Spring is waking up and the world outside the window is busy. Jasmine and her little brother put their wellies on, step outside and get covered in soil and pollen as they explore the seasonal changes in their garden.
This story is like a cross between Topsy And Tim and a non-fiction book about the seasons. A large part of the book is given to a story in which the two siblings learn and play outside in their garden. They plant carrots, watch the birds that land in the trees and learn about frogspawn as they spot some in their pond. After the story there is a fact file. It explores what Spring is, and picks up on the different plants, animals and seasonal changes referenced in the story. The explanations are one or two short paragraphs long, making them ideal for younger readers.
What I love about this story is the aesthetic. The illustrations have a mildly dreamy quality about them and they clearly show bees mining flowers for pollen and birds in the skies and branches. Although not every child has a garden as big as the one pictured to play in I think this book does a great job of showing the things in nature that we need to nurture and protect.
There are further books in this series and I think that they would make a lovely set. They allow children to explore each season individually while making connections between the seasons and learning about seasonal change.
Spring has sprung and this is the perfect book to encourage young readers to venture outdoors and look at the world around them in more detail.
- Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up is available now from Quarto Publishing PLC, RRP. £12.99 (Provided for review)
