then the repeated words and sounds again.
I did like how it was broken into the four seasons. The illustrations were colorful and the various subjects covered were good ones.
Ages: ?
Content Considerations: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
I can’t tell if it’s for 3-year-olds or 10-year-olds. It’s decently long, moderately detailed at times, but then has a lot of sounds and repeated words. I can’t really see myself reading this out loud to either age. Maybe you hand it off to your readers, but then the repeated words and sounds again.
I did like how it was broken into the four seasons. The illustrations were colorful and the various subjects covered were good ones.
Ages: ?
Content Considerations: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
June 27, 2012
GORGEOUS! I heart everything about this nature book. It's poems, the illustrations (!!), the paper it is printed on, and the earnestness in which it endeavors to interest children in nature. Well-done!
April 17, 2019
4 stars.
Wow. So much in this little book. More than I expected and a very good one if you are interested in nature and the 4 seasons.
Wow. So much in this little book. More than I expected and a very good one if you are interested in nature and the 4 seasons.
April 25, 2020
The poems are great!!!!!!!
March 23, 2023
4.5*
Beautiful book exploring nature and our relationship with it. Illustrations are magnificent. I have a load of favorites including “Five Reasons to Keep Chickens.”
Kind of reminds me of what the main character of Where the Crawdad Sings worked on over the years with her lovely nature illustrations but this has poetry put with them.
Beautiful book exploring nature and our relationship with it. Illustrations are magnificent. I have a load of favorites including “Five Reasons to Keep Chickens.”
Kind of reminds me of what the main character of Where the Crawdad Sings worked on over the years with her lovely nature illustrations but this has poetry put with them.
October 15, 2022
Ludicrously oversize. Not educational - almost none of the birds, frogs, flowers, etc. are identified. Imo, illustrations are not attractive. No back matter. Pieces of text look kinda like poems, but aren't really. There are so many many other books that are so wonderful, who thought we'd need this?!
April 7, 2021
Beautiful artwork and lovely poems about the seasons and nature - read this with my 9 year old at bedtime and he liked it but it would definitely be good for younger kids too. Very soothing.
April 6, 2017
Stunning illustrations. I don't know about the "first book of nature" subtitle- some of the material seemed a little sophisticated for that. I expected it to skew younger with that subtitle...
June 28, 2024
4.5
Not huge on poetry for kids but honestly this book was beautiful!
Not huge on poetry for kids but honestly this book was beautiful!
January 3, 2023
Lovely pictures in this
October 23, 2012
“Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature” by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld (Candlewick 2012) is a stunning work.
The 110 page picture book progresses through the seasons, starting with spring. The poems are simple and straightforward for the most part. Which makes the author’s occasional metaphors and similes light up her poems.
The spectacular art, which we’re told is mixed media, draws you into the author’s observations of each poem. By the look, I’d say the artwork is a collage of watercolor, gouache, and ink on paper.
In “Bulbs” Davies writes, “something tells the bulb it’s time to grow./Inside its brown coat and layers like an onion,/ a tiny pulse beats…” The author has watched nature and passes her acute observations to us through a child-like eye, making us experience nature afresh.
In “Nesting” artist Hearld uses actual strands of straw in the bird’s beak and in the nest she’s building. It makes you feel like you’re helping to construct the nest.
In “Flowers,” Davies writes, “Without a sound the flowers call out./ They shout to insects with their colors—” What we normally see, the author has made us hear. Let’s listen to our gardens.
In “Tide Pooling,” Hearld uses mono-printed fish or crayfish in the larger spread. That is, he’s made a woodcut or linoleum cut or maybe a potato cut of one fish, and printed it in various colors across his larger composition. The artwork makes you want to try some of his child-friendly techniques.
In “Starlings,” she says of the flying starlings, “hundreds, thousands maybe…They look like smoke, or a curtain rippling in the breeze…as their flying is a dance that they all know by heart.” Nice image, but the clincher is the heartfelt dance.
Perhaps my favorite of the poems is “Snow Song” in which Davies speaks of falling snow. “Listen, and you can hear the quiet,/ as if every sound had been wrapped up and put away.” And “snow kept a diary” of animal and bird footprints.
Read this book and look outside your window. Go outside and see nature. Observe her acutely. This is a great book for studying and writing poetry in the classroom. The free verse poems invite you to make your own observations.
Patricia Hruby Powell is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, occasional librarian, and children’s book author.
The 110 page picture book progresses through the seasons, starting with spring. The poems are simple and straightforward for the most part. Which makes the author’s occasional metaphors and similes light up her poems.
The spectacular art, which we’re told is mixed media, draws you into the author’s observations of each poem. By the look, I’d say the artwork is a collage of watercolor, gouache, and ink on paper.
