• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

As Scout is collecting firewood for the winter, he notices something extraordinary -- there is a wooden timekeeper in the forest! But what is it? Join Scout as he helps Daisy find clues to solve the Case of the Wooden Timekeeper.

Titles in The Gumboot Kids series:

INTRODUCING THE GUMBOOT KIDS

A celebration of nature, curiosity, discovery and mindfulness!

Adapted from the award-winning TV show The Gumboot Kids comes this outstanding new series of nature mystery books that celebrate the joy and wonder of mindfully exploring the natural world.

Perfect for inquisitive young minds, The Gumboot Kids' nature mysteries feature beloved characters, Scout and Daisy, working through a series of clues in order to crack the case. In each mystery Scout and Daisy affirm their findings with a trip to the library where they verify the evidence they've gathered in nature and solve the mystery before having a mindful moment to reflect on their journey.

With beautifully rendered and painstakingly detailed art, Scout and Daisy's adventures are also a visual feast that will have kids poring over the pages time and time again.

Each book concludes with two pages of field notes on the mystery subject, as well as a nature craft inspired by the mystery, for kids to try at home.

About the Show
Winner of numerous awards and an award finalist for the two most prestigious awards for kid's entertainment -- the Japan Prize (2018) and the Prix Jeunesse International (2018) -- The Gumboot Kids (120 episodes across three time formats) is seen widely across Canada, Australia, South Korea and the United States ... and its viewership is growing. The Gumboot Kids won a Parents' Choice Award, and the show is also approved by the Dove Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage and promote the creation, production, distribution and consumption of wholesome family entertainment.

"The Gumboot Kids is creating a 'new normal' for an entire generation. This pioneering series transports young children into the practice of mindfulness and the magic of nature. The values of gratitude, appreciation and respect will stay with young viewers throughout a lifetime, creating a world we all want to live in."
--Sandra de Castro Buffington, Founding Director, Global Media Center for Social Impact, UCLA

Eric Hogan's profile page

Tara Hungerford's profile page

Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford are a husband-and-wife team who run Imagine Create Media and are the creators of The Gumboot Kids. They live and create with their two children in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Nice, educational nature series for children.

Hamilton Spectator

A fun book about nature and taking care of the environment.

Kids Bookshelf Blog

I'm always advocating the importance of fostering a love of nature in the very young, so welcome this series which clearly aims to get young children outdoors and eager to discover more about the world around them; these stories are certainly engaging and contain just the right amount of information in the narrative to spark their curiosity.

Red Reading Hub

Charming and informative picture books that will help young children discover nature.

School Library Journal

With field notes, and crafts, these books are perfect for young outdoor enthusiasts.

Calgary Herald

We give these books two enthusiastic thumbs up! The stories are entertaining and heartwarming, but also easy enough for a younger child to read. Each story is an engaging mystery and has a little lesson inside about nature and animals. Educational and fun! We really enjoy the "life like" images in these books depicting the characters (which are super cute making them younger kid friendly). The visuals make those characters almost come to life while we read the stories! Amazing art both literally and visually. You and your family will genuinely love this book series! These books are geared for ages 3-7; however, they are an excellent source for any young reader under the age of 10.

Ottawa Mommy Club Blog

A most charming and instructive collection of nature mystery books which encourages children to head outside and discover their natural world... Extensive educational curriculum guides have also been assembled to accompany each of the titles... Scout and Daisy act as motivating nature guides as they introduce readers to memorable learning encounters via conversations, questions and research. A meticulously created miniature community consisting of a village, forests, gardens, hills and valleys serve as a rich environment in which they explore... Outstanding new series.

Canadian Childrens Book News

These books are beautiful, with full page artwork that captures the eye and attention... There is so much within the pages to inspire creativity and learning... Scout and the Gumboot Kids and the series, both on television and the books by Firefly Books are such a great resource for kids to learn, and entertaining and cute to boot!

Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs Blog

Winner, 2019 Best Canadian Picture Books

CBC Kids Books

Another Nature Mystery to be solved by our favourite detectives, Scout and Daisy!...The story unfolds along with captivating imagery full of color and wonderful textures like the carefully knitted clothing the characters wear. This is a great resource to feed the curiosity of nature-loving kids aged 4-7. Don't forget to check out the final pages to create your own pinecone friend in three simple steps! Teachers may use this resource as an opportunity to divide their lessons in two parts: the theoretical through reading the story in the classroom and the hands-on through heading out into nature to collect pinecones for the craft!

Green Teacher Magazine

This is a delightful book for young children based on the CBC television series, Scout and the Gumboot Kids. Using photographs of very detailed miniature dioramas, two anthropomorphic mice, Scout and Daisy, go on an adventure and take the reader along with them... Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford have created an engaging and informative book for children in K-2. It introduces young children to nature inquiry, a nature craft, a mindfulness activity, and a field note journal with more details. Young readers will love this book and delight in exploring along with these sweet mice.

Green Teacher Magazine

The stories feature two adorable mice... The amazing depictions are full of life-like detail.

City Parent Magazine

(starred review) Adapted from the TV show The Gumboot Kids, this series of books celebrates the joy and wonder of mindfully exploring the natural world. As Scout is collecting firewood for the winter, he notices something extraordinary -- there is a wooden timekeeper in the forest! But what is it? Join Scout as he helps Daisy find clues to solve the mystery.

Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens 2020

The illustrations are full of details to be examined, and the posed rodent friends do have a real appearance of life to them... Instead of just passively providing youngsters with science facts, the books in "A Gumboot Kids Nature Mystery" actively engage readers in their learning. Overall, this series is an excellent age-appropriate introduction to a number of science-related topics. Highly Recommended.

Canadian Review of Materials