Nature Tonic

A charming volume with naive style illustrations that shows readers how to lead a more authentic, nature centric life. Ideas on unplugging and reconnecting to the natural world are just the tonic we need in our increasingly fractious world

This book is SO CHARMING, and I’ve already put my money where my mouth is and have pre-ordered it. I need this book in my life!

This is like a book of daily affirmations using connections to Nature. Some days have an explanation of something in Nature and then one small, easy task. Hug a tree. Go on a hike. Test your soil. Draw a picture. Some of the days go in a series: collect soil in jars; pour water over the soil; inhale the aroma. Everything is accompanied by the cutest little drawings. There are 365 suggestions that will connect you to Nature and our Earth every day for a year, even if only for less than a minute.

These are 365 days I can’t wait to complete, and to document.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I think this is the first time I’ve immediately gone from an ARC to ordering a hard copy so this cute little book gets five GIANT stars from me.

This book is adorable! It's full of cute nature drawings along with 365 days of nature-inspired writing or journal prompts. It will get your creative juices flowing and help you connect with the natural world around you. This would make an excellent gift for a gardener or anyone who appreciates Mother Nature.

This book full of nice pictures, mostly of trees and flowers, could be intended as a sort of "Mindfulness in nature" sort of diary. There are a lot of suggestion to "re-calibrate" our mind and body to the natural flow of days and seasons. It may be easier to do if you do not live in a city, but any big Park goes. Interesting and full of tips.

Questo libro pieno di disegni molto carini di alberi e fiori soprattutto, potrebbe essere inteso come una specie di diario dove la Mindfulness incontra la natura. Ci sono una serie di suggerimenti per ricalibrare la nostra mente ed il nostro corpo e tornare a seguire il ritmo circadiano e delle stagioni. Chiaramente é più facile farlo se uno non abita in città, ma a mali estremi va bene anche un parco. Interessante.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Such a charming book! I do not think it is a logical library purchase because it is a book that should be owned and drawn, painted, glued and written in - but I enjoyed looking through it. A nice reminder to put down your phone step away from the TV. When did we stop noticing the Earth, and even our own senses? Feels like a middle grade or young adult guide.

Nature Tonic: A Year in My Mindful Life is a year long journaling guide with 365 mindfulness prompts which actively encourage the reader to slow down and find balance and relax in nature. Due out 10th Sept 2019 from Quarto on their Leaping Hare Press imprint, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is a beautifully calming and charmingly presented guide to re-learning awareness of our natural rhythms and re-learning to live more in sync with our natural environment. There are multiple activities to prompt examination and reflection. The days whose exercises I followed diligently and wrote down my reactions and feelings were really good days. The self reflection exercises the author has included gently allow the reader to slow down and experience their existence instead of just rushing exhaustedly from one activity to the next at maximum speed every waking moment. The illustrations, by Clare Owen, are restful and lovely and really enhance the whole message of the book.

Though the book is dealt into 12 chapters with different themes which encompass 365 guided prompts, it's not specifically written serially with seasonal activities. The individual activities could be experienced in any order. Whether the reader follows the prompts in order or not, there are real, proven benefits to slowing down and spending more time interacting with nature. I have no doubt that following the prompts regularly over the course of a year would give measurable positive results.

Beautifully illustrated and calmly and appealingly written, it would make a superlative gift for a journaling (or would be journaling) friend or family member, or oneself. Many meditation guides in my experience are quite full of metaphysical 'woo'. This one is refreshingly practical and 'woo-woo' free.

Five stars.

A lovely feel good book to help you become more aware and reconnect to nature. I loved all the drawings and illustrations and the wide variety of activities to try depending on the season or location. The writing is short and in point form so very easy to digest and dip into.. Just reading it makes you feel good and a bit more connected to the natural world all around.

This is really a lovely mindful workbook. 🌼 Obviously, because I was given an eBook copy to review, I couldn't use it to its' fullest extent. 🎨 However, I still found this book to be full of interesting factoids and charming illustrations. 🎑 The workbook is divided into the following chapters...

