Member Reviews
The earthy colours of the illustrations tie into the book so well. I love how this book is presented and all the fun activities for kids to do and it's very educational!
I loved the concept of this book! It was a bit word heavy but I liked many of the activities and especially how it taught the importance of nature and being outdoors!
This is a lovely little book of simple nature activities that really teaches kids (and grown ups) about the benefits of nature. The activities are quite simple like making a nature mandala or “collecting” natural sounds. It’s interspersed with so much accessible information about the science behind how nature helps us, which is sure to convince kids and adults alike to get outside more.
The book is written by a psychologist who founded a charity to teach kids and adults about the benefits of nature. It does an excellent job of this with activities suited for toddlers and up.
Another area where this book shines is the inclusion. Not only are the kids and adults wonderfully diverse but I counted 10 different kids and adults in wheelchairs (and one featured twice). I am used to seeing perhaps one character in a wheelchair in a book these days (there used to be virtually none) but here there are 10 in a 32 page book.
This will be a great read for elementary aged kids and their grown ups. Recommended.
I read a temporary digital arc of this book via NetGalley.
Written by a psychologist, A Little Dose of Nature endeavors to inspire an awe for nature and spending more time outside for improved mental health, and I think it does just that! Divided into sections about nature's fractals, sounds, fresh air, soil, and sunshine, each section explains the science behind it (in a way that even younger kids can understand) and includes fun activities for kids to do to connect with nature. My kids loved searching for fractals and making mandalas and potions, among other activities.
The details are really what make this book stand out from others in its category. From the message at the beginning about the eco-conscious production process to the author's heartfelt note at the end, A Little Dose of Nature really embraces the idea of simple, intentional choices making a big impact. I highly recommend this book to all families!
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Ivy Kids and NetGalley for gifting my family with an ARC to review. We adored it!
I love the illustrations and colors in here as well as the information about nature. This is written in a very digestible manner that children can easily understand. I also enjoyed the different activities included here where we can see/hear/experience the information given to us such as making a sundial or sunbathing, making our own mandala, sniff like a dog, etc.
This book does a lovely job of encouraging kids to spend time outdoors and connecting with nature, but also explaining the why! I’m looking forward to trying some of the suggested activities with my own kids.
I spontaneously decided to read this book via NetGalley and I was pleasantly surprised. This book focuses on helping kids to become more in tune with the nature and natural flora arounds us by explaining how beneficial it is for our health and general wellbeing.
There are some fun activities for children to do such as making a Mandela out of flora or even more messy activities such as making a mud cake. The art style was simple and colourful, but accompanied the steps and instructions in the text well. I'll definitely try some the activities out with my siblings.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Do you (or your little) need to spend a little more time outside? Written at an elementary level (ages 5-8), this book describes why being outside is restorative to our bodies and expresses many activities that you can do outside. You won't find "play tag" or "ride a bike;" instead, these are activities that have your child interacting with nature.
I got some new ideas for activities to go with my child outside. It was well-written; concise without being short. The art style was cute and inclusive. Many of the activities were common knowledge for people who spend a lot of time outside, like observing the stars, looking for fractals, etc.
Would recommend you give this book to a child and try to do all of the activities on a camping trip or something! That would be fun!
What a superb book full of amazing ideas to get children in tune and involved with nature. I’ve worked with Dr Greenwood whilst doing community outreach, for adults and children - this book suggests lovely ways for children (And adults) to get ‘a dose of nature’. I will certainly be taking the ideas forwards and will suggest purchasing this books to some of the families I work with!
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
A Little Dose of Nature is a beautiful children's non-fiction, picture book that encourages and explains to children why it's important for our mental health and wellbeing to spend time outdoors. Children today (including my own) don't get to enjoy the outdoors as much as we did thirty years ago and it is important we encourage outdoor activities away from social media and gaming and for so many other reasons as explained in this book.
The book covers Nature's Fractals, The Scuence of sounds, Fresh Air, Soil, Soaking up the sunshine, and a message from the author at the back. I loved reading this and found it would be great for science and PSHE lessons in school as well as forest school too. There are several activities linked to each topic for children to try with a grown up and the illustrations are just adorable.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this ahead of schedule.
This was lovely and as a library we love all books nature and this fits right in! I loved the diversity in bodies and abilities shown in the illustrations of kids. Lovely nature tips and facts!
