Summer Reads We Love: 7 Seasonal Books That Support Early Years Development

At The Butterfly Patch, we love using books to spark curiosity, build vocabulary, and follow children’s interests.

With summer in full swing, we’ve chosen some of our favourite seasonal reads that connect to the natural world, recent outings, and summer adventures.

Each one supports early years development while helping little ones make sense of the world around them.

Let's jump straight into 7 Summer reads we love!

Garden Sounds by Sam Taplin

Ideal for ages 0 - 2

Little children can listen to a baby bird tweeting, frogs croaking in the pond and owls hooting when they press the pages of this delightful book.

Colourful pages show the garden and pond in the sun and rain and at night. With simple text, holes to peep through and fingertrails to explore, this is a lovely first book about nature and the outdoors.

Click here to check it out on Amazon.

Wonder World: Earth: The Natural Science of Soil by Ben Lerwill

Ideal for ages 4+

What's the point of soil? What's it ever done for us?

From hosting billions of worms to minibeasts and microbes, to being the home of fungi that could allow trees to talk, to providing enough nutrients to feed a planet . . . soil is a muddy, magical, marvellous miracle!

National Trust: Wonder World series is about the wonderful, life-giving, miraculous stuff everything on our planet needs to survive: Earth, Water, Air and The Sun.

Click here to check it out on Amazon.

Lulu Meets the Bees by Anna McQuinn

Ideal for ages 3+

Lulu is buzzing with excitement! She is off to meet bees at beekeeper Zora’s. Lulu wears a special suit to look inside the hive. Then she tastes the honey Zora’s bees have made.

Now Lulu wants to help bees, so she plants seeds at home. In no time at all, all kinds of bees come to visit her little wild place.

Click here to check it out on Amazon.

When Summer Comes by Ekaterina Trukhan

Ideal for ages 1 - 4

When summer comes, the sun is shining and the bees and butterflies are busy in the flowers.

Ducks and deer, frogs, fish and a friendly mole, watering vegetables with Mum and making a picnic with Dad before watching the sunset together - there is so much to see and do as nature enjoys the warm summer months.

And one little girl is loving every magical moment!

Click here to check it out on Amazon.

Big Outdoors for Little Explorers: Seaside by Anne-Kathrin Behl

Ideal for ages 1 - 4

Published in collaboration with the National Trust, this brand new series of board books will inspire a love of nature in even the littlest of animal lovers.

With vibrant artwork printed on white board, robust easy-to-use mechanisms for tiny hands and a rhyming text with friendly animal facts, these are the perfect books to captivate curious little explorers time and time again.

In this first seaside book, there are crabs to find in rock pools, dolphins playing in the sea, turtles paddling underwater and many more sea creatures to bring to life with the moving parts.

Click here to check it out on Amazon.

A Walk in Summer by Rose Cobden & Hannah Abbo

Ideal for ages 2 - 5

Filled with bite-sized nature facts and over 40 flaps to lift, young explorers can enjoy a colourful and interactive introduction to the wonders of summer.

Follow the family as they walk through the six different seasonal scenes, from the garden to the park, the high street to the field and the woodland to the beach.

Click here to check it out on Amazon.

Peekaboo Sun by Camilla Reid

Ideal for ages 0 - 4

Easy-to-use peekaboo sliders, a funny rhyming text and surprise mirror ending combine in this stylish and interactive board book for babies and toddlers!

With a total of 10 smooth mechanisms to push, pull or turn on every spread this beautiful book is packed full of fun!

Click here to check it out on Amazon.