Busy Spring

Nature Wakes Up

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Pub Date Mar 16 2021 | Archive Date Mar 24 2021

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Description

In this uplifting picture book about spring, follow two children and their father through their backyard as they discover all the different ways nature wakes up from its long winter sleep.

Spot the busy creatures and plants as the tale unfolds, then learn about how each responds to the increasing daylight and warmth that usher in the season.

Co-authors Sean Taylor (picture book author) and Alex Morss (ecologist, journalist, and educator) offer an inviting introduction to the science behind spring. The yard is bright, birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and there are tadpoles in the pond! What is all the commotion about?

In each colorful scene, the family discovers a different sign of spring—a bird collecting twigs for its nest, a fox snuggling her cubs, a caterpillar feasting on leaves… After the story, annotated illustrations explain the spring behaviors of various plants and animals.

Inspire an appreciation for the natural world in this joyous exploration of spring.
In this uplifting picture book about spring, follow two children and their father through their backyard as they discover all the different ways nature wakes up from its long winter sleep.

Spot the...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780711255395
PRICE $18.95 (USD)
PAGES 32

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)

Average rating from 53 members


Featured Reviews

I sat down with my son to read this book the first thing I noticed was the beautiful illustrations.My son became more interested in the story as I read,enjoying the story of exploring the garden during spring.

Busy spring is educational but in a fun way that engages children.Appealing to their curiosity and imagination.

I reviewed this ARC for NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

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This is a children's book with a lot of Non-Fiction stuff in the back of the book that I read to my twin boys. This is a cute children's book all about Spring, and we are so ready for Spring. My boys and I always work in the garden during the Spring, so this is a great book for them. They loved the pictures in this book. I think this is good for reading to younger readers, or it is good for older 1st to 3rd to read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (words pictures) or author (Sean Taylor and Alex Morss) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that. This book is schedule to be release on March 16-2021.

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Such beautiful book just as the spring itself. Busy Spring features two girls and their father who all went out to their garden because winter was over, it's finally spring and there are things to be done in their garden. I love the illustrations so much. It's so beautiful and adorable and perfectly captures the beauty and warmness of spring. While they were in the garden their father taught them things about nature from the flowers to the animals living there. Further and into the later parts, it discussed more facts about nature, like what is spring, plants and animals and their relationship with one another, all in a simple manner that can easily be understood. It also addresses climate change and the fact that kids can help nature too and gives few ways on how. Overall, Busy Spring is a quick, fun and informative book perfect to read with kids while teaching them or introducing them to nature. The illustrations will surely help kids be more engaged and interested to read the book and hopefully to learn more about the subject too. I recommend.

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Book that written in two parts. The first part is the story of a little girl and her father and their experience of the great outdoors, the plants and animals, as all awake from the winter with the beginning of spring. This part of the book is not particularly creative and is a bit wordy for a child. The second part of the book is more descriptive about why spring occurs, what happens to plants, animals, etc. It would be a good book to read to introduce children to the concepts of seasons and nature in general.

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I wasn't expecting this to be so educational and informative! I picked it up thinking it was just a picture book for kids, and it is, but when you finish the sweet story of the family welcoming spring, the rest of the book focuses on educating kids about plants, animals, migration, life cycles, climate change and safeguarding the natural world. How wonderful! This is a lovely little book for parents to read to their children, perhaps before starting a garden or teaching them about kindness to all creatures, large and small.

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I live somewhere that has all four seasons. I often say that I love them all in whichever season is coming next is my favorite but I think secretly it really is spring.

This book did a good job portraying what spring feels like. The illustrations were bright, bold and colorful. The author touched on different aspects of what spring means.

After the story was over there's a fun bonus to this book! There's an entire section going into a little bit more of the science behind spring, the plants, the animals, and how they work together.

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Where I live it is snowing today. So, what a perfect time to think about spring. This picture book shows the many changes that occur over the course of the season. With charming illustrations, this title shows two children and their dad exploring nature. There are additional sections at the end of the story about plants, animals, things kids can do and ways to find out more. All in all, a nice book for young children about the beauty of the world.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own..

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What a sweet book about Spring Time! I just loved it. The illustrations are beautifully colored and the storyline is so sweet. The book follows a family that is getting out on the first day of Spring to start planting carrots and their adventure around the yard. I highly recommend this picture book. It is great for kids of all ages. Thanks #Netgalley for an early review copy.

