Busy Spring

Nature Wakes Up

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 12 Oct 2021 | Archive Date 05 Oct 2021

Talking about this book? Use #BusySpring #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


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 9780711271685
PRICE $10.99 (USD)
PAGES 32

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)

Average rating from 31 members


Featured Reviews

5 Stars

Oh, this is such a lovely book! It’s more of non-fiction teaching kids about the spring season, but there’s a little story that adds to the allure. The back pages have a lot of information with beautiful illustrations to explain the changes spring brings to the environment around us.
The book is lighthearted but not something we’d read once and set aside. It can be used as an introduction to seasons and the importance of taking care of nature. Take the book to a park or a garden and combine practical experience with reading. Kids would love it for sure.
To sum up, Busy Spring is a happy, cheerful, bright, and informative book for the little ones. Reading this one did make my day better.
Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group, for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

A very cute book about all the things a young girl can find around the yard while gardening with her father in the spring. I love the art style which is semi-realistic to give a scientific feel to the plants and animals in the garden. I also liked all of the informative bits at the end about how to make your garden more eco friendly with bird houses, etc.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Was this review helpful?

Spring sunshine is nature's alarm clock, telling wildlife to wake up after winter. You can see, hear, and smell the signs of new life as the season arrives with a rush of energy.

Beautiful illustrated book about the changes in Spring. A father and daughter discover how spring helps nature in animals, for us, and the world. How it is important for growing food, flowers, and the care of the land. I appreciated how the book focus it being a family endeavor. Working together makes for stronger families and communities.

A book of discovery for the whole family.

A special thank you to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Honestly, I am on a child books reading spree mode and encountered this book by chance.

I like this book because, not only it talks about nature in a simple yet digestible sentences for toddlers, but also accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

I like it and I think it's a good book to raise awareness on nature in toddlers nowadays. Last but not least, highly appreciate the last mini and short encyclopedia, helpful and full of new knowledge.

Was this review helpful?

I am still waiting for winter but this book is making me feel like I really cannot wait for the next spring!

The illustrations are so cheerful, bright and beautiful. It's the main highlight for me.

The writing is apt for the reading age group.

This sweet little story will make you want to go out and plant your own garden.

Thank you, author/artist and the publisher, for the advance reader copy.

Was this review helpful?

Such a cheerful, lively book! It really conveys the joy and wonder of nature. Basic concepts (tadpoles, bird nests, pollen) are explained simply and clearly for young kids and the colorful, detailed illustrations enhance the sense of abundance and awe in spring.

The supplementary information and suggestions for how to support natural areas/creatures were a nice addition and very helpful.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto for providing an e-ARC copy of this wonderful book to review. This is an absolutely beautiful (in illustrations and story) book about those beginning moments of spring, when families open their doors to head outside after a long winter. Of course, nature has also woken up just moments before, and the plants and animals are a welcome sight in addition to the warmer weather.

If you go out to a park or a garden with kids and they excitedly point out every leaf in the tree and frog in the pond, this is the book for them. Not only will they be able to follow along with the artwork and find fun and delightful treasures in every corner, but they'll be part of the plot where two kids and their dad explore together. At the end of the book, there are lots of nonfiction resources about the animals and environment depicted in the fictional stories, and ways for young readers to get involved in eco-friendly, nature-aiding projects in their own gardens.

I adore the detail that the kids in this story know it's the first sign of spring because their dad has put on his shirt with a big hole in it, which is what he wears out in the garden. Of course, spring looks different depending where in the world you are and what weather you're used to, but details like that prove there are some kind of family-specific first signs (that kids will always pick up on before everyone else) that signal both new beginnings and comforting familiarities.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book. I loved the story and the pictures were beautiful!

Was this review helpful?

Such a visually beautiful book! There is so much to look at on each page. I love how it teaches readers about nature and what happens when the seasons change.

Was this review helpful?

This book contains A LOT of information about the changes that occur in plants, animals, and nature during Spring, but it is also fun! The illustrations are beautifully colored and bright. A perfect book for talking about Spring!

Was this review helpful?

"Everything's growing, feeding, and making new life."
This is a beautiful book about welcoming spring and all the joy and newness it brings! A sweet story followed by some facts about spring make this a lovely little book.

