Review: Inspiring Children’s Books About The Environment

With climate change firmly on the agenda, it’s never too early to use children’s books to teach young ones about the environment. Natalie Newman’s new book Lark The Shark reveals just how precious our planet is and has some eco-friendly tips on how we can all make a difference. Nicky Gould’s book Dave Explores The Great Outdoors also explores why it’s important for children to spend time outside.

Lark The Shark By Natalie And Henry Newman

Lark The Shark is a brightly illustrated children’s picture book by Natalie Newman. Natalie is a mum of two who is passionate about literacy. Reading books to her boys is a really important part of her life and she wrote the book with her son, Henry.

The book is about, yes you’ve guessed it, a shark called Lark! But everything you think you know about sharks is about to change with a flick through these pages. Lark is not the big scary predator that everyone thinks he is. He is a friendly shark and a lively character who takes readers on a journey into his aquatic wonderland. He’s misunderstood and is really rather friendly.

Natalie brings Lark to life in fun and engaging ways through poetry. Now championing clean seas is not an easy thing to explain to a four-year-old, but Natalie makes it easy. When people remove litter from the sea, the sea starts to glitter … enough said! The moral of the story being that sharks have more reason to fear humans rather than the other way around.

The book offers parents of pre-schoolers the perfect way to expand a child’s understanding of the marine environment. C loved learning all about Lark The Shark and thought he was super fun. The book certainly grabbed his attention from the start with its wonderful under the sea illustrations.

You can buy the book on Amazon here. It’s published by Austin Macauley Publishers.

Dave Explores The Great Outdoors – Minibeasts – By Nicky Gould And Glen Holman

The beautiful woodland illustrations in Dave Explores The Great Outdoors really breathe life into the story. The poetry also helps young gardeners think about the world around them, as well as inspiring their own creativity.

The story reveals why we should love bugs, butterflies and bees, why we need to protect them and why we should never judge a book by its cover. While worms aren’t exactly my cup of tea, I am the mum of a small boy who is fascinated by them! We often think of bugs as pests, but this book is full of minibeast facts that even I didn’t know. It’s a great read for both parents and children alike. There’s also a super double-page spread at the back of the book with fascinating facts about mini beasts.

During these past few months, it’s been even more important to explore the world on our doorstep and where we have been able to, in our gardens. Exploring the great outdoors not only builds confidence, it promotes creativity and imagination. It teaches responsibility and provides different stimulation. It also gets kids moving and makes them think.

The new TotsOutdoors series from Nicky Gould will help children to respect the great outdoors and the little guys that live there! With their interesting shapes and colours, bugs are a wonderful gateway to the natural world for pre-schoolers and reception age children.

For more books reviews, check out our Wonderbly reviews here.