Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back
For ages 9+
The stunning Knepp Estate rewilding project - a nature book to treasure!.
By Isabella Tree, illustrated by Angela Harding (Macmillan, 2024)
You might have noted via my Instagram Stories that this incredible new book by Isabella Tree, has simply blown me away!! It is without any doubt this is a deserved Bookshop.org Children’s Book of the Month for March 2024… and please do take advantage of my 10% off code TREE10 before midnight on 31st.
I have absolutely loved Isabella Tree’s two picture books published with Quarto: ‘When We Went Wild (2021) and ‘When the Storks Came Home’ (2022), which when the first was on our bookshelves at Moon Lane children’s bookshop in Kent signified a turning point in my perspective of the carbon footprint of paper book production. Published with the imprint Ivy Kids, the books are as eco as they can come whilst still being printed on paper and using coloured ink! Both books are stunning introductions to and based on real-life stories of Isabella’s journey rewilding the Knepp estate in Sussex with her husband Charlie Burrell, passed down through his family for 200 years or so. And now the torch has been passed to publisher, Macmillan to continue the Knepp rewilding story for children in ‘Wilding’ - a large gifty, hardback, filled with photos, breathtaking artwork by Angela Harding (much of which was created at Knepp), and the absolute guide to bringing the English countryside back into balance naturally, enabling nature to heal herself, breathing new life into waterways, lane and air.
Reading this gorgeous book cover to cover of a Sunday afternoon was an absolute treat, and I finished the final pages just as the birds were singing their dusk song. The book can be dipped into, perhaps you are out in the countryside and want to use the book as a guide, or have some favourite plants, animals or insects you love reading about (Tamworth pigs, Exmoor ponies, a myriad of birds, bees, butterflies, moths, beavers, and so much more). Perhaps you are, like me, keen to raise awareness and break the cycle of understanding about the importance of living things that traditionally we have been raised in recent times to fear or remove, e.g. ‘weeds’ or the use of chemicals for farming or in domestic gardens. We love a No Mow May - have you done that before? It’s so fun and it doesn’t take long for very pretty little flowers to peek through the grass and some butterflies to be dancing on the lawn when you come home from school. Bliss!
‘Wilding’ has been incredibly considered. It’s without doubt a work of hundreds of careful hours of work by all involved. The writing style is of course factual and educational, with tones of imparting knowledge and understanding about how to change our landscapes for the survival of soon to be extinct creatures that we know and love, e.g. hedgehogs! Every now and then though, when telling the reader about each creature introduced to Knepp’s rewilding project, there are funny little anecdotes, or observations, stories of unexpected arrivals, or huge wins in terms of conservation for species that hadn’t been seen in the UK for 50 years or more. It’s entirely impressive!! I particularly enjoy the featured before and after aerial photographs of parts of the estate, where they removed the canal to revert the land to its natural flood plain management (better protecting the homes nearby), or where they let their croquet lawn go wild.
There isn’t a page I didn’t pour over with eagerness. I loved each fascinating anecdote or ‘did you know’ fact. The message is loud and clear about how we can all play our part in improving the wild. We can and must co-exist without destroying it. In the last few pages there are guides to planting for wildlife, guides to ‘weeds’ that are vital for the living things around us, a Glossary, and a whole page filled with lists of Resources. I must also add that if you remove the dust jacket, you’ll have a lovely surprise. This is truly a forever book. Now I just need to book my stay and see it all for myself with the children in tow of course…
PRAISE
A captivating illustrated book.. exquisite illustrations by the printmaker and fine artist Angela Harding ― The Observer
A gentle reminder of the little things we can do to help the creatures that share our planet.. combined with Angela Harding's free-flowing illustrations, this is perfect for anyone looking to make the life of even a hedgehog a little easier ― Daily Mail
This is the perfect inspirational read for a new generation of re-wilders ― Lancashire Evening Post
Reviewed from self-purchased hardback published 1st edition.
