Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature [Hardcover]

Nicola Davies (Author), Mark Hearld (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 14, 2012 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years

This gorgeously illustrated volume of poetry — sprinkled with facts and fun things to do — sows an early love for nature in all its beauty and wonder.

The buzz of bees in summertime. The tracks of a bird in the winter snow. This beautiful book captures all the sights and sounds of a child’s interactions with nature, from planting acorns or biting into crisp apples to studying tide pools or lying back and watching the birds overhead. No matter what’s outside their windows — city streets or country meadows — kids will be inspired to explore the world around them. Written by award-winning author Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld, a breathtaking new talent in children’s books, Outside Your Window is a stunning reminder that the natural world is on our doorstep waiting to be discovered.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Best known for science books such as Extreme Animals (2006) and Surprising Sharks (2003), Davies turns to poetry in this large-format book. The poems cycle through the year from spring to winter, with more than a dozen poems in each seasonal section. Written in plain, down-to-earth language, the verse offers observations and information about the natural world as well as reflections, short narratives, and suggestions to help children to enjoy it. Hearld’s mixed-media collage illustrations are unified in style but varied in technique, offering different effects that suit the subjects of individual poems. The artwork is full of life and movement, color, and texture. While few of the verses rhyme, those that do are some of the best. A versatile blend of poetry and science, this is an excellent choice for sharing across the curriculum. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan

Review

Divided into seasons, this visceral introduction to the wonders of nature explores cycles and the passage of time through rich, textural images and thoughtful poems... Debut talent Hearld layers his organic tableaux with matte, paper-cut collages, woodcuts, and other mixed-media techniques, complementing the album of ideas, images, and moods created by Davies’s evocative poetry.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Reading poetry may seem an activity for the winter-bound and introverted, but this lovely collection, organized by season, urges children to dash outside, slamming the screen door behind them. Unlike so much poetry geared toward children, not all the verse here rhymes, introducing readers to poetic language outside the predictable cadences of Dr. Seuss. Mixed-media illustrations, with an emphasis on woodblock and silhouette, offer plenty of beauty to contemplate.
—The New York Times

This is a beautiful book, thick and sturdy and elegant, printed on paper that seems to whisper under the fingers.
—Wall Street Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Gift edition (February 14, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076365549X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763655495
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 0.7 x 11.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: This Book May Bring on an Intense Desire to Create Beautiful Art July 3, 2012

By Michele Kingery

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I saw a very large black snake when I was biking yesterday. It was early evening and he was stretched across the road warming himself in the waning light. Instead of recoiling in horror, (my usual M.O.), I felt a sort of friendliness toward a fellow traveler. Perhaps because I'd seen him before in the very same spot. Or perhaps, having read this book with its simple poems and delightful illustrations, I feel more grateful and tender toward the world outside my window.

Author Nicola Davies says of writing "Outside Your Window": "I cast off my grown-up self and found the me I was at five or six." Flipping through the pages reminded of a time when the simplest things could inspire awe; an early morning spider's web in all its glittering geometry, the flick of a squirrel's tail, the tip of a seedling peeking up through the soil in a paper cup, the smudgy gray of a pigeon feather, a tumble of broken seashells scattered by a wave.

Mark Hearld uses a melange of cutouts, pastel, paint, pen and ink, woodblock print and colored pencil to create his juicy, layered collages. Detailed borders and backgrounds add even more dimension. I was so uplifted and inspired by his images, I could hardly wait to paint, draw and try my hand at carving a small woodblock.

It is Hearld's art, most of all, that gives proof of the rich gifts nature offers; the treasure trove of sights, sounds and seasons that wait "Outside Your Window". Davies' simple poems provide the perfect grace note.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book about nature and the seasons! April 2, 2012

By Jena

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I stumbled upon this book quite by accident and I am so thrilled that I did! The illustrations are gorgeous and not cartoon-like as some children's books can be. I appreciate that it is arranged by seasons and helps a child learn how he can interact with the natural world all through the year. Informative for little ones and a feast for the eyes. Will be picking up more copies to share with friends!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well illustrated book covering 4 seasons May 29, 2012

By Backscheider

Format:Hardcover

This book goes by another name in Australia, My First Book of Nature. The content does not follow a specific storyline but takes the reader through all four seasons. The text is supposed to be poetic, but misses the mark a bit and is instead comes across as factual. My daughter loved the extensive illustrations. She was more thrilled with the book than I, so in that sense job well done.