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I received this book for an honest review

My boys really enjoyed this book and the pictures as well. The writing style was a little bit different than what we are used to but overall we really enjoyed it

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<i>arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review</i>

This story about Spring and everything to do with the season was so informative but in the most perfect way. It was simple but with how detailed and beautiful the illustrations were, I know the information will stick in a child’s mind.

I loved every second of this book and I can’t wait for kids to find it and learn all there is to know about Spring!

I highly recommend this one to any parent wanting an adorable book but one that will teach your kid something at the same time. Plus, the illustrations are so full of life and details this book could easily become a game of “where’s the bug” or “where’s the bird.”

Adorable!

5/5⭐️

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, I do not have the capability to read it not in kindle form. Thank you.

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Busy Spring is a beautifully illustrated children's book about two siblings helping their father in the garden during spring. It also has great facts at the end of the book regarding processes that happen during spring and suggestions of how people can prepare their gardens to welcome new insects, animals, and plants.

This is a really nice story I would definitely read to children to welcome in Spring. It highlighted great points about the experience and the work we can do in the environment to welcome in healthy ecosystems and plantlife.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

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What a beautiful little book .... Packed full of facts about spring!
My 4 year is home at the moment being home schooled, and they have been learning about plants growing and baby animals etc, and last week we did about spring so this book perfectly coincided with that.
Lovely illustrations too so will keep the attention of most kids.

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"The spring sunlight is nature's alarm clock." What a sweet word picture that accompanies these lovely illustrations that will help children embrace the joys of spring. The majority of the book is a story of two siblings and their father exploring their garden in spring. The end of the book contains facts pages that give more information about plants and animals and how spring effects them.

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A celebration of everything that IS Spring and the busying that comes with the waking of Spring, after Winter. For me, Spring is the best time of the year and Sean Taylor has described a small child’s experience of Spring, so clearly and beautifully that I feel the sense of anticipation and excitement.
I liked the father daughter conversation, it felt natural. The bit when Jasmine corrected her father about frogs growing into butterflies added heartfelt humour and character.
The exploration of the garden by Jasmine, her sister and her father, complemented nicely with the exploration that insects and animals make at this time of year. And beautiful compositions created by Cinyee Chiu, with a colour palette that mirrors the uplifting celebration of Spring.

The last four spreads provide the reader with information about everything to know about Spring, from science to nature. So maybe each time the book is read by the parent, a different pocket of information can be told to the child so they learn something new each time. Or a conversation can be started to discuss how the child feels about Spring and what they know about Spring.

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"The spring sunlight is the nature's alarm clock"
Very well said.
Colorful illustrations. Thy capture the spring frenzy well.
Kids can get excited about all the changes around them with spring right around the corner.

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This was an absolutely delightful book. My daughters and I all adored the illustrations and learned many new things as we enjoyed reading it together. This is one we will return to again and again. Many thanks to the author and illustrator, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

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Busy Spring is a wonderful story about the arrival of spring. The story follows two young girls and their father throughout their yard in search of signs that it’s spring so that their father can plant carrots in their home garden.

The artwork is beautiful! There were several pages explaining pollination, animal migration, and how plants and animals hibernate and grow between winter into spring. There were further resources at the end of the story for kids to check out online. There were also activity prompts for children to help animals during the shifting season of spring arriving early due to climate change. A very great ways for kids to be a part of the solution on climate change.

This book was fantastic! I would highly recommend this entertaining and informative read for the whole family, classroom, or library. I think this would especially appeal to homeschooling parents.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Busy Spring: Nature Wakes Up by Sean Taylor & Alex Morss
Rating: 5/5

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"Busy Spring" belongs in every preschool classroom and on children's home bookshelves, as well. The beautifully detailed illustrations invite children to slow down, to look closely, and take note of what they see. The realistic dialogue between two young girls and their dad transports the reader to the exuberant anticipation of early spring days when new life is bursting out everywhere! I love the way this book captures both of these important ways to engage with nature--quiet, careful observation and excited, celebratory anticipation.

The language and sentence structure make this a great read-aloud; the pictures make it a great quiet time book for a child to leaf through on their own.
The scientific info in the book's final pages is exactly the right amount of information, and I love that it takes climate change as a given. That's so refreshing!

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for a free ebook version for review.

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This was a really cute children’s book about spring arriving! I liked how it was kind of split into two parts; first the fictional story to get kids engaged, and then the nonfiction section in the back to give more information about different aspects of spring after kids are hopefully already interested because of the first half of the book.

