Nature comes alive in springtime and with it many families resolve to spend more time outdoors in the coming year. Nature Adventures by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom is an effective field guide for family nature explorations. In heavily illustrated fashion, they show the plant and animal life found in a variety of settings such as In the Town and the Seashore. There is a also helpful section on the seasons, highlighting changing features such as winter twigs. Sprinkled amidst are quotations from the nature poetry of famous poets such as William Wordsworth and Ted Hughes.
While focused on the British environment, the beautiful watercolour and pencil drawings will draw children in to the information relevant to investigating nature in North America as well. For example, they identify the culprits behind seven differently damaged tree trunks and the easy-to-remember comparisons of bird calls (a jay’s noisy alarm call sounds like tearing paper). And won’t children be fascinated to learn that fox musk smells liked fried garlic and tomatoes!
Head over to Gathering Books for this week’s Nonfiction Monday round-up.