In “Bulbs” Davies writes, “something tells the bulb it’s time to grow./Inside its brown coat and layers like an onion,/ a tiny pulse beats…” The author has watched nature and passes her acute observations to us through a child-like eye, making us experience nature afresh.
In “Nesting” artist Hearld uses actual strands of straw in the bird’s beak and in the nest she’s building. It makes you feel like you’re helping to construct the nest.
In “Flowers,” Davies writes, “Without a sound the flowers call out./ They shout to insects with their colors—” What we normally see, the author has made us hear. Let’s listen to our gardens.
In “Tide Pooling,” Hearld uses mono-printed fish or crayfish in the larger spread. That is, he’s made a woodcut or linoleum cut or maybe a potato cut of one fish, and printed it in various colors across his larger composition. The artwork makes you want to try some of his child-friendly techniques.
In “Starlings,” she says of the flying starlings, “hundreds, thousands maybe…They look like smoke, or a curtain rippling in the breeze…as their flying is a dance that they all know by heart.” Nice image, but the clincher is the heartfelt dance.
Perhaps my favorite of the poems is “Snow Song” in which Davies speaks of falling snow. “Listen, and you can hear the quiet,/ as if every sound had been wrapped up and put away.” And “snow kept a diary” of animal and bird footprints.
Read this book and look outside your window. Go outside and see nature. Observe her acutely. This is a great book for studying and writing poetry in the classroom. The free verse poems invite you to make your own observations.
Patricia Hruby Powell is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, occasional librarian, and children’s book author.
April 13, 2012
I must admit that I don't read a lot of children's poetry, but one of the things I've been trying to do is broaden my appreciation of children's books in general. I fell so in love with the illustrations & design of Outside Your Window that I ended up reading the poetry and not just the illustrations. While I try not to buy too may books, I kept going back to pick this one up and reasoned that if I waited to have children, it would probably be out of print, so if I loved it (and I do!) I had to buy it. So now it sits on my shelf and every day or so, when I'm tired of typing papers, I pull it from the shelf and randomly flip it open.
This book is at the top of my list of most beautifully illustrated books this year. Mark Herald collages together painted papers, hand printed papers, patterned papers, and other materials to created textured scenes from nature. Each illustration reflects the tone of Davies' accompanying poem and children will be drawn to her insights about each season. Frogs' eggs are "like spotted jelly" and soil is "crumbly and moist as cake mix" while snow keeps "a diary of things that happened when you were asleep." Outside Your Window is a splendid introduction to poetry and nature alike
This book is at the top of my list of most beautifully illustrated books this year. Mark Herald collages together painted papers, hand printed papers, patterned papers, and other materials to created textured scenes from nature. Each illustration reflects the tone of Davies' accompanying poem and children will be drawn to her insights about each season. Frogs' eggs are "like spotted jelly" and soil is "crumbly and moist as cake mix" while snow keeps "a diary of things that happened when you were asleep." Outside Your Window is a splendid introduction to poetry and nature alike
September 2, 2013
When my former colleague brought this book into school I fell in love with the beautiful illustrations and knew I had to buy it. Each and every page is rich with an exciting new landscape waiting to be explored through the poems and artwork. With its short verses and stunning illustrations in a sturdy hardback cover this book would be a joy to read to any class (Rec, Y1) where everyone can join in the experience. It would be valuable for a ‘Countryside’ topic as it could help to cover many aspects of the four seasons. It is enough to ignite a love for nature in any young child.
There are potentially numerous ways of using this wonderful book in the classroom, for example, the ‘Listen to the Pond’ page could accompany a lesson on pond dipping. It could be used to inspire an Art lesson in printmaking/stencilling or as a basis for writing short stories or poems themed around nature. Another good page is the one about worms, helping to emphasize the need to take care of nature and not to harm small creatures. Some of the writing may appeal more to older children so of course some pages will be more useful than others but if nothing else it is a gorgeous and useful addition to any KS1 classroom.
There are potentially numerous ways of using this wonderful book in the classroom, for example, the ‘Listen to the Pond’ page could accompany a lesson on pond dipping. It could be used to inspire an Art lesson in printmaking/stencilling or as a basis for writing short stories or poems themed around nature. Another good page is the one about worms, helping to emphasize the need to take care of nature and not to harm small creatures. Some of the writing may appeal more to older children so of course some pages will be more useful than others but if nothing else it is a gorgeous and useful addition to any KS1 classroom.
November 2, 2015
So, this is a book of poems (all by the author, who is a zoologist). They are about nature (organized by season), but "a first book of nature" is perhaps a bit misleading. It's not an instructive book that presents information in an organized fashion.