The illustrations were really pretty, and reading the book was a pleasant experience, I think this would be a great book to get kids engaged with learning about seasons, and the would be a perfect book to read right around March or April!

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A beautiful children’s book about spring with a little adventure in their very own backyard. I love that the phrases are kept short and lots of pictures on every page so children can practice reading.

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A beautiful book about spring with wonderful illustrations. 18 pages are filled with bite-size information about the nature that surrounds us (in the ground, in the water, on the trees - everywhere). This book would make a wonderful book for a 3-6 year old child.

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Review to come March 19th to blog/goodreads/etc..

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I have had this book on my Netgalley shelves for a bit now, I just wanted to wait until it was almost time for Spring! I am currently reading this on the 8th and the weather is definitely improving for the better, it is still cold though. But I am sure it will warm up soon. And just like the girls in the book, I cannot wait to get back into gardening. Now just to hope that the garden centres will open so I can buy plants and such for my new projects. 

We see two girls and their dad go through their very wild garden! Which has a pond, a big tree, a shed with something extra under it, and much more! It looked more like a wilderness or a visit to a park than that it looked like a garden. Haha, I guess if you have such a big garden that you have more space to let nature rule. My garden is, going by all the places I lived in, average in size. Not big, but also not small. Enough place to add some plants. But fully going nature, no.I


I had so much fun seeing all the things the girls and their father got up to to show that spring is truly coming. Insects that live in the compost heap are alive during spring, a bird is making her nest so sssttt be quiet don't startle it, the pond is full of life and probably soon the frogs will start making sounds, and seeing them make a giant field for their crops. It was such a delight and I am honoured I could be with them on this first day of spring.

As I said before I love it when the title of the book pops up in the story! 

After the fun and springwarming story we get some extra non-fiction information on spring. What it is, what plants grow, and much more. I am delighted this was added.

The art was just the absolute best and I love the style. 

This was a lot of fun and I am sure it will be loved by kids. I would recommend it to all.

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I really liked the artwork in this book. There were plenty of details and it is easy for kids to follow and understand. Many of the wonders of spring were showcased, like the plants growing, animals coming out of hibernation, caterpillars turning it butterflies and tadpoles to frogs. It is a time where natures comes alive and wakes up after its long winter sleep. There was also a few pages in the back with educational information of plants, animals, insects and more. This would be interesting for kids to learn and talk about.

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When two Asian girls join their father outdoors for gardening, they discover the many signs of spring in nature, including budding flowers, flitting bees and insects, birds weaving nests, and more. The rural-set story evolves into nonfiction with informational text on seasons, as well as changes in plants and animals during spring. Lovely illustrations by Cinyee Chiu emphasize the beauty, joy, and transformations of the season with many colorful full-bleed spreads. A nice look at nature’s awakenings for preschool through early elementary.

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What a wonderful book! For me who lives in the city, the spring is not as much celebrated as in the countryside. We still got the pollens though (and I got sick because of them.), but this book tells us about how important spring is. What people usually do in the spring to help nature grow as it should, and how can we help. This is important since not much of children nowadays realize how fabulous springtime is.

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Busy Spring is a stunningly illustrated picture book that introduces Spring to children and encourages them to observe their natural environment. In the story a father brings his two young daughters into their yard to garden and teach them about the natural world around them. Perfect for children 4 and up. I would love to read a book like this for each season!

Thank you Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

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Such a cute book about spring and life that comes back after a dark winter.
Living in Sweden, I am glad I have this book to read to my daughter.
Loved the illustrations, the fact that we see a dad being a gardener, the two sisters being kind to each other, the facts in the end for the different plants and animals.
It was a joy to read!
Thank you Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

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What a wonderful book! The illustrations are intricate and involving while the text is both entertaining and informative. And then there's the further information and even websites at the end! Once I get a print copy, I plan to share it while playing Vivaldi's Spring in the background. Every library needs a copy as well!

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A father and his two daughters head out into the garden because spring has come and they need to work in the garden. As they hunt for a missing gardening tool, the girls and their father point out plants and animals they see and what they are doing during spring. In the back of the book is further information about what causes spring, and its importance for many plants and animals.

