GUYS THIS IS SUCH A NICE BOOK, LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT.

I think children the age of my niece will be fascinated by this book.

Thank you for letting me read this book. This is a very pritty illustrated childrens guide book to everything that lives in the sea.

I's like to start this review by saying that I am eager to add a hardcover copy of 'Happy Stories for Nature Lovers' by Dawn Casey to my personal library, an empowering and poetic book.
Reading the ARC was an enthralling experience and I'm sure that every child who cares about the planet will adore this moving book. Actually, I recommend this to every nature lover, including adults.
Parents could read one short story every day to inspire and teach their children about the environment, as well as showing them that looking after Earth and its creatures is - more than important - definitely possible!
If you're a 'grown up', try reading one story whenever you feel like you need a positive break.
The illustrations are so beautiful: they give life to uplifting stories that deserve to be more known.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids for the stunning book.

This is a really sweet collection of nature themed short stories that are perfect for bedtime or nature study. The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the stories well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC of this!

My daughter and I read this together and really enjoyed it. Each short story (2-3 pages with lots of illustrations) is a good length for a bedtime story. The stories show how important protecting nature is while preserving a sense of hope that we can facilitate change. I really liked the art style.

What do humpback whales, wolves, salmon, and baby sea turtles have in common? They are all success stories in this book about projects where people have come together to reverse the harm caused to our planet. Each example is brief but with enough information to spark the reader's interest. With so much bad news about the environment and climate change, this book provides an antidote showing that individual people can band together and make a real difference. Suggestions at the end for what the reader can do begin simply with instructions to take care of oneself, with each category a stepping stone further for the budding environmentalist. The muted, natural tones of the illustrations make the natural world feel inviting and welcoming, another encouragement for the young reader to step outside their door and engage with the natural world.

An attractive slice of eco-positivity, as brief looks at the return of the wolf to Yellowstone, and red kites to the UK, the regrowth of killer whale and Indian tiger populations, and a bit of French rewilding and farming rethinking all show us the end of the world is not necessarily nigh. It might have helped to say where the initial forest being planted by schoolchildren is, and to have had more examples for the worried or just dubious child, but this is pretty enough to leap off the school shelf and to inspire with its stories of animals on the rise.

"This cheerful compendium of true, narrative non-fiction stories show that when we give it a little bit of space and maybe a gentle helping hand, nature comes bouncing back!

From tiger numbers which are roaring back in India and Nepal following conservation efforts, to ecosystem restoration success stories such as the return of the grey wolves to Yellowstone National Park — the uplifting tales in Happy Stories for Nature Lovers show that there is hope for our precious planet.
Many children and young people are very worried about the health of our planet and climate, and it's easy to feel overwhelmed by bad environmental news. Happy Stories for Nature Lovers provides some light, showing that with the right approaches, we can help nature heal.

The book is presented with beautiful artwork combined with reassuring narrative stories covering ecological successes such as:

The removal of dams on the Rogue River, Oregon restored the wild salmon habitats,
Humpback whale numbers are up to historic numbers after global whaling bans,
The story of the Children's Forest, an project in England encouraging children to reforest their local areas.
What You Can Do at the back of the book lets children know how the choices they make can help change the world, with information on wellbeing, looking after your space, working together, using your voice, buying less stuff, and where our stuff comes from!
The sweet and uplifting narrative retellings of these positive stories make the perfect bedtime read for eco-anxious kids, and provide parents with concrete examples to assuage worries about nature, the climate and the future."


A stunning book with beautiful illustrations. These stories are important, empowering and moving.

What a beautifully unique and needed children’s book. Comprised of short creative nonfiction stories that inform children of the need for conservation efforts, all with a happy ending of hope and progress, this is quite definitely one I’ll be gifting to friends.

The illustrations are gorgeous and text important and empowering.

Recommendation to others:
As an adult reader, I’d say the back-to-back reading of the stories did become somewhat less… memorable, emotionally speaking. My LO, however, had me read the whole thing aloud in one sitting while she painted. I would recommend adding this to any bedtime reading routine, but perhaps split it up, only reading one story a night. The illustrations and messages of hope may lead to some beautiful dreams. 🥰

My class of Year 3/4 children have really started to enjoy stories about animals and this is definitely one to purchase for our classroom library. The illustrations are lovely and the stories are just long enough to fill an end of the day story session. The real-life statistics for some of the animals help to remind everyone of the need to look after the environment.

A must-read for every human being, nature lover or not.

All of us know the desperate condition the planet is in. Forest fires, severe hurricanes, extreme rains and floods – weather patterns are changing like never before. The future looks scary the way it is right now, assuming there is a long-term future. But to avoid humans from giving up on the planet, there is a need for reports filled with a ray of hope than with overwhelming dread. That’s where such books make a world of difference.

