Life in the Wild

‘Life in the Wild’ is a fascinating book. In her note, the author describes it as ‘an intersection between science, story telling, adventure and conservation’ and it does indeed reflect all of these areas, making it a very accessible and enjoyable read.

Each chapter is devoted to an exceptional individual of different species, tagged and tracked by scientists to deepen understanding of their behaviour. Ten creatures are introduced followed by a map showing where they live and, in most cases, a tracked journey which they made. General information about the species is included and, for some, further information about conservation work is also given.

There are many books about animals available, but what makes this really stand out from others is the personal connection it offers. By sharing the real plight of 20741, a female adult polar bear, the reader feels a deeper empathy as the story of one illuminates the struggles of the many. The unique behaviours of each creature is sure to intrigue children and develop their interest in the incredible wildlife of our planet.

A wide range of animals is covered here, including some which perhaps get less exposure. Through the story of Sitka, readers learn of the rapid population decline of albatrosses whilst Bigonia’s tale offers a fascinating look at these intelligent, solitary creatures. Advances in technology have allowed scientists to learn more – and yet expose just how much still is unknown.

Each spread is beautifully presented using a mixture of photographs and illustrations, making the book as attractive as it is informative. A glossary and index are included and study references are also offered, allowing those who wish the opportunity to explore further.

Life in the Wild 

Lizzie Daly, illustrated by Chiara Fedele

DK  ISBN: 978- 0241634110

Toxic

Jessica is used to travelling the world with her parents, whose lives are dedicated to the study and preservation of amphibians. Finding herself in the heart of the rainforest, she tries not to resent the nomadic lifestyle which prevents her from forming real relationships and being settled. However, when she meets a local girl, Renata, they strike up a friendship. As Tom, the previous researcher, leaves the research station, he gives Jessica a strange book called ‘Trekking Backwards’ which tells the very strange story of a man called Hadley Cavendish-DuPont…

When they learn that the incredibly beautiful cosmetics billionaire, Anura Hegarty, has just bought the section of rainforest where Renata lives, the girls are initially delighted. But when it turns out that Anura is in pursuit of eternal youth and will stop at nothing to get it, they find themselves in the middle of a perilous adventure!

Mitch Johnson is well known for tackling ‘big issues’ through his very accessible and readable books. ‘Toxic’ challenges the reader to think about the irresponsible and destructive actions of huge, faceless companies and their impact on the environment, and the damaging culture of ‘perfect’ beauty and youth, but also about the responsibilities of the individual.

Highly engaging, the book is extremely atmospheric, evoking the sights and sounds of the rainforest, balancing its beauty and its dangers. The story is sure to generate interesting in this fascinating location and its creatures- particularly the frogs! Messages about the terrible destruction of this special environment are obviously at the heart of the story, but so much passion and love for the natural world is expressed that the reader can’t help but feel themselves growing indignant alongside Jessica and Renata. It is beautifully managed, making it an excellent text to share as a class story or guided reading text, rich in things to discuss and explore.

The story also raises questions about the evils of a culture which promotes false notions about beauty and the importance of eternal youth, pressurising young women in particular to be constantly striving for an idea of perfection which is impossible to achieve. There is much I could say about thus, but I would hate to spoil the story for anyone who hasn’t yet read this wonderful book.

There is much to recommend this excellent book!

Toxic Mitch Johnson

Orion ISBN: 978-1510111929

You can read my review of Pop! here and Kick here.

The Bee Connection

Meet Mason B. Chandler, owner of Stemville’s private detective agency. In her first case, Mason follows the clues to solve a sticky situation which has caused Bug Borough to come to a standstill. Not only does she reveal the truth about what happened, Mason introduces readers to the fascinating world of bees along the way.

Combining story, information and appealing illustrations, ‘The Bee Connection’ is an absolute must-have for any curious nature lover, class bookshelf or library. There is a feeling of Richard Scarry’s ‘Busy World’ to some spreads, drawing the reader into Mason’s world and encouraging them to linger over each spread, absorbing the details whilst other pictures really help to support and explain the text.

Following Mason on her investigation, readers are encouraged to notice details and develop their factual knowledge of the different varieties of bees and their lifestyles. So much information is given, but in such a readable, easily digested style, brilliantly supported by the illustrations, that there is never a feeling of being over-loaded or overwhelmed by facts. Paragraphs, labelled diagrams, captions and short snippets of text keep the reader interested and attentive.

The book concludes with practical suggestions for how to be ‘bee friendly’, encouraging readers to value and look after these incredible creatures. These would be simple to follow at home or in school and the book would make an invaluable resource for teachers, supporting the science curriculum, developing interest in STEM subjects and modelling information writing as well as perhaps inspiring children to draw and design their own bee characters who might live in Bug Borough!

Anyone familiar with the very excellent ‘Professor Astro-Cat’ series will have high expectations of this - and they will not be disappointed. Informative and entertaining, ‘The Bee Connection’ is an bee-rilliant read!

STEMville: The Bee Connection

Ben Newman

Flying Eye Books ISBN: 978-1838741266

Published February 1st 2024

You can read my reviews of Professor Astro-Cat’s ‘Human Body Odyssey’ here and ‘Deep Sea Voyage’ here.

Meet Rachel Delahaye

‘Day of the Whale’ is one of the best books that I have read. Thought-provoking, challenging, full of evocative descriptions and engaging characters, it is one which I will be recommending and sharing constantly! Being able to ask author, Rachel Delahaye, some questions was a fantastic opportunity and I am delighted to be able to share these today!

1.     Cam's curiosity and determination to ask questions in the face of danger leads him to uncover some frightening truths. Did you write the story with the idea that it might encourage readers to challenge what they are told and to ask questions of their own?

No and yes. I didn’t set out to make any point when I began writing this story – I decided to launch into the world-building of Cetacea and see where it took me. It first took me to Utopia and then took me to a flipside – a place where I imagined how a small, isolated population, eager for preservation, could easily be manipulated by someone with a more sinister purpose. As soon as this dark side of paradise began unfolding, I begged my brainwashed characters to dig deeper. I realised very quickly that this wasn’t going to be adventure for adventure’s sake – and that, yes, I wanted my readers to find the truth, alongside Cam and his friends. In my opinion, there’s only one way to do that, and that’s to ask questions and to challenge the slogans we’re told explain everything. I hope the story shows that curiosity isn’t annoying, knowledge isn’t something to be suspicious of, and critical thinking is the key to finding truth; being told what we want to hear isn’t always kindness, it can be manipulation; what’s popular isn’t always what’s right. If a single reader comes away with the desire to ask more questions because of it, then I’ll be a very happy author. That was a bit long-winded, I’m sorry!

2.     Cetacea is located where Australia used to be and your descriptions of the landscape are wonderful. Why did you choose this part of the world as the setting for 'Day of the Whale'?

I was born in Australia and although I haven’t spent much of my life there (I moved to the UK when I was six, and then lived there for a few years in my 20s) it’s the kind of place that leaves a mark. Behind the glossy cities, there’s an ancient country with wild and diverse landscapes, rainbow colours, and skies that either yawn with endless blue or bubble with turbulent storms. It’s dramatic and captivating. During lockdown, I found myself missing it, and itching to write about the landscape and play around in its palette. I’m a huge fan of Australian author, Tim Winton, and I guess I was trying to emulate his style in a way – his descriptions of Australia are super sensory, wild and full of contrasts. Australia is not just a place, it’s a character. In addition to that, I wanted to introduce readers to the incredible wildlife and use that zoo-like environment of a small island to bring them all together, desert and jungle creatures side by side. There may be animals that readers haven’t even heard of – animals that might not be here much longer. What better way to show what’s a stake if we don’t look after our world? 

3.     Banjo feels a deep connection to his First Nation's heritage. What research/ advice did you seek to help you form his explanations/ ideas? 

I’m really glad you asked me this. To write a story about Australia and the importance of the past without including First Nations peoples to me would have been outrageous. As a white, far-flung Australian, I naturally felt unsure about how to write it, but Banjo came bounding into my head and led the way. Despite his light skin and fair hair, he is a descendent of the Darkinjung people of the Central Coast in NSW Australia – it’s an area I’m familiar with, and the Darkinjung are also known as the Whale Dreaming people, which of course is an absolutely perfect fit. It’s not explained exactly how Banjo is a ‘descendant’ – only that he is aware of his heritage because his parents broke the Cetacea law of not speaking about the past and whispered Dreamtime stories to him in his bed. Although better than most, his understanding of his ancestry is childlike, which provided a forgiving platform for my own very basic knowledge. Of course, in preparation, I read books, but no amount of reading could qualify me as an educator or any kind of authority – for a start, there are over Australian 800 First Nations dialects. But it did convince me that what I was doing was right. That aspect of my story is not my ‘voice’, but I recognise it as being very important – and I would be delighted if readers were inspired to discover more about First Nations history, art, cultures, because of it. What I did talk about, I knew needed to be right, so when I wrote Banjo’s explanation of what white man named The Dreamtime, I got in touch with Gavi Duncan, an Aboriginal Darkinjung Elder. Through back-and-forth emails, I got the child-friendly definition of the Dreamtime as close to correct as I could, with his approval. He also told me the Dreamtime story of Toorongong the Whale. With that in hand, it felt like I had all the threads to weave a beautiful, meaningful tale. This September, I'm going to Australia to meet with him.

4.     There are strong environmental themes running through the story, but although whales are part of this, they are not what the story is actually about. To me, they are more a symbol of all that has been lost as Cam's people have been deceived with the lie that they need to strive to make amends for the dirty past. Is this how you see it? 

This is hard to answer, because the whale came before the story itself, and it arrived not as a symbol but as a starting point. It began when an image sprung to mind of a boy looking at a giant screen with a blue whale on it. I knew I had to write something, but I didn’t really know what… All I had was ‘the whales are talking to the people through the screen’. Why? I came up with the idea of an island being ruled by whales. As I started to write, my own fears about populist politics and climate change melted together, and the whale became a symbol of a huge deception, yes – how big tricks can be pulled right in front of our eyes – but it had several other functions too: they represent climate catastrophe and also education, illustrating what we have to lose and what we have to gain. Whales are crucial for the environment; if they go extinct, then we really are in trouble (their role in the ecosystem supplies us oxygen). But their incredible communication, compassion and teaching of life-skills to their young can be an inspiration. To us small humans, they also instil a sense of awe. And we need to sustain that same feeling of awe about our planet and its creatures. Because when they’re gone, they’re gone. And then we’re gone, too. And finally, through the story of Toorongong, they represent everything from creation to kinship, to the wisdom of our elders. And to that, I say, never ignore history. It tells us all we need to know, especially about human nature.  

5.     Your 'Mort the Meek' books and the Jim Reaper series are very funny stories- a complete contrast to 'Day of the Whale'! You do both styles very well, but which do you prefer writing?

Sorry to be annoyingly predictable, but I don’t have a favourite. The comedy is a lot of fun. It’s invigorating and light and tends to skip from my fingertips – it’s enormously enjoyable and, dare I say, comes to me more easily that my more intense stuff. But that intense stuff, writing stories that make the brain tick and the heart thump, is intoxicating. It’s harder to get right. My drafts run into double figures. But every redraft is worth it, because not only am I getting the words right, I’m finding new strands to the plot and new ways to weave them together, and I’m getting to know characters in more depth and in turn they’re enriching the story with their actions and reactions. If I could continue my career switching between thrillers and gigglers, that would be perfect!  

6.     What can we expect from you next?

I’m currently editing a futuristic duology (possibly trilogy) which will be out next year, which explores the definitions of freedom and choice, which is very exciting. I’m also toying with some more comedy ideas and a sister book to Day of the Whale, set at sea. All in good time!

7.     And lastly- and most importantly according to my niece- what is your favourite cake?

Really moist lemon drizzle cake with a crisp sugar crust and heaps of lemon juice. Anyone who doesn’t agree is wrong.

Huge thanks to Rachel for answering these questions- so hard to decide which ones to ask!- and I cannot recommend ‘Day of the Whale’ highly enough! You can read my review of it here, but much better than that, read it yourself!!

Day of the Whale Rachel Delahaye

Troika ISBN: 978-1912745197

The Whale Watchers

It’s the first day of the summer holidays, but Finn is far from excited. His marine biologist mother is dragging him and his little brother, Jesse, off to wet, cold Scotland, so she can study the whales which live there. Finn has become increasingly anxious about plastic pollution in the oceans and is struggling with a growing sense of futility of his mother’s work or any action to save the planet. However, a chance encounter with a girl and her dog leads him into an adventure which proves everyone can make a difference.

This is the first novel published by Owlet Press. I am a great fan of their picture books as they always offer something a little different so had high expectations of ‘The Whale Watchers’- and I was not disappointed.

The story is successful in many ways. Firstly, it is a real love letter to whales. Bursting with information about these incredible creatures, there is so much for the reader to learn without even realising they are doing so. I had no idea, for example, of the essential role whales play in combatting climate change or that they re-distribute nutrients across the oceans. Additional information at the end of the book adds to that covered in the story and introduces the reader to the Moray Firth Dolphin and Whale Conservation Centre. There is even some advice from real life whale watchers.

The book also addresses the very genuine concerns many children have about the future of the planet. Finn embodies these feelings as he battles with the negative thoughts he has about plastic pollution and extinction, but ultimately, the story is full of hope. He comes to realise that every small action any of us makes combines with those of others, making a huge difference. The information section also includes practical advice for things children can do - real steps for change- offering them a sense of how they can contribute and make a difference.

Most importantly, ‘The Whale Watchers’ is a very readable and accessible story which children will both relate to and enjoy. The relationship between Finn and his brother is lovely and Jesse’s enthusiasm for whales is contagious. With lovely black and white illustrations by Amberin Huq throughout, the story is broken into achievable chapters, using a clear, easy to read font.

‘The Whale Watchers’ would make an excellent class story or engaging independent read.

The Whale Watchers Dougie Poynter, illustrated by Amberin Huq

Owlet Press ISBN: 978-1913339548