A great little educational but engaging romp outside looking at spring animals and plants. The way the girls explore the yard with their father looking for the gardening tool makes their talk about the plants and animals feel very natural. The littlest one likes to imitate various animals and has a short attention span, and that helps make the family feel very realistic. I like that the animals featured aren’t all your typical spring critters (I actually think the setting is supposed to be England based on the critters, but it could be other places in Europe too). I also like that nowhere is a certain month mentioned in association with spring, making this a spring book ok for the Southern Hemisphere too. Hand this to curious kids who love animals and the outdoors and are learning about the seasons.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I loved this delightfully wonderful book! Go pick this up now for your children and students. There is so much in this book. The pictures are great and it is filled with such fun and even information pages at the end. If you love spring and all the animals and plants that come along with it then this is the book for you.

I am so glad I received this free ARC from Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

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Quarto really are the best when it comes to producing highly engaging beautifully illustrated informative books for children. Busy Spring is a joy from start to finish. The easy style of the story draws readers in and let's them explore the garden with Dad and the children. The story is simple but totally accessible and engaging. I found myself as an adult wanting to go straight out into the garden and explore. The second half of the book is full of well judged and well written information pieces on different aspects of Spring and this is a resouce book which pupils, parents and teachers will be able to keep coming back to. A fabulous book.

With huge thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for bringing the joys of Spring into my living room on this cold day.

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I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely love picturebooks like this that both have a good story, but also work as a non-fiction book! It is a really fun and easy way for children to learn about what happens during the spring! I especially liked the facts included in the back, to further support learning about it!
Really nice illustrations as well!

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This delightful book is a true celebration of SPRING! A father and his two little daughters experience all the awe and wonder of the season as they emerge into their garden and explore all the signs that Spring has arrived. They discover plants and animals that are rising up out of their winter dormancy and making their garden come alive: flowers budding, bees buzzing, and birds busily preparing their nests which will become home to their newly hatched chicks, just to name a few.

The authors start out with a story of fiction then they magically weave it into one of nonfiction. This second section of the book includes more in-depth information on the different aspects of this beautiful season.

The lovely illustrations are full of detail and activity. They do an excellent job of helping the reader visualize the beauty and joy of the transformations that are taking place in nature at this special time of the year. I love that the book is both entertaining and informative. I highly recommend it.

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What a wonderfully thought out children’s book that I need to add to my collection for science. There are so many ways this book can be used for lessons in science for older children. This book covered animals you find in the spring, it touched on life cycles, seasons, compost bins, plants, etc. The pictures are gorgeous and so well detailed. They would be fantastic to invoke vocabulary in younger readers and even readers who are learning English. I loved the informational pieces at the end of this book on various animals and plants. So much learn with this one, the possibilities are truly endless! Hats off to the author and illustrator on this on.

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This book is gorgeous and perfect for getting kids excited about Spring. The illustrations are beautiful and detailed, making a perfect addition to the facts given in the storyline. We love all of the information about nature and what the plants and animals do in the Spring. There is also a glossary type section at the back with pictures and more facts. Overall this book is a slam dunk and one we definitely will add to our home library.

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~ Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

I've read the ARC of "Busy Spring" a couple of times since it was given to me, and each time I've been so impressed by how visually stunning and informational this book is. I feel like this book would be best for older kids aged between 6-8 because it's so information-heavy, but I can easily imagine a younger child flipping through it for the gorgeous pictures. The narrative is simple but effective, although I will admit that I found the younger sister to act more like filler noise occasionally. Over all I found this to be a great book that encourages kids to appreciate the wonders of Spring and to help protect our planet.

Summary
Recommended age range: 6-8
Pros: beautiful illustrations; engaging narrative; loads of information; positive message
Cons: -

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Busy Spring is a good book to teach children about the many changes that occur in spring. The lively pictures are full of engaging detail. My two young children loved this book. One of my children identified with the older and more patient daughter, while my other child enjoyed getting up and copying anything the younger daughter did. I would not use this as a bedtime book as it instills a sense of motion and investigation. This book would be a great way to start off a day spent primarily outside. The back of the book is full of terms that my 4 and 5 year old didn't fully appreciate but in a classroom setting, they could become words to work on throughout a unit focused on spring. All in all, a very enjoyable book.

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When it’s Spring, nature wakes up, and it’s time to go outside in the garden and experience the beauty and fun of it all! What will you learn about the plants and animals that are waking up? I love this light-hearted romp outside, and the expressive, painterly illustrations bring the story to life, rich with the intricate flora of Spring in full blossom. Also, after the story you can learn more about your local plants and animals, too, and how to help them for an abundant season.

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*received for free from netgalley for honest review* What an adorable book! The art style is great and what a cute story !

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