Every June for the last 3 years, my children & I participate in The Wildlife Trusts’ #30dayswild initiative; it encourages people to connect with nature for the benefits it brings to people and the our wildlife. One of the things we do together (especially on rainy days) is make a book box filled with all sorts of nature-related books and this year we were excited to add a new story book – The Green Giant by Katie Cottle.
Bea Green and her sausage dog Iris take a short holiday to Grandad’s. Grandad is a keen gardener and Bea loves to just mooch about in the garden with her tablet, when all of a sudden Iris makes a dash for it…the resulting chase takes Bea to a very special greenhouse where she meets a giant with a very important story to tell…
Here we have a simple story about the importance of keeping the world around us wild and full of greenery. Cottle’s vibrant illustrations spring to life in a palette of fresh, zingy citrus colours and have a childlike quality to them that fits really nicely with the story.
In a world dominated by screens, children need all the encouragement they can get to tune into nature, and stories like this are a great starting point. Even better if you take it out in to the garden and read it under a tree on a blanket!
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