The Song That Sings Us - A Review

 


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 the ancient past, the now and the far future. In the world that is the setting for the story this is also the case: the song is the link between every creature.


One of the many fascinating aspects of the novel is that the humans in the tale fit into distinct categories. Ash and Xeno are Listeners: humans that have the outlawed power of siardw that enables them to hear what other animals are saying and thinking. This puts them on the radar of the sinister Automators, who aim to dominate and destroy nature, and so in grave danger. The Green Thorns, however, are trying to save the natural world from extinction.


In the gripping opening, Harlon and her twin siblings Ash and Xeno are trying to help their mother defend their home against the approaching Automators. That is until their mother tells them to flee to save themselves, which they do on snowboards down the deadly Skull Gully, which is six thousand feet in length and holds ‘six thousand ways to die.’ They are to find a ‘lost island’, and set out on a perilous journey that separates them from one another and throws them individually into the hands of the enemy. Xeno is kidnapped and Harlon and Ash are separated. In the thrilling adventure that follows, they all journey alone through the ice fields, forests and oceans of Rumyc to try to rescue each other and fulfil the promise that they made to their mother about the island.


The fact that Davies has written over eighty books for children is very much on display here. Her voice is one of wisdom, and her deep understanding of storytelling and nature speaks to us in perfect harmony through a text heaving with poetic moments, reminding us of our deep need to connect with the natural world. The novel will certainly appeal to readers who enjoyed Piers Torday’s The Last Wild series, and I would recommend this book for children in Upper Key Stage 2. It would make an excellent text for any adventure or quest story teaching in English, and the broader themes of environmental issues, friendship and hope will make it relevant to both Geography and RSHE learning also.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Every Leaf a Hallelujah - A Review

Image
  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 ...
Read more

Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature - A Review

Image
    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...
Read more

Play the Forest School Way - A Review

Image
  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...
Read more