"Sunflower Shoots and Muddy Boots: A Child's Guide to Gardening" by Katherine Halligan and Grace Easton (Nosy Crow / National Trust)

Nosy Crow's partnership with the National Trust leads to some truly lovely little books, and we loved the idea of a board book for budding busy little bees who want to get out into the garden and have a go at growing things.

"Sunflower Shoots and Muddy Boots: A Child's Guide to Gardening" by Katherine Halligan and Grace Easton has a superb selection of outdoor activities to encourage kids away from their screens and out into the fresh air.

With a sturdy (hopefully mud-proof) board-book packed with brilliant activities and green-fingered ideas, top tips and fascinating facts, from growing berries and flowers in old hats and welly boots, to making miniature indoor magic gardens or even growing your own secret den.

Each of the activities may also help wildlife to proliferate in your garden, and you can even have a go if you haven't got a huge garden - there's plenty of scope to adapt each of the activities to suit, or perhaps even use these in school as the basis of some outdoor learning activities.

It's really wonderful this, and let's face it, kids don't need much of an excuse to get muddy!

Sum this book up in a sentence: The perfect first book for green-fingered kids who fancy trying their hand at growing and nurturing a wonderful outdoor environment.

"Sunflower Shoots and muddy Boots" by Katherine Halligan and Grace Easton is out now, published by Nosy Crow / National Trust (very kindly supplied for review).