WildLives: 50 Extraordinary Animals that Made History
For ages 7+
Inspiring and heart-warming stories from around the world to inspire you for the rest of your days.
‘Wildlives’ is non-fiction at it’s best in bite-size inspirational true stories from our natural world. Ben has a great writing style that I always find speaks to children. I tested this book out with my 9 year old son at bedtime - himself a very reluctant, despite very able, reader. We loved reading 1 or 2 stories a night. It’s an ideal book to dip in and out of, also wonderful to get lost in for hours. We enjoyed the way the Contents page was categorised.
There are 10 stories within 5 different categories: ‘Rescue & Protect’, ‘Adventure & Explore’, ‘Change & Solve’, ‘Discover and Pioneer’, ‘Inspire & Influence’. It’s fun to read the names on the contents list - which do not give away what time of animal they might be, so we also enjoyed playing guessing games each night to see who got it right - would Moko be an elephant, would Hoover be an ant eater… Every story was delightful, especially with the inclusion of Sarah Walsh’s vivid and engaging illustrations accompanied by photographs of the animals or their environment where possible.
Children reading these stories will discover the incredible bravery, kindness, loyalty, daring and power of animals whether they are in the wild or pets at home. Without many of their adventures, some of our battles, advances in space exploration, or even human lives may have been lost. There are some more famous stories like Streetcar Bob, Greyfriars Bobby and Laika, but I can assure you from these 50 stories, you’ll discover some new heart-warming stories from around the world to inspire you for the rest of your days. There’s also an Index at the back of the book to search for particular animals or countries.
I can see ‘Wildlives’ being a superb addition to bookshelves in both home and school settings.
Download the official book-based teaching resources:
https://nosycrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WildLives-teaching-pack.pdf
About the author
Ben Lerwill has been working as a freelance travel writer for over 15 years. His work has appeared in more than 50 national and international publications, from The Sunday Times to National Geographic Traveller. Ben's passions include the outdoors, music, wildlife, running and reading. He is thrilled that, through children's books, he can share his enthusiasm about the wider world with young readers. He's at his happiest when he's on a long walk and his children haven't yet pinched all the snacks.
About the illustrator
Sarah Walsh grew up in upstate New York. When she was little she was obsessed with animals. So much so that she wanted to be one. Her mom knew this and sewed her an assortment of costumes she could wear all year round. She was also obsessed with drawing and from a very small age knew in her heart she would be an artist someday. If....she worked hard enough and practised. Currently Sarah is an internationally published illustrator with several adult colouring books, children's board books, activity books, and greeting cards under her belt. She lives with her family in Kansas City. Her work and other notions can be found at Sarahwalshmakesthings.com.
Published: 16th January 2025
Format: Paperback
[Ad-review copy sent to me by the publisher]
