If wintry temps have you dreaming of spring, then read on! The outdoor adventures featured below will tide you over till the milder months. Focusing on the marvels and mysteries of nature, they’re tailor-made for storytime in the classroom or at home. Who knew that science could be so much fun?

IN THE GARDEN
What Will Grow? (ages 3 to 6) by Jennifer Ward celebrates seeds in all their many forms, from acorns and flower pods to apple pips. In short rhymed stanzas, Ward nimbly addresses the idea of plant growth, tracking it from sprout to full flower: “Very tiny. / Then so viny! / What will grow? / Tomato.” Susie Ghahremani’s detailed scenes of neat garden rows showcase each seed along with a critter who’s hungry for the yield to come (watch out for the raccoon in the pumpkin patch!). Little readers will be impressed by the book’s fold-out spreads, which emphasize the miracle of buds and blossoms. Encapsulating the magic packed into seemingly simple seeds—and the surprises they produce—this beautifully rendered story is a great way to get kids interested in the great outdoors. Here’s to the green thumbs of the future!

IN THE WOODS
Tim McCanna’s Watersong (ages 4 to 8) offers a wonderful introduction to the connections that exist between animals and their native habitats. A little fox dodges raindrops, dashes through a stream and takes shelter beneath a tree as a storm crashes through the forest. McCanna uses simple lines of onomatopoeia to communicate the drama and power of the sudden squall: “Wash! Wham! / Lash! Whirl! / Bash! Swirl!” He depicts the storm from the perspectives of other animals—geese, snails and a wide-eyed owl—to show how the downpour disrupts the tranquility of their surroundings. By story’s end, the rain has passed, and the fox emerges from hiding to play with her pups beneath a sparkling rainbow. Capturing the clarity of a world washed in rain, Richard Smythe’s watercolor illustrations up the appeal of this delightful depiction of nature’s cycles and the unexpected gifts a storm can bring.

IN THE WATER
Rivers of Sunlight: How the Sun Moves Water Around the Earth (ages 4 to 8) is the latest entry in the popular, science-inspired Sunlight Series from author Molly Bang and artist Penny Chisholm. This informative yet accessible book is filled with fun facts about H20 and the role it plays with the sun in earth’s life-sustaining cycles. The sun itself serves as narrator: “Together, water and I give LIFE to your blue planet, and to YOU.” Presenting sophisticated information in a clear and engaging style, the book delves into concepts like evaporation and photosynthesis. Chisholm’s dazzling illustrations of the sea, the stars and the sun capture the magnitude of our ecosystem while creating a sense of intimacy readers can relate to. A bold typeface and short chunks of text make the book’s big ideas easy to process. Youngsters will see the world in a new way once they spend some time with this appealing primer.