A NATURAL RHYTHM 🌅
NOCTURNAL NATURE 🌛
URBAN NATURE 🌉
IN THE FOREST 🍁
EARTH’S COLORS 🎨
GROWING 🌱
THE LIFE AQUATIC 🐠
LOOK UP TO THE SKY 🌔
DOWN TO EARTH 🍄
INTO THE FIELDS 🌾
TRAVELING AND TRAMPING ✈
JUST BREATHE 😃

There are 365 different prompts for you to explore. 📝 From color hunts to going for a hike. 🏃 Hug a tree or create an art project. 🎨 Every day there is something different to do that will connect you to Nature. 🍃 Help your creativity. 📷 Keep you mindful and in tune with the planet. 💕

Being in nature is healing. Studies show that just having a green plant inside can boost mood, productivity and concentration, and reduce stress levels. Yet, at least in the United States, as a nation, we spend more time inside, becoming alienated from nature. Richard Louv, founder of the Children & Nature Network, introduced the concept “nature-deficit disorder” in 2005 to describe this phenomenon.

Jocelyn de Kwant’s Nature Tonic: A Year in My Mindful Life is an antidote to this malady. In sections such as “Nocturnal Nature,” “The Life Aquatic,” and “Just Breathe,” Nature Tonic pairs adorable illustrations with prompts that readers can use to reconnect with the natural world. Some of them are simple and require nothing but walking outside; others need more resources, be they time or supplies. De Kwant’s suggestions pair an attention to nature with an attitude of mindfulness.

The book is geared to an adult audience, but some of the prompts are more child-like, though I thought in a delightful way, a way that brings adults into an awareness of body and surroundings. One of the prompts I liked was a color hunt which called upon the reader to find items in nature matching certain colors. This could of course be done with children, too. Other prompts were more childish and didn’t seem to be useful to adults, such as making a picture with sand and glue. It didn’t seem practical, either, as it would probably not hold up on the book’s page, where the reader is instructed to work, though using a separate sheet of paper is an easy solution. In other cases, de Kwant gives particular attention to children’s activities in the case of outdoor camping and keeping kids entertained.

In addition to specific activities, the prompts included interesting facts clearly illustrated about the phases of the moon, types of flowers, varieties of mushrooms, and cloud classifications, as well as yoga and meditation. The electronic copy I read had some garbled text, so I wasn’t clearly able to read or assess all the writing, though, something I’m sure will be corrected in the final version.

I enjoyed the majority of prompts and thought they delivered in terms of promoting mindfulness and awareness of the natural world, and I was delighted with the simple but charming botanical and animal illustrations.

Full disclosure, I got this as a Netgalley ARC and once I downloaded it and saw it was a workbook of sorts, I scrolled through all of the pages, but I did not read each of the daily activities. Because yes, this is 365 activities to help you focus on and connect with yourself and nature. Each of the pages are really cute with illustrations and fun activities.

This book publishes September 10 and my birthday is the 9th....Guess what I'll be getting myself? One of my goals this year is to be more mindful and I want to be more in touch with nature, so I think this will be a fun 2019-2020 project.

This is a lovely book. I am going to pre-order a hard copy to be able to put my thoughts down. Another review felt the book was too repetitive but to develop a mindfulness based practice, the beginner may need that gentle reminder. Mindfulness is not the same from one person to the next. I am grateful for the reminder to breath.

I love to garden and am lucky enough to have a large backyard flower garden. I put a lawn chair back there to just sit down and relax. I have a puppy who has also shown me I need to stop and smell the roses. I wasn’t lucky enough when I was working to really take in nature for all it’s beauty and peace. The change of seasons seems to make me stop more to think about the days I am enjoying. There are wonderful tips in here for enjoying and benefiting nature. Thank you for allowing me to review an advanced copy.

A year's worth of prompts for a nature moment every day. Prompts divided into different sections. Many prompts have bolded text, asking you to draw, write, glue on paper, or whatever on that page. If not wanting to that I think you can do these prompts in a different notebook as a companion. Some visuals to show examples of what the authour mentions. Really good things and prompts to view nature and get back into it.

Nature Tonic is a delightful book with activities to truly enjoy the outdoors and have a little bit more enjoyment in your life. The book is charmingly illustrated by still focuses on getting you outside. There activities and lessons that will delight newbies and those who have already been entranced by nature. each project is creative, mindful and educational as well as fun.
I would absolutely give Nature Tonic as a gift to anyone who is interested in getting outside.

Nature tonic is a journal style book with new and fun ways to get in touch with nature as well as yourself. Make that connection between yourself and. Store and become more relaxed and calm.

This book was really interesting the way it was designed and the images were beautiful. I felt it was a mix between science book, self help book and journal.

