A First Book of Nature

Absolutely gorgeous book for young and old alike. Vibrant illustrations, full of detail and atmosphere, beautiful poetic text demonstrating a deep love of nature, a joy to look through! Bought for my granddaughters but I love it so much I’m buying a copy to keep myself!

I love this book. I bought it after receiving "Mark Hearld's Workbook" for Christmas and falling in love with his art and ethos. The unexpected joy was Nicola Davies' wonderful words, some of which are poetry and all of which are poetic but at the same time simple, earthy and truthfully childlike. She has absolutely captured the voice of a small child in Nature, whilst gently conveying a lot of information of the type children love (the five facts about chickens are brilliant). I'm a Primary school teacher, and I'm going to use this all the time - although I really bought it for myself! (I think it is perfect for Nursery and lower Primary: I'll use the illustrations with all ages). Also, I got my copy from the Book People at the amazing price of £4.95! For a large hardback of this quality, that's got to be one of my best-ever buys. I only hope the low price doesn't mean that the creators of this lovely book miss out in any way.

We purchased this book for my little one because he is simply in love with all things outdoor, wildlife and nature and although I tend not to judge a book by its cover, the art work really did help sell it. I have to admit I was a little wary about purchasing because of the price however i'm so so pleased with the decision. The book is a lot thicker than I expected at just over 100 pages and is separated perfectly into seasons. Not only is the art work incredibly beautiful throughout I think the writing is equally as enchanting. Along side this it really is a great addition to our collection of factual wildlife books. I honestly can not speak highly enough of this book and would absolutely recommend.

It's sheer a delight, pictures and words match perfectly

Considering the price, which is about that of an average length paper-back picture book, what arrived is just mind blowing. If i had payed £20 i would have expected this kind of gorgeous quality but under a tenner is just almost literally a song. It's huge, and spans all seasons, with a page on each of the really wonderful things that you would want there to be a page on (blossom, worms, night, too much to list) and it's really more a book of the most inspired prose. The author's not kidding when she says she tried to think herself back to a younger self (sleeve notes). She does something quite magic with the words she's chosen. Then there's the illustrations. They are utterly exquisite. They fit the prose hand in glove. There is more wonder and inspiration here than can be described. Prose-lovers need this. Art fans need this. Kids will adore this.

I would agree whole-heartedly with what everyone has said about this book. The illustrations are beautiful and the poetry and prose are lyrical to a degree that is not normally found in children's books. My daughter loves it and we read a few pages of it nearly every night. I love sharing in the delights of nature with her. The book is insightful and does not just touch on all the obvious things about nature that are dealt with ad infinitum by children's books, but the more subtle things too - an example of this would be that new born lambs wag their tails with happiness as they run around the fields in the springtime. This is an heirloom piece.

Beautiful pictures and lovely, descriptive, rich text. This is a great introduction to the natural world for young children, and also opens doors to creative writing and poetry appreciation. The only down-side is that some if the vocabulary will be beyond the reach of the target age group. We constantly have it open on display.

Quite simply a wonderful book for children and adults alike. A lovely way to bring the seasons to life for discussion with our 4 year old son, using a mixture of poetry and prose - all supported by beautiful illustrations and vibrant colours on every page. The book is also finished to a high standard, using quality paper bound in a pleasantly tactile cover.It's not cheap, but worth every penny. A worthy companion to Shirley Hughes' excellent Out and About: A First Book of Poems.

Big bold colorful and stunning illustrations. Great addition to our library and would make a great gift.

Extremely beautiful book. Great for gifting kids

A lovely book to peruse with children at each season- great illustrations and words to go with it. The only drawback is that it is a little heavy for small hands. An adult needs to be with them to turn the pages.

Full of bright artwork and a good book to share with the kids.

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