The poems aren't all that great. "The Loaf that Jack Baked" is a take-off on "The House that Jack Built" but it's kind of odd that the buck stops at "This is the man, so straight and strong, who sowed the seed that sprouted the stalk that grew the ear that yielded the grain that was ground to flour to make the loaf that Jack baked." So bread comes from a man in the end? Where is the sun and the rain and the soil and, for that matter, God, in all of this?
What would be a better first book of nature would be great nature poems by the masters alongside more focused and detailed explanations of various aspects or perhaps little hands-on experiments, etc. The illustrations are unusual and quite good.
The poems aren't all that great. "The Loaf that Jack Baked" is a take-off on "The House that Jack Built" but it's kind of odd that the buck stops at "This is the man, so straight and strong, who sowed the seed that sprouted the stalk that grew the ear that yielded the grain that was ground to flour to make the loaf that Jack baked." So bread comes from a man in the end? Where is the sun and the rain and the soil and, for that matter, God, in all of this?
What would be a better first book of nature would be great nature poems by the masters alongside more focused and detailed explanations of various aspects or perhaps little hands-on experiments, etc. The illustrations are unusual and quite good.
March 15, 2012
Explore nature through the seasons in this lush book of poetry that starts with the first moments of spring with melting icicles and the green shoots of bulbs. Summer is filled with butterflies, chickens, baby birds and bees. Autumn comes with leaves, wind, geese and acorns. And winter ends the year filled with snow, deer and ducks. The poems range from merry verse with lighter tones to atmospheric pieces that make you stop and think. It is this range of moods and depth that makes the book so very readable and enjoyable.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
February 11, 2013
This is a lovely book that I shared with my granddaughter who is kindergarten age. She loved the first few poems that we read, but she lost interest rather soon. I don't think it was because of a poorly written book as much as it was her age and interest in the subjects. I think that her older brother would have liked it better because he is older and because he likes science. The information is presented in free verse poems. I enjoyed the language in many of them, but found some of them more like prose with a poetic moment. Overall, I like this book, but it is one to read in parts rather than as a whole with children.
November 21, 2023
Just to let people know, every recently published book I have reviewed that I have rated one or two stars gets hidden and/or deleted. Even if I have 40+ likes my review will be hidden amongst the one star reviews.
I loved the idea of this book, a look through the seasons with poetry and illustrations. The illustrations are good but found the text really lacking, the poetry is poor and there were several mistakes about times of the year flowers and fruit could be spotted.
Although I did enjoy the style of the illustrations, there was some ambiguity or possibly inaccuracies with depicting certain species.
Overall this seemed rushed and poorly thought out.
I loved the idea of this book, a look through the seasons with poetry and illustrations. The illustrations are good but found the text really lacking, the poetry is poor and there were several mistakes about times of the year flowers and fruit could be spotted.
Although I did enjoy the style of the illustrations, there was some ambiguity or possibly inaccuracies with depicting certain species.
Overall this seemed rushed and poorly thought out.
October 28, 2019
A lovely little book of poems, which are great way to get younger readers into poetry! Nicola Davies perfectly incorporates nature and poetry, along with the beautiful illustrations. I would use this cross curricular with science / literacy / art to explore nature, animals etc. I also think it’s a great way to incorporate experiential learning and to get children learning outside of the classroom!
April 30, 2012
The poems are lovely and the pictures have great depth. It's subtitled "A First Book of Nature" which in my mind indicates a very young audience but this book is far to sophisticated for that age group, the size is also awkward for small hands.
January 17, 2018
A beautifully illustrated collection of short poetry (mostly free verse) about various aspects of nature, organized by season. Full review here: https://www.theproblemsite.com/book-s...
January 1, 2015
Somehow I didn't realize that this is a book of poetry around the theme of nature. Lovely book just in time for National Poetry month.
May 26, 2012
A beautifully illustrated collection of poems celebrating nature organized by the four seasons.
October 31, 2017
This book takes you through the seasons with the medium of poems! Poems are not often common place within the early years...so it was lovely to find this in my current setting!
April 23, 2025
Just read this while babysitting. It was so good I had to add it to my Goodreads. Beautiful illustrations, sweet poems, long enough to be able to read 100x over.
November 8, 2020
This poem book is split up into sections that correspond with each season of the year. Each section of the book has a poem describing plants or animals you may see in that particular season. For example the section about Spring has poems named "Dandelions", "Migration", "Nesting", and "Planting Seeds". The poems capture all the sights and sounds that students experience with nature. Kids will be inspired to explore the world right outside their window.
The grade level for this book is first or second grade. The genre of this book is poetry.
