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May - The Great Outdoors

May Book List
Knowing a Poem
What, Why, Wonder
5 Books We Love

May Book List

The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane
The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain and Yuval Zommer
We all Play by Julie Flett
What The Sea Saw by Stephanie St. Pierre and Beverly Doyle
Mamma Is It Summer Yet by Nikki McClure
Martha Maps it Out by Leigh Hodgkinson
Bird song by Julie Flett
Clara and the Birds by Emma Simpson
Go, Bikes, Go! Addie Boswell
Leaf Man Lois Ehlert
Lubna and Pebble Wendy Meddour
Gardening for beginners by Emily Bone and Abigail Wheatley
Mud! By Annie Bailey & Jen Corace
Never get bored outdoors by James Maclaine, Sarah Hull and Lara Bryan

Knowing a Poem

A Little Seed based on the Poem by Mabel Watts

A little seed for me to sow,
A little earth to make it grow,
A little sun,
A little shower,
A little wait and then…
A flower!

This wonderful rhyme based on a poem by Mabel Watts is easy to learn and perfect for children of all ages to join in with. Could you make some actions to go with the words? You could even sing it to one of your favourite tunes.

What, Why, Wonder

The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain & Yuval Zommer

This award-winning, double-sided foldout book takes you on a fascinating journey down through the layers of the Earth, all the way to the planet’s core and out the other side.

When you’re out walking around, whether on the city streets or a country trail, there’s always so much to see and hear. But do you ever stop and look down? Have you ever wondered what’s going on deep in the ground under your feet?

There are so many amazing sights to see! One side of the foldout shows the ground beneath the city, whilst the reverse side shows the ground beneath the countryside. The underground scenes include tunnels and pipes, creatures’ burrows, layers of rock and the planet’s molten core, each running seamlessly into the next.

Mixing urban and rural settings, covering subjects such as geology, archaeology and natural history, The Street Beneath My Feet offers children the opportunity to explore their world through a detailed learning experience. And its foldout, laperello (or concertina) style, which extends to 2.5 metres in length, is ideal for spreading out on the floor to pore over for hours.

Explore even more of the world with The Skies Above My Eyes (August 2018) and The World Around Me (October 2020), companion books from the Look Closer series

5 Books we love

People tell Clara that she is “shy” and she wonders if it must be true because everybody says so. In Emma Simpson’s beautifully illustrated book you can follow Clara, and her fascination with birds, into the natural world, which finally helps her find her voice. This book is wonderful for exploring a sense of connection with nature and valuing the voices which can be the hardest to hear.

It is a wonderful book for all ages. It takes adults back to simpler mindful times immersed in the wonder and beauty and ignites children’s understanding and fascination. In these modern times we live, we constantly have new words invented and shared, whilst words we have used for hundreds of years are slowly disappearing… The Lost Words is a book of spells with beautiful illustrations to bring nature to life on the page.

Words impact on our imagination and understanding and without these how are we and our children going to make sense of the natural world? Words like weasel, starling, heather and raven… do children know what they are? The simplicity and beauty of nature is captured in this book and is a wake-up call to alert us to the potential disappearance of these words, not only from our language but from our imaginations and our lived experience. This book provokes us to consider the value and the precariousness of the natural world.  A proportion of the profits go to Action for Conservation .

Who doesn’t love a pebble? There’s something reassuring about finding a special pebble when you’re out for a walk, and putting it safely in your pocket. In this story Lubna finds a pebble on the beach when she arrives in an unknown country at night, before she falls asleep in her Daddy’s salty arms. Lubna now finds herself in a “world of tents” missing her family back home in an unnamed, war-torn country. Pebble always listens to Lubna’s stories and smiles when she feels afraid. But when a lost little boy arrives in the World of Tents, Lubna understands that he needs Pebble even more than she does. Lubna and Pebble’s friendship helps us understand the importance of belonging and give us a way into exploring the refugee crisis and its impact, with young children.

Leaf Man’s adventure takes you on a journey through beautifully crafted natural landscapes that are cut into the pages of the book. It’s ever-changing form is made from the type of leaves that may be found along the way. Where will the wind blow it next? This book makes you want to go and search out Leaf Man or maybe create your own character with whatever leaves are at hand, perfect for a pre-visit read to a park or woodland!

This book tells a story of a young girl who moves to a new home in the countryside where she feels lonely and out of place. But after meeting an elderly woman next door, a tender intergenerational friendship develops through a shared love of art and nature. Framed by the seasons and with gorgeous illustrations, this emotionally sophisticated story can be enjoyed on many different levels. The language also sits beautifully on the page.

Contacts

Ali Carrington, Early Years Consultant

Anna Morgan, Early Years Consultant

ali.carrington@bristol.gov.uk

anna.morgan@bristol.gov.uk
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