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Spring explorer booklist

Follow the Swallow

Can books get your little one's outside? Here's how!

Spring is a great time to start exploring the world around you - whether that's learning more about animals, going for a picnic or simply visiting your local park. Here are some books to spark children's curiosity for the world around them.

  • I Love Bugs

    I Love Bugs

    Author: Emma Dodd
    Publisher: Orchard Books

    A large, bright, creepy-crawly bug safari through a little boy’s garden, with a final spread which shows how we often react to them.

  • Follow the Swallow

    Follow the Swallow

    Author: Julia Donaldson Illustrator: Pam Smy
    Publisher: Egmont

    Chack the blackbird is brown but claims he will turn black and that the berries in the tree where he lives will turn orange, but Apollo the swallow doesn't believe him.

  • A Walk in the Park

    A Walk in the Park

    Author: Anthony Browne
    Publisher: Walker Books

    A welcome republication for an Anthony Browne classic from 1977. Two children from very different backgrounds (and their dogs) make friends where their parents cannot.

  • Sir Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: Pets

    Sir Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: Pets

    Author: Tony Robinson and Jessica Cobb Illustrator: Del Thorpe
    Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

    Bursting with amazing tales, fantastic facts and practical tips on how best to look after your pets, Tony Robinson's compendium of stories, statistics and advice will delight animal lovers of any age.

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Bear Spotting

    A Beginner’s Guide to Bear Spotting

    Author: Michelle Robinson Illustrator: David Roberts
    Publisher: Bloomsbury

    This amusing guide book contains an array of information about how to spot and behave around bears. The result is a stylish, highly entertaining picture book, perfect for reading aloud.

  • We Are Not Frogs!

    We Are Not Frogs!

    Author: Michael Morpurgo Illustrator: Sam Usher
    Publisher: Picture Squirrels

    Alice and Jago are playing in granny's garden one day when they find lots of toads in the long grass. Michael Morpurgo's lovely nature tale and Sam Usher's sensitive and funny illustrations bring this story hoppingly alive.

  • Tidy

    Tidy

    Author: Emily Gravett
    Publisher: Two Hoots

    Pete the badger likes to keep everything neat and tidy, but his over-zealous cleaning begins to have a damaging impact on the forest. This entertaining picture book, with its rich illustrations, carries an important environmental message.

  • Norton and Alpha

    Norton and Alpha

    Author: Kristyna Litten
    Publisher: Simon and Schuster

    This charming tale about appreciating the wonder of nature is accompanied by gorgeous atmospheric illustrations, which bring the endearing characters to life.

  • Lots

    Lots

    Author: Marc Martin
    Publisher: Bonnier Publishing

    This beautiful book celebrates the world we live in: there are LOTS of people, places, landscapes and cultures to see. Marc Martin's illustrations capture the spirit of every place and culture, igniting the travelling bug for young explorers.