The eight stories contained in this book have one specialty. Unlike usual picture books based on nature, the stories aren’t entirely fictional and aren’t taken from folktales or mythical lore. Instead, every single story has a basis in reality – they are all real-life anecdotes written in a narrative format. From the return of grey wolves to the Yellowstone National Park to the restoration in the numbers of humpback whales, the stories depict not just the devastation humankind has wreaked on nature, but also how nature has the ability to repair and restore itself when it is allowed some breathing space.

I was delighted to see the story celebrating the tiger conservation efforts in India. The tiger is my absolute favourite animal, and seeing its numbers climb upwards has been one of the more rewarding experiences in my life. We still have a long way to go before the tiger can be considered safe in status, but making a start is still better than doing nothing at all

Within just 32 pages, the book manages to cover a diverse representation of nature, covering stories about trees, birds, water creatures, animals and farming! The introductory note is touching, revealing the importance and interconnectivity of nature. The book ends with a ‘What You Can Do’ section, containing many practical points that children (and carers) can implement without much worry.

The artwork is simply gorgeous, so soothing to the eyes and so perfect for the content. Not surprisingly for a nature-based book, it is rich and earthy in its colour tone.

The book is aimed at little readers aged 5-8 and the language level suits this group perfectly.

Definitely a book to be read and treasured. It highlights the importance of conservation and responsible human behaviour in an uplifting manner, thereby imbuing hope in these times of gloom. After all, it’s never too late, unless we do nothing about it.

In a true gesture of “walking the talk”, the book has been printed on recycled paper made from 100% post-consumer waste. This is the right way to go for all books in future.

4.5 stars.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids and NetGalley for the DRC of “Happy Stories for Nature Lovers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Gorgeous illustrations and lovely stories, the perfect length to read one or two at bedtime. I love finding new story books for my young students and this one is very good with positive messages about looking after the planet and respecting nature!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

This book is full of wonderful stories and lessons about conservation, the interdependence of ecosystems, and ways to be a good steward to our planet. Here we learn how a few individuals working together CAN make a difference.

While admiring the beautiful illustrations by Domenique Serfontein, the reader will discover some of the ways we have corrected mistakes of the past, and brought creatures such as wolves, whales, and tigers back from the brink of extinction.

The book concludes with two pages of suggestions for small things that even small people can do that can add up to a great way to help Mother Nature.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute book full of great examples and experiences from around the world.

This a beautifully illustrated book to share with all ages of children. Great set of stories with a nature theme.
(A Special Thanks to Net Galley, Dawn Casey & Ivy Kids for this Wonderful Book).

Happy Stories For Nature Lovers by Daw Casey and Domenique Serfontein published by Ivy Kids
We are in love with this gentle and beautiful book. It features true stories presented in narrative detailing how, when given the right support, nature can bounce back.
It’s a really interesting approach and has me thinking about whether more ‘good news’ stories would actually assist in the fight against climate change and the humanisation of the planet.

This is certainly the much needed cheer and motivation which could assist children to make positive changes without overwhelming them.

The book is also printed sustainably, it’s a win all round for us and makes perfect bedtime reading.

Happy Stories for Nature Lovers by Dawn Casey was such an incredible book! It was full of fun stories about our beautiful world and we absolutely loved this book. The illustrations were also absolutely captivating.

Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group (Ivy Kids) and Dawn Casey for the advanced copy of Happy Stories for Nature Lovers via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review.

I have written this review in conjunction with my two children, aged 6 and 9.

We all loved the illustrations most of all of everything in this book. They are beautifully done and look hand-done and “not done on a computer” (from my nine year old).

The stories are indeed happy and uplifting. My children enjoyed them, although they were on the longer side and attention did wane a bit near the end. We are an environmentally conscious family and a couple of the topics are things we are personally interested/experienced in, and the kids were excited to see them featured in the book. It made them feel special and like the book was written “for them”.

This would make a lovely gift for an environmentally conscious young family, and is also aesthetically pleasing for those who wish to match their children’s books to their décor.

Would definitely recommend!

Rating 5/5

This is such a beautiful children's book! It is a true love letter to nature, and a song of hope for a new generation of naturalists.

There are a several environmental activism success stories that combine history, facts, and poetry. The accompanying illustrations are evocative and whimsical. My kids loved reading these stories, and we strongly recommend this book!

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy to review! My family loved it.

Short non-fiction narratives accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Fits great with the PYP curriculum and the upper primary years. Good for the general library collection and classroom teachings, exploring seasonal turnings and international settings.