Environmental Books for Children: Reviews

The Greatest Show on Earth   Written & illustrated by Mini Grey Published by Penguin Random House Children’s, UK, 2022   I wanted to tell the whole 4.6 billion years roller-coaster ride story of life on Earth in one book, so my readers could see ALL of this amazing and incredible story.    So writes Mini Grey, winner of the Kate Greenaway medal, when introducing her first non-fiction book for children on her website and she does so with such great humour, heart and honesty. It’s a lively celebration of this unique world of ours that doesn’t shy away from the truth regarding the profound impact humans have had in such a short space of time and the likelihood of a future world without us.    It’s absolutely right that the story is told by Rod, a cockroach, and his Troupe of insects in the world-famous Shoebox Theatre on a monstrous mountain of rubbish sometime in the future, when humans are no more and a slow re-wilding of the trashed planet is taking pla...

  Play the Forest School Way   Written by Jane Worroll & Peter Houghton Published by Watkins, 2016   May’s environmental read for children is a non-fiction text that explores nature-based play in the Forest School tradition, and is written by two Level 3 Forest School leaders. It can be read by adults looking to inspire children to learn and play in an outdoor setting or by children themselves. It offers many ideas for groups of different sizes or individuals and can be used in schools or for providing opportunities for family time and days out, ‘whether your local woodland is a forest or a strip of trees along the edge of an urban park.’ It’s perhaps a surprising boast that the book was the first one to share Forest School games, crafts and skill-building activities with families and friends on its publication, considering the Forest School concept has been around in the UK since 1993.   The text is divided into four sections: Nature Explorers, Forest Arts, Surv...

  Every Leaf a Hallelujah   Written by Ben Okri Illustrated by Diana Ejaita Published by Head of Zeus, 2021   When I was a child I knew that trees were more important than money. Trees make us happy. Can you imagine a world without them?    So asks Ben Okri in the introduction to his first book for children, an environmental fairytale for our times that gives a voice to the trees which surround us and takes us on a child’s quest to save her dying mother; a mission which leads her to discover a great tragedy that faces a world whose trees continue to be savagely wiped out.   In the forest near Mangoshi’s village in Africa there grows a very special flower that possesses healing qualities. The young girl knows that only this flower can save her mother’s life. All she has to do is find it. In search for it, she discovers there are many pathways through the woods and overhears the trees whispering among themselves. But unable to locate the flower initially she ...

  The Song That Sings Us   Written by Nicola Davies Illustrated by Jackie Morris Published by Firefly, 2021   When animals speak, it’s time humans listened.   This is the central message of zoologist, presenter and writer Nicola Davies’ upper middle-grade, environmental tale,  The Song That Sings Us . With beautiful cover and chapter illustrations by the award-winning, instantly-identifiable Jackie Morris, the book weaves a powerful tale that never preaches, but instead acts as a rallying call and offers hope at a time when it’s most definitely needed, all delivered in a cracking adventure story.  The first thing that jumped out at me was the poetry of the title, which perfectly captures that thing that connects us all, both humans and the natural world. Songs have always carried the greatest, most direct messages; they are acts of communication and communal union that have evolved in line with the world they depict and colour, connecting their voices with ...

    Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature Written by Dara McAnulty Illustrated by Barry Falls Published by Macmillan, 2021   My January recommendation is  Wild Child  by the naturalist Dara McAnulty, winner of the 2020 Wainwright Prize for his memoir  Diary of a Young Naturalist . McAnulty takes you by the hand and leads you along a glorious, brimming nature path from garden to woods and onto uplands and down rivers in this picture-book-sized guide poem, sharing his love and passion for all that is wild on the journey. Further brought to life by the illustrator Barry Falls’ vibrant fonts and double-page illustrations of an alive-and-kicking world, featuring stunning depictions of birds and bugs, this book is pitched perfectly for a primary school audience primed by the success of a clear ancestor to the book,  The Lost Words .   The book is divided into five sections: Windows To See The World Through, The Garden, The Woods, Going Upland and The Riv...