Nature Tonic, A Year in My Mindful Life, Jocelyn de Kwant

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Crafts & Hobbies , Outdoors & Nature

I've always loved Nature, loved to be outside, enjoying plants, trees and wildlife.
I was interested to read this book, as I think many of us have forgotten just how restorative nature can be. We live in a rushed world, dominated by clocks, timetables, schedules and maybe taking a step back and appreciating what Nature does for us, ruled by her own timetables of night and day, seasons, where each day is a fresh new start can really help us.
Studies have shown how depression is helped by natural light, and I think this book goes that step further, in encouraging us to look around, see whats surrounds us, how it works, how seasons change, even times of day bring variations in nature. Some plants open at night, others during day, and others only in full sun.

There are daily tips, suggestions on what to do each day to encourage the reader to focus on their surroundings. I think that's great, sometimes we're overloaded with advice, see the challenge of adding something new into life as just too much, haven't the time, don't know where to start. All those excuses, where in this little book all we need to do is just take one step, do one thing a day. There's no pressure, its nothing more than simply looking, smelling, thinking.
For example there's a section on trees, suggesting studying different leaves, pick one and identify it, look for baby trees around a mature one, look at bark patterns of different trees and perhaps draw some. Nothing that can't be done in just five minutes if wished, but which can be expanded to take however much time we want to spend on the task.
I think for all of us this book is great at reminding us how nature goes on, year after year, without interference. It reminds us of our roots, our food, whats really important in life. (Tip: Its not just 9am at the office) work will be done and gone, what seems all important now and is causing so much grief and pressure will pass, but Nature is always there. Finding our place, fitting in to the world around us, feeling part of it is humbling but also uplifting, and its that uplift of spirits that so many of us need.

Take a few minutes out of your day to look around at nature for a week, see how much better you feel at the end of it. Then buy this book, and follow the suggestions, it's really worth it, especially if you are depressed and maybe need that little help of the daily tips to get started. In keeping with the simplicity of the text there are numerous simple illustrations that fit perfectly.

Stars: Five, a really helpful book, whether you're a nature lover or just looking for a way to get through the daily grind, and lighten your thoughts and stress.
Arc via Netgalley

This was brilliant! I loved trying out the activities to get back to nature and enjoy some relaxing time. Nature should be more important to us in our society and it's sad it's not. I want to continue doing these things every chance I get. Being a stay at home mom with a newborn, I tend to end up inside a lot, so getting to do some of these or making myself do some of these will get me out of the house some more.
#Naturetonic #Netgalley

I really enjoyed reading Nature Tonic. I think it would make a great journal to read a little bit each day and reflect on how to apply the tip in your life. The photographs are fun and whimsical and the ideas in the book help bring you into the present moment to enjoy the beautiful nature around us.

"The thing with humans is that we systematically underestimate how good nature makes us feel, while at the same time, we overestimate how good we feel when indoors. Scientists call these flaws in our predictions "forecasting errors." The problem is that we base our actions on these flawed forecasting skills. We choose comfort, only for it to make us feel bored in the end."

I picked this book because it has the three things I love: art, mindfulness and nature. One of my goals for 2020 is to be out in nature even more and I thought this book would be the perfect encouragement. I was not disappointed.

This book has 365 bits spread over 12 sections and each bit consists of a fact, an encouragement, an invitation to draw or reflect or go out into the world. The sections range from "in the forest" to "the life aquatic" and "traveling and tramping." It's all about being outdoors in nature in all the ways you can.

I really liked all the information and all the encouragement in this book. I plan to keep it close to remind myself why I am choosing to get off the couch and spend my time outdoors.

thank you to netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nature Tonic is just that!! A real tonic to the fast and furious lives that we all seem to lead these days. Its full of mindful nature tips to do each day.

The book is split into sections and works like a journal. I would advise to get a hard copy as I had the digital edition and couldn't note down my thoughts for each tip.

Worth buying to bring you back to nature.

Thanks to Netgalley and Leaping Hare Press for the Digital ARC Copy.

Nature Tonic got me! I received a digital advanced readers copy for an honest review but, this is one of the books that I want in hard copy. The whimsical illustrations are lovely, it is well written with many small facts about nature meanwhile inspiring the reader to really observe nature. A wonderful combination of mindfulness, creativity and the way it makes us look at nature as a child.

The book has 365 prompts,all nature related, so a real feedback would take time. however
However, the prompts and the idealogy behind them looks promising.

Nature Tonic it's a lovely illustrated book filled with a year's worth of prompts to get the reader to interact with nature. As part of my ongoing wellness journey, I'm very interested in the studies that correlate time spent in nature with lowered stress, improved mood and increased creativity.