This book would be great to teach the different features of poetry. You could do a text talk while reading this book. This book doesn't have a whole lot of rhyming words so this would be the perfect example for students. Another idea for instruction with this book is to chop up the sections and only read specific parts of the book for the current season you are in. After reading the parts that go with the season, you could talk about how the poem describes things that we see or hear in that season. Students could draw pictures of what they hear when the poem is read to them. This would help them visualize the poems.
This is a WOW book for me because poems are often difficult to read and understand. I feel like this book does a great job at making the poems interesting with pictures and topics about the four seasons. I also feel like this book inspires students to explore the world around them instead of playing video games all of the time.
The grade level for this book is first or second grade. The genre of this book is poetry.
This book would be great to teach the different features of poetry. You could do a text talk while reading this book. This book doesn't have a whole lot of rhyming words so this would be the perfect example for students. Another idea for instruction with this book is to chop up the sections and only read specific parts of the book for the current season you are in. After reading the parts that go with the season, you could talk about how the poem describes things that we see or hear in that season. Students could draw pictures of what they hear when the poem is read to them. This would help them visualize the poems.
This is a WOW book for me because poems are often difficult to read and understand. I feel like this book does a great job at making the poems interesting with pictures and topics about the four seasons. I also feel like this book inspires students to explore the world around them instead of playing video games all of the time.
December 13, 2020
BRIEF plot description:
This book covers what it's like for a child’s first interaction with different aspects of nature. Sectioned off by season as you turn the pages, you can find different elements of nature being discussed. Davies does a great job of introducing so many concepts to young minds such as animals, plants, and seasons.
Personal response:
This book is full of beautiful illustrations that celebrate the everyday aspects of nature that we often take for granted. Personally, I loved the organization of the book. It was sectioned off uniquely and clearly by each two pages spread to focus on a specific topic of each season as you read through.
This book uses fairly simple language and is very pleasing to the eye thanks to Herald's beautiful illustrations. Though it is a bit long, it would be a great introductory book to get children excited about learning and engaging in nature. I would recommend this book for a 1-3 grade classroom due to some more sophisticated language. But overall, it is a great book.
This book covers what it's like for a child’s first interaction with different aspects of nature. Sectioned off by season as you turn the pages, you can find different elements of nature being discussed. Davies does a great job of introducing so many concepts to young minds such as animals, plants, and seasons.
Personal response:
This book is full of beautiful illustrations that celebrate the everyday aspects of nature that we often take for granted. Personally, I loved the organization of the book. It was sectioned off uniquely and clearly by each two pages spread to focus on a specific topic of each season as you read through.
This book uses fairly simple language and is very pleasing to the eye thanks to Herald's beautiful illustrations. Though it is a bit long, it would be a great introductory book to get children excited about learning and engaging in nature. I would recommend this book for a 1-3 grade classroom due to some more sophisticated language. But overall, it is a great book.
February 23, 2025
These poems brought back to me the magic of connecting with nature that I felt as a very young child- finding a feather, hearing baby birds in a nest, kicking through piles of leaves, picking berries, and spotting rabbit tracks in fresh snow. Beautiful collage paintings add to this collection for the youngest nature lovers and those who remember loving nature during their youngest years. Poems about observing and interacting with the natural world are interspersed with ideas that read as a to-do list that I hope I can check off with my grandchildren: build a den in the woods, feed the ducks, visit tidepools, ... new memories waiting to be made.
March 15, 2022
This one took me a while to work through. Selecting a specific poem to maybe use to start the day or a new season or even a specific theme could be nice, but some of them just were landing on me. In Winter suddenly she begins giving a couple recipes and activity ideas more laid out than in the previous seasons? This sort of seemed like she was running out of things for Winter although I don't think it's true.
Loved the illustrations. The mixed media and different layers added a lot of depth and interest.
Loved the illustrations. The mixed media and different layers added a lot of depth and interest.
January 30, 2024
Concept - seasons
What a wonderful book to introduce the seasons and nature to an early education classroom.
The illustrations are Beautiful! I love Hearld's birds.
It includes a table of contents and some fun project ideas.
There was only one piece of nature I wasn't familiar, but have indeed seen - catkin.
The title of this verse is "Catkin Song" and the illustration includes cylindrical flower clusters as well as a bird on a branch.
What a wonderful book to introduce the seasons and nature to an early education classroom.
The illustrations are Beautiful! I love Hearld's birds.
It includes a table of contents and some fun project ideas.
There was only one piece of nature I wasn't familiar, but have indeed seen - catkin.
The title of this verse is "Catkin Song" and the illustration includes cylindrical flower clusters as well as a bird on a branch.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews