Nature Knows (Yvette Farmer, illus Chloe Jasmine Harris, T&H)

Nature Knows is a gentle picture book that steps quietly into the growing conversation around children’s wellbeing and the restorative power of time outdoors. Yvette Farmer, a primary school teacher with an academic background in psychology and health science, brings a reassuring authenticity to this lyrical text. The story follows a young family who escape the busy rhythms of home life for the calm of a campsite, where wind, birdsong and dirt under fingernails work their magic. What sets this book apart is the seamless weaving of poetic narration with small, digestible snippets of scientific insight. Each spread pairs quiet moments, such as a child listening to the trees talking, with explanations of how nature regulates mood, boosts immunity or anchors our body clocks. Chloe Jasmine Harris’s illustrations enhance the story with warmth and charm. Her painterly textures capture the sensory abundance of the bush, from the crackle of the campfire to the wild tangle of trees that don’t grow in straight lines. The final pages offer a simple nature-finding activity, nudging families to take the book outdoors. Nature Knows will appeal to readers aged 4 and up, especially families craving a simpler pace, educators exploring mindfulness and libraries building collections around wellbeing and environmental connection.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Karys McEwen is a librarian, author and the education advisor for the Melbourne Writers Festival. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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