Nature and me A guide to the joys and excitements of the outdoors

Gr 3--5--This unique book helps young readers deal with their emotions and uncertainties by introducing them to the beauties and subtleties of nature. While children might know that being close to nature is good for them, they may not know how to best learn from the great outdoors. This book, with its vibrant illustrations and its intriguing prompts, provides a bridge of understanding. Each spread follows a similar pattern. First, it introduces something found in nature--an animal, a sign of weather conditions, or a geographic feature--and then offers information about it. Second, it provides a colorful illustration for readers to study. Third, it suggests how readers can learn from observing nature and how these observations can improve their lives. Each spread makes clear suggestions and summarizes everything with a short statement written in bold. For example, when reading about an ant colony, readers learn the ways ants work together. An illustration shows a colony accomplishing a variety of tasks while the text asks, "Why are ants so appealing? Why do we like watching them and finding out about them?" It suggests that the answer is because ants are cooperating: "It's good to cooperate." VERDICT This thought-provoking book should provide many opportunities to discuss and learn from the natural world. Highly recommended for classrooms and libraries --Myra Zarnowski

Designed to inspire contentment with lessons from the natural world. The book makes clear upfront that it's concerned with "nice and interesting feelings you can get from nature" and "why these feelings are important and how they can help you in your life." The spreads that follow metaphorically use elements from nature to deliver life lessons. On their own, some are quite effective. For example, "In comparison to the mountains, you're tiny (we all are), but your mind is even bigger." A spider web serves as an example of how being "delicate" is actually a strength. One right after another, however, they become predictable and pedantic. The creators' British roots are apparent with references to maths, crisps, and fizzy drinks. Longish text (200 to 300 words per spread) maintains a calm and reassuring tone. Graphic, collagelike illustrations evoke the character of each natural feature but are not naturalistic portraits. An image of a giant redwood bears little resemblance to its real-life counterpart; the anteater's sorrowful visage is exaggerated to emphasize the point that sometimes it's OK to feel sad. The dense, sincere text seems aimed at teens, but its 9-by-10-inch trim size and illustrations may draw readers younger than the intended audience. The book will be most appreciated by counselors, teachers, and well-meaning caregivers. Earnest and message driven but not likely to engage children or teens. (Nonfiction self-help. 10-15) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

6. You are a hedgehog! You're not really a hedgehog, of course. But one of the very clever things your brain can do is think about what it would be like to be a hedgehog. You'd be sleeping most of the day and you'd be getting up when it started to get dark - so no school for you! You'd only be about 20 centimetres long. If you came across an old football boot it might look like a strange cousin.   You get excited by the smell of a rotting leaf - maybe underneath there's a delicious caterpillar or a lovely beetle you can have for breakfast. You don't walk very fast - it might take you a few minutes just to go along a short garden path (you really like human gardens).  You've never watched television. You don't know what a holiday is. You can't think in words, but you have lots of feelings. When you meet another hedgehog, you're both quite chatty. You grunt and snuffle and make little squeals to show you're happy to meet each other. But it's very scary if you catch sight of a badger or hear an owl hooting. You quickly roll yourself up into a little ball, with all your sharp, spiky hairs sticking out to keep you safe. Soon it will be morning and you'll head home to the cozy little burrow you dug in some soft earth, hidden away behind some bushes. The hedgehog is teaching you about imagination. You could also imagine what it's like to be someone else: a grown-up, maybe, or someone living in another country. If you were them, what would you be feeling? What would excite you? What would frighten you? Your imagination helps you to understand other people much better.   You can use your brain to travel into the minds and lives of other people and animals. It's one of the most interesting and helpful journeys you can ever make. Excerpted from Nature and Me: A Guide to the Joys and Excitements of the Outdoors by The School of Life All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.