Spring explorer booklist
Can books get your little ones outside? Here's how!
Spring is a great time to start exploring the world around you - whether that's learning more about animals or having a picnic in your garden. Here are some books to spark children's curiosity for the world around them.
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I Love Bugs
Author: Emma Dodd
Publisher: Orchard Books
Interest age: 3+
Reading age: 7+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.
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Follow the Swallow
Author: Julia Donaldson Illustrator: Pam Smy
Publisher: Egmont
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 6+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.
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A Walk in the Park
Author: Anthony Browne
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 3+
Reading age: 5+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.
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Sir Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: Pets
Author: Tony Robinson and Jessica Cobb Illustrator: Del Thorpe
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Interest age: 8+
Reading age: 9+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.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Bear Spotting
Author: Michelle Robinson Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 5-8
Reading age: 6+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.
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We Are Not Frogs!
Author: Michael Morpurgo Illustrator: Sam Usher
Publisher: Picture Squirrels
Interest age: 3-6
Reading age: 5+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.
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Tidy
Author: Emily Gravett
Publisher: Two Hoots
Interest age: 3-7
Reading age: 6+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.
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Norton and Alpha
Author: Kristyna Litten
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Interest age: 3-6
Reading age: 6+This charming tale about appreciating the wonder of nature is accompanied by gorgeous atmospheric illustrations, which bring the endearing characters to life.
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Lots
Author: Marc Martin
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing
Interest age: 3-6
Reading age: 3-6This 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.
