A Little Dose of Nature
Dr. Alison Greenwood and Anneli Bray
Ivy Kids

Written by psychologist, Dr Alison Greenwood who has set up a charity called Dose of Nature, this book as the cover says, suggests ‘outdoor fun to help happiness bloom’. To improve mental health and wellbeing, twenty five activities are suggested for children (and adults), all to be done outside in the natural world, well away from the distractions of social media, computer games etc.

First though the author states that nature has five active ingredients that are of benefit to humans; these will give us more energy, improve concentration and sleep, help us to relax, and to be in a better mood. These include fractal patterns, nature’s sounds, phytoncides (natural chemicals), soil bacteria and sunlight. I expect some of these science terms will be unfamiliar to younger children and Alison pitches her explanations at just the right level. The book has five main sections, entitled Nature’s Fractals, The Science of Sounds, Fresh Air, Soil

and Soak Up the Sunshine!

Who could fail to connect with nature as they collect and arrange natural objects to create a mandala – in my experience children love to do this.

The same is true of getting messy by sculpting animals using sludgy mud or running around barefoot in a muddy patch and then comparing the experience with walking barefoot on grass.

Brilliant for forest school and outdoor science. I love that Alison’s final words include paragraphs on awe and what she calls ‘wow moments’.
Anneli Bray’s detailed illustrations are an inclusive delight and certainly make this particular book stand out from others on the theme of appreciating the great outdoors..

Look What I Found: On the Farm
Moira Butterfield and Jesús Verona
Nosy Crow

Bursting with information, this is the third title in a series published in collaboration with the National Trust.
Readers join the three young adventurers on a new expedition one spring day as they investigate their surroundings while following the path through the fields. Each in turn exclaims in the rhyming narrative, “Look what I found!”

excitedly showing the others and readers the discovery, be it animal related, such as a tuft of sheep’s wool or a feather, or plant-related like the fluffy head of dandelion seeds.

Another engaging mix of story, non-fiction and search-and-find, illustrated by Jesús Verona whose scenes of the natural world, both the close-ups and landscapes are immersive.

Recommended for family bookshelves and KS1 class collections, especially if you want to encourage children to get outside and explore their surroundings.