Have you ever wondered what happens to a seed when it is planted in the ground? Read along as a small seed grows up into a beautiful sunflower, meeting bees and learning a little about pollination on the way. Learn all about the natural world from other titles in our Nature Stories series: Little Acorn, Little Raindrop, Little Bear, Little Snowflake, Little Chick, Little Caterpillar, Little Pumpkin, Little Frog, and Little Comet.

Have you ever wondered what happens when a little acorn becomes a big oak tree? This beautifully illustrated story will delight children and parents alike, and also offers a perfect introduction to the life cycle of trees.

Gyula Krúdy is a marvelous writer who haunted the taverns of Budapest and lived on its streets while turning out a series of mesmerizing, revelatory novels that are among the masterpieces of modern literature. Krúdy conjures up a world that is entirely his own—dreamy, macabre, comic, and erotic—where urbane sophistication can erupt without warning into passion and madness. In Sunflower young Eveline leaves the city and returns to her country estate to escape the memory of her desperate love for the unscrupulous charmer Kálmán. There she encounters the melancholy Álmos-Dreamer, who is languishing for love of her, and is visited by the bizarre and beautiful Miss Maszkerádi, a woman who is a force of nature. The plot twists and turns; elemental myth mingles with sheer farce: Krúdy brilliantly illuminates the shifting contours and acid colors of the landscape of desire. John Bátki’s outstanding translation of Sunflower is the perfect introduction to the world of Gyula Krúdy, a genius as singular as Robert Walser, Bruno Schulz, or Joseph Roth.

A beautifully written, timeless tale by Cao Wenxuan, best-selling Chinese author and 2016 recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. Sunflower is an only child, and when her father is sent to the rural Cadre School, she has to go with him. Her father is an established artist from the city and finds his new life of physical labor and endless meetings exhausting. Sunflower is lonely and longs to play with the local children in the village across the river. When her father tragically drowns, Sunflower is taken in by the poorest family in the village, a family with a son named Bronze. Until Sunflower joins his family, Bronze was an only child, too, and hasn’t spoken a word since he was traumatized by a terrible fire. Bronze and Sunflower become inseparable, understanding each other as only the closest friends can. Translated from Mandarin, the story meanders gracefully through the challenges that face the family, creating a timeless story of the trials of poverty and the power of love and loyalty to overcome hardship.

In this poem, children discover that planting seeds is an exciting adventure that is good for the Earth, too!

Have you ever wondered what happens to a raindrop when it falls from the sky? This beautifully illustrated story will capture the imaginations of children and parents alike, and offers a perfect introduction to the water cycle.

Watch our happy, helpful friend the Honey Bee, always so busy and buzzy and find out why bees and flowers are such good friends. Illustrations using vivid colours include many real flower species which children may recognise from their garden or have seen growing in the wild, 3 of them are named at the end of the book too. The narrator shows us what these fascinating bugs have been getting up to in her garden. What we can learn: concepts: Simple ideas about the life of a bee Bees are insects Some common flowers: Daisy, Poppy, Sunflower new words: Insect, Pollen, Nectar, Hive, Honeycomb, Blossoms PAGES: 26 WORDS: 262 LEVEL: Preschool to 6yrs Other books in the series: Meet Bacteria! Travelling Seeds MUMMY NATURE series – nurturing children's curiosity Each book in the series is one mini nature lesson wrapped up in colour and rhyme. These books are intended for very young children including toddlers and will give them just a glimpse into some of the wonders of the natural world. Illustrated for maximum vibrancy and visual impact, using rhyme to engage young minds and encourage participation. Read the rhymes to your children and soon they will be reading them to you! The narrator is a small child and keen observer who tells us in short rhyming phrases everything she thinks we should know, and all about the magical things she sees around her. Sometimes she is camouflaged in the long grass and other times she has to climb a tree to get a better look. tags: free kids books, free childrens books, books for kids, books for children, free educational books, stories for kids, early reader, children's stories, bedtime stories, kids ebooks, kids book about animals, beginning reader, free ebooks, preschool, ages 3-5, ages 6-8, childrens books ages 4-8, childrens nature books, kids nature, free animal books for kids, free childrens books ages 2-4, childrens free epub, kids box set, childrens non-fiction