Outside In Nature Poems

Containing 50 poems inspired by nature, ‘Outside in Nature Poems’ is a wonderfully uplifting collection. Daniel Thompson’s love of the outdoors and the healing joy of nature shines through each poem. There are poems about the weather, animals, the season… showing all the variety and wonders of the natural world.

There are so many poems to enjoy here. I love ‘A Flamboyance of Flamingos’, an acrostic spelling ‘a collective nouns poem’ which cleverly uses those which group creatures to create the poem. Collective nouns are always great fun to explore with children and this poem could lead to them creating their own poems in this style. ‘Beautiful Flowers’ encapsulates the fabulous variety and ingenuity of the blooms we so often take for granted- but also makes the reader pause and draw parallels with how unique each human is too.

As might be expected from such a collection, there are poems which reflect upon threats to nature. ‘A World Without Bees’ focuses on all the ‘b’s we would lose- ‘big family banquets of bountiful grub’, for example whilst ‘No Planet B’ reminds the reader that we need to take care of planet A- the one which we have.

Some of the poems encourage you to learn about nature without realising! ‘The Superhero Squad’ draws attention to some of the incredible things animals can do and ‘The Great Recycler’ explores how ingenious the Earth is at recycling and reusing its resources.

The book is beautifully presented with engaging, attractive illustrations on every page. A brilliant collection for sharing, discussing, performing and using as models to inspire writing, ‘Outside in Nature Poems’ is also the perfect book to curl up and enjoy alone!

Outside In Nature Poems

Daniel Thompson, illustrated by Julia Murray

Collins  ISBN: 978-0008660253

Hello Me!

‘Hello Me!’ follows a little boy as he learns to love himself and accept himself for who he is. Comparing his mind to a house, he knows maintaining it needs love and care so it can weather the bad times. He understands that he is not perfect and will make mistakes, but resolves to make the most of what he has and to persevere when things go wrong, asking for help when needed.

This is such a lovely, accessible book, brilliant for sharing with individual children or classes to open up discussions about mental health. Using a house as a metaphor for the mind is very easy for children to relate to, the lovely illustrations perfectly supporting the text. When the little boy is jealous of the girl on the boat, the pictures show that however much she seems to have, there are cracks and patches in her home as well.

At the end of the book, there are notes offering advice and guidance to support the ideas explored in the story- reassuring for adults who are sharing the book with little- and perhaps not-so-little- ones. An excellent addition to any bookshelf!

Hello Me! A Children’s Book of Well-being

Dr Naira Wilson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

Little Tiger ISBN: 978-1801044844