The author encourages us to do something in nature daily. It can be as simple as watching birds in your yard or walking down a city sidewalk noticing a flower growing in an unexpected place. Some ideas include: listen to the chirp of cicadas, draw a wildflower, take a photo of the sunset, look up at the stars, take your kids on a color scavenger hunt or explore a park in a nearby town. If you can't go outside the author suggests nature recordings and documentaries. Take a few moments each day to "just breathe" in nature.

This book had many good ideas but above all I appreciated the reminder of how important nature is to our well-being. I'm planning to purchase a physical copy of this book for easier use. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ebook copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic book on slowing down and recognizing the beauty all around us. The perfect way to recharge and renew our thoughts and mind by staying connected to nature. I love this book and will refer to it often. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

We don't normally get these books in our library, as people feel the need to actually write in them. Not great for library books! But, this is a very cute book with some wonderful ideas on how to get back in rhythm with nature. I'll be recommending it to people, like family and friends.

A book about reconnecting with nature, and yourself. A little bit of science, a little bit of meditation, a little bit of and art book and journal, this will be a nice addition to anyone looking for prompts and to get them out the door with specific activities and space to jot down thoughts. The illustrations reflect the soothing purpose of the book. Very nicely done!

Filled with 365 creative nature prompts, Nature Tonic encourages the reader to get outside and embrace the world around him. This whimsical nature workbook features ideas for thoughtful consideration, nature awareness, and re-centering in a technology driven world. Prompts and meditations provide for noticing the seasons and reconnecting with the natural world.

In a generation fighting nature deficiency, Nature Tonic reminds us to not neglect our need to slow down. Reconnecting with nature is vital in maintaining our physical and mental health. This delightful notebook provides a year full of ways to do just that. Jocelyn De Kwant's Nature Tonic would make a wonderful gift for any student or lover of beauty. Our family will be looking for ways to include it in our nature study this year as well as to remind us of the beauty and wonder around us. I have been thoroughly pleased with this book and can't wait to use it further.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

An interesting book with fun little things to do to help you reconnect with nature. Very interactive and informative.

Years ago, I would have never picked this book up, not that I hate nature, it’s just life gets in the way of simple natures pleasers, but as I am seeing more of my town taken over by large developers and businesses I am seeing my nature being destroyed and that makes me want to be out there more before it’s all gone and Nature Tonic: A Year in My Mindful Life would help anyone out there today at any age to get out and explore before it’s all gone.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to have some nature time with their kids during the summer this workbook would provide a full summer of fun and learning. I know this is a yearlong workbook, but sometimes we just don’t have everyday time to spend when you work 2 or 3 jobs, so one summer would be great to get some nature in.

I would also recommend this book for us older people who use to spend their days outside having fun exploring nature with their dog, as I did when I was a kid. This book will bring back fun memories and will also provide you with a newfound love of what you’ve lost and hopefully make you fight for what we have left.

A year in My Mindful Life is a workbook, I recommend those who are not a creative artist to grab the paperback copy, those that have artist talent, I would recommend the Kindle edition so you could use this workbook and create your own Nature Tonic journal.

A simple look at how we can enjoy life and our surroundings more. Beautifully presented. I feel it is the type of book that I would dip in and out of.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Nature Tonic is a task-a-day journal that instructs readers to do something involving nature once a day for 365 days. This book was pretty cute, espeically because of the colorful layout of the pages. Some of the tasks seemed a little too vague, though, such as waking up to birds singing - but overall, I really liked reading Nature Tonic. It's the perfect book for kids and teens, I think!

Nature Tonic is a sweet journal that takes the reader through a year of mindful reflection on the natural world. Cute, simple illustrations, and simple ideas and suggestions to reconnect to the world around us are at the core of this work. I would probably use it as a coffee table book rather than an actual workbook, but that's me. I can see others following along and finding it a useful guide for mindfulness/awareness of their surroundings.

What a lovely book this is! It’s a nature-themed activity book for grown-ups with a task to do for every day of the year. Plan a garden, string up a pine-cone, create a rainbow, draw your view… every page is adorned with colourful, contemporary-style illustrations. What a great gift this would make!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

I've always loved Nature. It been an age old problem of how to be more like nature. I was very interested to read this book. In our busy techno world I believe that people have forgotten how healing and restorative nature can be. We, as humans, are attached to our schedules. That author poses what about taking a step back and appreciating what nature can do for us. Nature has her own schedule of night and day and her own change of seasons. Each day is a new fresh start The author encourages us to look around to see what nature has for us.

There are daily suggestions from the author on what to do each day to encourage the reader to focus on their surroundings. As citizens of the twenty first century we are sometimes overloaded with advice coming from many different directions. With this book the author suggests that taking one little thing every day will bring things into focus. There is almost nothing in this book that can't be done in just five minutes. The tasks are also flexible if you want to spend more time pursuing them.

As the author reminds us that Nature is always there. Finding our niches in our world is something that we all want to do. This book is a great guide to begin your walk with nature.
Wonderful illustrations and much thoughtfulness.

I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nature is a huge part of our family's life so I was happy to read a temporary digital ARC of this nature-based journal of sorts. I think perhaps it's better suited for someone who doesn't already love nature and spend time in it. I was expecting a daily to-do and it's not always that. Sometimes you're given a task, like to turn the lights on later than usual to experience the morning light or to find a way to spend time outside or do some bark rubbings. Other times it's more like sharing a fact or deep thought. The illustrations are gorgeous, and it is packed with interesting little tidbits (so that's why birds fly in a V!). It might be a good book to flip through before purchasing, to see if it's what you're looking for. I liked it, but it's not one that I think would be a perfect fit for me or my kiddos.

It's a stunningly beautiful book that I didn't really get a lot out of on a personal level. I try to involve nature in my mindfulness where I can anyway and try to care for my mental health as best I can. Others might get more out of this.

You can invest yourself in nature, every day a little
Jocelyn de Kwant is the author of "Nature Tonic. A Year in My Mindful Life" which was published by Quarto Publishing Group - Leaping Hare Press divides her book into twelve sections (e.g., A Natural Rhythm, Urban Nature, Earth's Colors). De Kwant has dedicated her life to write about things that make you feel better. For this book de Kwant created 365 prompts for a nature moment a day. Her goal is that the readers meditate, look, learn, or do. To achieve this she has combined mindfulness, creativity, botanical curiosity, and bush craft. Every section starts with a short introduction. The various tasks are numbered from 1 to 365. One does not have to follow the numbering or even finish one section before starting the next one, but one can chose the prompt one wants to concentrate on on a particular day.
This is the first book that I have read by this author. The task by de Kwant and the illustrations by Clare Owen are great and inspiring. The tasks engage the readers to get active. An extensive list of further readings contains books and articles and his a help for those who want to go deeper. This is a great gift for younger and older readers who want to live a mindful life in nature. I would recommend to buy the hard copy and not an ebook since it is more practical since the results of the "meditate, look, learn, and do" can be written directly next to the accomplished tasks. Sadly the book is not spiral-bound or in a flat-laying binding since this would have been more practical if one wants to write on the pages.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#NatureTonic #NetGalley

Thanks to the publisher and to the NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I received a digital copy hence I could not completely appreciate the illustrations and the possibility to use the book as a journal.

The book offers 365 ideas to connect mindfully with nature and explore different ways to meditate in the outdoors. You could really use the book as a daily diary for journalling and for writing down ideas,thoughts and reflections.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to rediscover nature and mindful practices. It could also be a great idea as a gift for a friend as it is well presented and beautifully illustrated.

This is a beautiful workbook of suggestions to get the reader more in touch with nature daily. It includes 365 suggestions for thoughts and activities to encourage appreciation of the world around us. The suggestions are easy to follow and practical and enjoyable. The book is well organized and thought out. This is a workbook with space for writing thoughts or drawings or other ways of expression.
I was given a ebook version to review and the formatting does not work as an epub - it skips letters and jumbles words but I could get the jist of the presentation. If interested the actual workbook should be purchased so that the reader can write in their observations and fully read the text.
The book is beautifully presented with drawings and soft browns and greens for the type and drawings.

Star Rating 3.5

Nature Tonic contains 365 prompts for a nature moment per day including prompts to mediate, look, learn or do, such as listening to the dawn chorus, notice the different plants reacting to the sunlight, trying skimming stones, looking into the distance and much more.

The book is divided into the following chapters:

A natural rhythm
Nocturnal nature
Urban nature
In the forest
Earth's colours
Growing
The life aquatic
Look up to the sky
down to earth
Into the fields
Travelling and tramping
Just breathe

Each prompt is a few lines long, along with a small illustration and some of the prompts have a section for you to write in, such as you describing the agricultural changes in colours and structures during the seasons.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

Very cute journal with various kinds of nature illustrations and prompts for writing short entries. Would make a nice gift.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC.