5-Minute Nature Stories: A Picture Book

by Gabby Dawnay, Mona k (Illustrator)

Inspired by the hugely bestselling 5-Minutes Stories collections, these ten read-aloud stories invite young nature loves to celebrate the everyday miracles in a woodland

Down by the meadow that blows wild and free,
There’s a world full of wonders I want you to see . . .

Written in engaging rhyming text, each real-life tale in this ten-story collection introduces one of nature’s wonders. And at the end of each story, children are invited to explore an informative “All About” page to discover more facts about the topic. Stories include:
The Mystery of a Mushroom
The Woodwide Web
The Song of the Deer
The Flight of the Blackbirds
The Magical Metamorphosis of Frogs
The Hidden Great Horned Owl
The Stag Beetle’s Seven-Year Feast
The Dance of the Honeybee
The Little Rabbit and the Green Machine
The Moth and the Moon

These make perfect bedtime stories for kids with curious minds!

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Nature, Nonfiction

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[kennsley willow ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow i wish textbooks were like children’s books. i learned so much haha

[Priss Barros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esse maravilhoso livro infantil, escrito por Gabby Dawnay e ilustrado pela super talentosa Mona K, é simplesmente encantador. A proposta é que as crianças aprendam sobre a natureza de forma muito poética e divertida, por meio de textos escritos em versos e rimas encantadores.

As ilustrações são apaixonantes, o trabalho da Mona K é de encher o os olhos e os versos da autora fascinam. Uma dica é ler em voz alta, é muito gostoso. Mesmo eu, sendo mulher adulta, li e aprendi várias coisas sobre o funcionamento da natureza, em como tudo dentro dela se conecta.

Considero um livro muito válido tanto pela estética dessa edição maravilhosa em capa dura, com tecido e detalhes em dourado no título (!), como também pela questão de servir como algo educativo (para adultos e crianças) e lúdico. Imagina se as professoras de Ciências usassem livros como esses nas aulas!

Amei. Quem não der 5 estrelinhas é porque não tem coração.

[Erik Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun collection of short educational nature poems.

[Olivia VanDamme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, amazing cadence & rhythm in the rhymes. Love the scientific accuracy of sharing about animals matched with the magical storytelling of woodland species. The layout of the book is beautiful and is a great one that can last years in a child’s collection as an adult can read them when they are younger and then as they get older there are more facts and knowledge about concepts such as mutualism and photosynthesis! I am so excited to gift this to my niece.

[Imaduddin Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice rhymes, good attention to trees and the mycelium network, good level of scientific detail at the end of each five minute story.

[Veronica Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute non-fiction children's book. The illustrations were adorable.

[Ewelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka zawiera dziewięć ciekawych opowieści, o tym co dzieje się w lesie każdego dnia. Poznamy jego mieszkańców takich jak: zająca, jelenia szlachetnego, szpaka czy jelonka rogacza. Dowiemy się coś więcej o żabach i kijankach, o tańcu miodnej pszczoły, o leśnym internecie i procesie fotosyntezy. Nie zabraknie tutaj również informacji o grzybach i ich przyjaźni z drzewami oraz o tym co dzieje się w lesie w nocy.

Każdy rozdział zakończony jest krótką informacją, która przybliża zjawiska i zależności zachodzące w przyrodzie jak np. przeobrażenie się kijanek w żaby. Tekst w książce to wiersz, który jest napisany w taki sposób, by wyciszyć dziecko przed snem.

Na dużą uwagę zasługują w tej książęce wspaniałe, kolorowe ilustracje. Są wykonane w ciepłych kolorach, które koją oko i działają wyciszająco. Gdy ogląda się tę książkę i czyta czuje się jakby stało się pośrodku lasu i czuje się spokój. Książa jest doskonałą lekturą do wspólnego czytania. Myślę, że nie tylko przed snem, ale również warto po nią sięgnąć, gdy po prostu jest nam źle. Działa naprawdę kojąco.

Książka na pewno jest oryginalną formą przekazania dużej porcji wiadomości z leśnego królestwa. I bardzo nam ta forma spodobało się.

[Zahnii (Suzanne) Artis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of 5 minute stories and this has unique elements…non-fiction snippets told in verse with warm little pictures…soothing and sweet.

My favorite was “The Magical Metamorphosis of Frogs.” I loved the imagery/similes. About the frog eggs…”bubble-tea tiny with little black spots.” And then as tadpoles… “tiny commas - no bigger than a seed.”

Also, best fact… a group of mushrooms is a troop. The mushroom and blackbird stories were also my favorites. Really sweet book with rich vocabulary.

[Ondřej Puczok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krásně ilustrováno, hezky vybraná témata a vše zajímavě v obrazu i textu popropojováno mezi sebou. Bylo to hezké večerní čtení s pidižvíkem, který si to užíval. Jen škoda, že v překladu jsou ony básně trochu prkenné a nějak mi to při čtení úplně nešlo přes pusu. Zároveň mě překvapilo, že text cílený primárně na menší čtenáře doprovází až vědecké shrnutí – ten přechod bych očekával trochu vyváženější.
(+ Škoda oné chybějící kapitoly hned v obsahu.)

[Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Minute Nature Stories is a book whose main target audience is children, from what I can tell. But, as someone who thoroughly enjoys anything to do with nature, I found this to be a really lovely and easily digestible read. The illustrations and poetry are incredibly beautiful and it’s definitely something the reader can come back to in the future and enjoy equally all over again

[Kynsie Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

"5 Minute Nature Stories" is an enchanting collection that whisks readers away into the wonders of the natural world. Each story is immersive and adorable, featuring delightful characters from nature. What makes it truly special is the seamless blend of fun and science; every tale offers something to learn about our environment. I fell IN LOVE 🍄🦋🐰🌲🌳🌸🐸

[Boszka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things i loved in this book
- the colour scheme
- the cute illustrations
- the biology explanations that i think are accessible for children
- it has a poetic language, rhythm, and outlook
- it focuses on life cycles and connections in nature and how wondrous they are.

In short, ten out of ten, i am enthusiastic about this one.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my 5 year old and he loved it! When we finished it he asked if we could start over. Its has beautiful illustrations, poetic stories and educational information at the end of each story.

[Rebecca Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's beautiful, educational and fun. It's perfect for environmental education for elementary aged kids.

My only complaint is that the table of contents in my copy is incorrect, and denotes the wrong starting page for all chapters.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this for my nature loving niece for her 3rd birthday. I can see her loving this book for years to come. It will mostly serve as a nice read aloud with gorgeous illustrations for now, but in a few years I am sure she will be even more interested in the fact pages!

[Zoey Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to share and enjoy with young readers. I loved everything about it! The texture and feel of the cover and pages, the fun and informative stories, and the informational pieces that included rich vocabulary. Well done!

[Tiffany Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter got this as a gift and I wasn't prepared for how wonderful it was! Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but the stories are too! They all rhyme and explain many parts of nature in a little-kid-friendly way. I expect it's going to be one we read over and over and over again.

[Corey Michael Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical

I like that it is written in prose. It is easy to understand the description is fantastic I have learned so much as an adult.

[paleflowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun and educational; bought it for homeschool for my kid and it was a hit. I even learned some new facts through this (:

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written.

[Μαρία · Rating 5 out of 5]

Η ελληνική μετάφραση έχει πολύ όμορφα ποιηματάκια!

[Jazmyne Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute 10/10

[Chaelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of fun forest facts!!!

[Megan Lougheed · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4.3 stars] Beautiful illustrations and fun stories that rhyme. Absolutely loved it.

[Jessica Strait · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty, but the stories weren’t so much stories and poems interspersed with nature facts. Which I do enjoy, my kid (4) did not really get into it though

[Annie MacPherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun to read!

[Bord uit, boek aan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In een woud vol wonderen komt zoveel samen dat je er alleen maar van kunt genieten. Het boek bevat 9 verhalen over de natuur, geschreven op rijm. De teksten zijn kort en sterk qua inhoud. Op een toegankelijke manier wordt o.a. uitgelegd hoe het netwerk van bomen en schimmels in elkaar zit en wat de diverse rollen van dieren en insecten zijn in de natuur. Dat het 1 niet kan bestaan zonder het ander en hoe de wonderlijke verbindingen verlopen. Het boek heeft een poëtische inslag, waarbij er gevoel wordt toegevoegd aan de feiten. Prachtig! Daarnaast is het boek echt waanzinnig geïllustreerd. Er valt veel te zien en de illustraties helpen de lezer te begrijpen wat er wordt beschreven in de tekst. Mooi element zijn de tabbladen die worden gebruikt voor ieder nieuw verhaal. Een boek wat heerlijk is om thuis samen te lezen en van te genieten, maar ook heel goed in te zetten is op de basisschool.

[Jester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and educational read with beautiful illustrations. Inside, there are ten five-minute stories about nature told in poetry format. Even as an adult, I learned some new things. It was an enjoyable read. I would recommend it to both kids and adults.

Note: Using new rating system starting 2025.