Find It in Nature!

This excellent series is a solid introduction to exploring nature’s wonders while sharpening children’s observational powers and reading, scientific, and critical thinking skills. The text features brief sentences and minimal text. Students are invited to practice short- and long-vowel sounds and learn new vocabulary as they gain insight into the natural world. The titles about birds and fish excel at describing their appearances.

Some volumes end with observational questions for readers, e.g., “Have you seen one?”; “Where was it?”; “Can you find it?” All titles include high-quality, endearing photographs, some of which employ labels with arrows pointing to specific details mentioned in texts, allowing children to pick up vocabulary beyond what is included in the glossary. Engagement activities encourage readers to match a photo of the animal with a detail about it included in the text.

VERDICT: Highly recommended for schools and public libraries. Some children may find the poop title gross, but they’ll be fascinated and learn plenty.