Greenwood's nature book provides a lovely guide for kids who enjoy nature and would like to know more about how it works as well as for adults who want to help guide kids on that journey. The artistic style is comforting and simple with earthy tones. The reading level is accessible for kids about 2 grades and above. Each part of nature that is talked about then comes with activities and ways to engage with that nature. For example, the section about soil talks about why soil is important to the environment and gives activities like painting with mud. This would be a lovely gift to a teacher to add to their classroom library or a parent or child who enjoys the outdoors.
Spending time outdoors has benefits for everyone, and this book - broken up in to five sections (fractals, nature sounds, fresh air, soil, and sunshine) - provides ideas for getting outside with young children. This book would be helpful for a parent, caregiver, or child who is interested in instilling a curiosity about nature. The ideas are simple and low-tech - from playing "shadow tag" to painting pictures with mud - and I appreciate that there's a note about leaving behind natural materials and how not everything needs to be owned or kept forever.
-Fractals, sunlight, soil bacteria, phytoncides, and nature sounds are the 5 things that scientists have proven make nature feel healing and restorative. It showed how lungs resemble tree branches and other fractals in nature. It was packed full of fun activities between all the information.
This title includes twenty-five activities for kids and their adults, all of which are about spending time in nature. The author begins by noting that there are five active nature elements that help people; these will give us more energy, better concentration and sleep, will help us to relax, and to be in a better mood. These elements inclde fractal patterns, nature sounds, phytoncides, soil bacteria and sunlight Don’t know what all of these mean? Turn the pages of this colorfully illustrated title to find out. Everyone will benefit and enjoy time spent away from screens.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
A Little Dose of Nature is a beautifully illustrated collection of fun outdoor activities for the whole family. Throughout the book, the author Dr. Alison Greenwood, shares the importance of spending time outside. Most of the exercises and activities do not need additional materials and are easy enough for a child to do them on their own.
A Little Dose of Nature is focused toward elementary age children but could be adapted to any age. This book would be a great addition to any school library or homeschool science curriculum.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Ivy Kids (Ivy Kids Eco)!
This book is adorably whimsical. The pictures depict a beautifully diverse cast of children, showing that all children have a place in nature. The book was full of fun ideas while also sharing incredibly educational facts and benefits of the outdoors in a way that engages young children. My children were excited to partake in the activities and we look forward to doing them again in spring and summer.
I really liked that this highlighted different ways to use your senses within in nature. The illustrations are great too. A book my children and I will look through again and again.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!
This book is so beautiful!!!!
The cover is a bit underwhelming but the contents is chef’s kiss!
The illustrations are outstanding and it will melt your heart.
I feel like I am more in touch with nature while reading this book as I am more of an indoors person. And this is exactly the purpose of such books! To feel and enjoy the natural environment more.
You will feel calm as soon as you start with the first page. Also, the information provided on the terms that might be new to the young readers is well explained with simple words alongside the illustrations.
Trust me you will be really happy while reading this book. I don’t think there would be a soul who would turn away from this book once they set their eyes on the first page!
Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group - Ivy Kids, for the advance reading copy.
Review to come at the end of February on my blog/goodreads.
I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
I just LOVE LOVE books about nature and activities! And so when I saw this book up on Netgalley I just HAD to read it! I am so jelly of kids these days. I would have absolutely loved these books as a kid. Oh well, even as an adult I can do some of these activities. Given my mental health, I could use a boost. XD
This book contains 25 fun activities that will bring you happiness, joy, some new knowledge about nature, and more. Sounds fun right? Well, I was in for it! From fractals to mandala (as I said in another book about nature and activities, not sure if it was a Dutch book or English, I am already planning on making something like this one, but I got even more inspiration from this book) to sounds and much more. Each of the 5 sections give us some information on things and then have some fun activities. I had expected just to get 25 activities so this definitely made me smile. I also liked how the activities varied from just listening to getting creative to observing to creating. So much fun. I got several I just want to try out. Like that miniature garden~ Or sun portraits!
I really enjoyed the facts we get surrounding the activities + more. They were quite interesting to read. Some I knew, but some were knew to me.
Bonus points for the fact this book is apparently printed on recycled paper from 100% post-consumer waste. Not that my ebook is that, but for those getting the physical book it is a fun thing and I loved that this is happening more and more with books.
The art, OH MY GOSH, I just loved the art. It was so beautiful and I love love the style. I also love the diversity. Wheelchairs. Different skin colours. So happy that kids these days get to see so much diversity. I remember when I was a kid most illustrations featured white and abled kids.
All in all, these are some wonderful activities, not just for kids, but also for adults who could use some time away from it all and just want to relax and not think about things. I would recommend it!