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Emma Carlisle Books

Time runs like a river, never resting, moving steadily on. But if we notice how different each minute can be, we can appreciate them before they are gone.

Rivers can be fast-flowing or still, raging or calm, just like us. This lyrical picture book from the award-winning artist Emma Carlisle explores the concepts of time and change through the ebb and flow of a river.

From the fleeting flash of a kingfisher to slow grinding of pebbles, this beautiful book encourages readers to notice the big and small things happening in nature, as well as reflecting on things which have come and gone, and those yet to be enjoyed.

With themes of mindfulness and nature, the book also includes non-fiction spreads at the back of the book which can be shared with children.

Award-winning artist Emma Carlisle brings us her new observations of the passing of time and seasonal change, inspired by her new garden at home.

A Home is a Nest focuses on British birds and animals bringing up their young in cosy, safe nests and homes in the wild alongside the young family of humans who feature in the background. The rhyming narrative takes young readers gently through the seasons, and the illustrations provide clues about nature’s activities, usually hidden from view from us all but on full display in the book, thanks to the artist’s gentle illustrations.

The book covers a whole year by which time the young animals have left their nests to start their own journeys. This book is suitable for sharing with young children, or anyone who wishes to introduce the idea of parenthood, the seasons and nature’s rhythm around the year.

This is a gorgeous nature book that encourages children to stop and pause at the wonders of the world around them.

Posing the question, ‘What Do You See When You Look at a Tree?’, the book encourages mindfulness and gently challenges readers to notice how a tree’s leaves move and branches bend, or which animals might find in it a home, or what it has been and what it might become.

Narrated in a gently flowing rhyme and beautifully illustrated in watercolour artwork tapping into the colours of nature, What Do You See When You Look At A Tree? is an ode to nature and a wonderful addition to a child’s home or classroom library.

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