Was this review helpful?

Busy Spring by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss is a beautifully-illustrated book for young readers that introduces them to all the beautiful things nature does in spring. This book isn't the usual story about just the beauty of spring, but it's also timely and informative about climate change and the repercussions it has on the concept of seasons. Educational and informative with tips on how young readers can help to protect wildlife and nature, this is a must-read.

Was this review helpful?

This is such a wonderful story with so much informations and absolutely beautiful pictures. Highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

The immersive, visceral quality of this text and the accompanying illustrations is phenomenal. I could FEEL the season of spring while reading it. The theme of a "busy spring" is also something I'd never seen before. I've read about beautiful springs and happy springs and waking-up-from-long-winter springs, but never busy springs in particuar. After having recently moved out to the country, I'd say this description is quite fitting, and it makes me so thankful to be part of this busy planet! The supplemental pages provided in the back were also engaging and helpful to read. 5/5 for sure!

Was this review helpful?

An absolutely gorgeous picture book to celebrate the beginning of spring! Both of my children would have loved this when they were little: my visual learner who loves stories and being together, and my kinesthetic non-fiction kid, who probably would have acted out all the parts like little sister Jasmine.

Curiously, the book includes a reference to a butterfly's "cocoon," which surprised me, as scientists have been referring to it as a chrysalis for years now.

Was this review helpful?

This book would be perfect for my gardening/allotmenting mad toddler. I will definitely be purchasing when it's out.

It's a book about the garden waking up in spring. Two little girls and their Dad explore the garden and make all sorts of little discoveries, from tiny little creatures, to foxes, to tadpoles. Finding that there's something to see and alive in every nook and cranny of the garden.

I thought the last few pages were an interesting addition, a sort of mini nature book, explaining spring, wildlife and. with tips on how you can help life thrive in your own garden.

Beautiful, calming illustrations, with plenty of detail but still keeping it interesting for children.

Was this review helpful?

*Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - words and pictures for allowing me to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
Two children and their father explore their backyard and learn about spring.
What a great resource book to teach about spring! This book blends a gorgeous story with true facts about spring to help children learn all about it, The illustrations were beautiful, the characters were great (especially the youngest sister, Jasmine - so cute and so much fun!), and the writing was fabulous. I also loved that after the story had been told, the book switched into an informational section about spring, plants, animals, growing together, and how you can help. I think teachers will really like this one.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this one and think it will be a great book to purchase and share with my daughter. Artwork is lovely, and the story flower really nicely. I'm sure it will get her wanting to explore our garden too!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this books. The illustrations are so beautiful, and the characters and all the nature information were really cute and interesting. It had quite a bit of text so I'd recommend it for children older than 6.

Was this review helpful?

My kids and I love gardening, so I was very excited to read this book. We very much enjoyed it! It was easy enough for my toddler to understand, but still engaging for my middle school son. A great family read.

Was this review helpful?

According to NetGalley, "Busy Spring, Nature Wakes Up" by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss with illustrations by Cinyee Chiu publishes the week after next. However, looking around on-line, including at the publisher's website, it appears to have come out this past March. That makes a great deal more sense, a spring book publishing in the spring, not in the fall.

Whenever it became available, "Busy Spring" is an excellent selection for our Environmental Book Club. It's a beautifully illustrated story about a boy and girl who go out to work in the garden with their father, just because it is spring. They ramble about, doing a number of things in the yard, while Dad explains various things in a nonscientific way. "The spring sunlight is nature's alarm clock. Life's waking up. Plants are racing to get more light." A better than adequate explanation for young readers of what's happening in springtime.

The illustrations and layout of this book reminded me of "The Ox-cart Man" by Donald Hall with Caldecott Medal winning illustrations by Barbara Cooney. Both books also deal with nature, by way of the changing seasons. "Ox-cart Man" is about what the ox-cart man does over the course of the year, while "Busy Spring" is about what a family does in spring time.

"Busy Spring" has several pages of back matter, including a lengthier poetic explanation of spring and then a section on what is going on with plants and animals at that time. But, really, the main text about the family working together is enough.

Taylor, Morss, and Chiu have an earlier book, "Winter Sleep, A Hibernation Story.".

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: