Such a cute and resourceful children's book which clearly shows how a plant grows with super cute illustrations.

A decent bit of early biology, as we see a plant grow – first it's perfectly OK with a couple of bugs in a greenhouse, but then lo and behold it's uprooted and dumped into ground in the great wide world the other side of the glass. Just as it changes, encounters scary things and might wish for a return to better and safer-seeming times, so might we, is the implied message, but I think it a bit of a stretch to say this talks to us about our nature and how we grow up. As a first taster of plant science it's not too bad, with a recap, an instructional page in getting our own plants to grow, and a cutesy and witty page of subsidiary characters. It looks fine, too, so is about the four star mark as a whole.

An interesting approach to life-cycles for children! Bud: The story of how a plant grows ... up! is a bright, fun and friendly non-fiction picture book by Laura Hambleton.

Bud is a tiny rosebud warm and cosy greenhouse, tucked up tight in a snug red plant pot. Bud is very settled and enjoys being looked after, with the Sun providing warmth and the Moon telling wonderful tales of the Big Outside.

When the day arrives for Bud to be replanted, out in the big, wild, world, the little rosebud has to cope with the shock of what the Big Outside really feels like. Tall trees loom, spiky nettles and old tree roots cause discomfort, the soil is oh so very cold and everything seems frightening. Bud is blown around by the howling winds, nibbled by birds and ants and not to mention petrified of being crushed by footballs or uprooted by digging dogs.

Bud cries and wants to go home but realises that is not an option, Buzz the bee offers friendship and comfort and together they dig deep and survive all of the assaults that Mother Nature can throw their way and over time, Bud makes more friends and decides that the Big Outside really isn't so bad after all.

Bud is a lovely, educational book which explains how plants grow and what they need in order to thrive, but more than that, it is a coming of age story about anxiety and fear of new situations. It is a great text for young readers age 3-5 who might be worried about change, moving on into preschool or Reception and having to make new friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for sending this eBook for review consideration. All opinions are our own.