Friend to Nature
'A call to arms for the next generation of eco-warriors, full of practical ideas and activities to encourage wildlife and a love of the natural world' - The Bookseller
'This is my pledge, my promise, my vow,
Lasting forever, starting now:
I'll be a friend to nature.'
An illustrated book celebrating the natural world and ways to appreciate it, filled with practical activities and ideas to help wildlife and the environment on your doorstep and worldwide.
Starting with a pledge in poetic form, this book is a call to arms for the next generation of peaceful eco warriors. Broken down into sections of activities, each lyrically relates back to the metaphor of being a friend to nature.
The activities themselves are short, easy, and fun, with a few more extensive projects mixed in. These are interspersed with nature quotes, poetry, and other thought-provoking musings, as well as pieces of simple non-fiction information, such as the life cycle of a frog, a butterfly, a cross section of a flowering plant, and why you should always wish on a dandelion clock.
The final section explores what nature can give back to us in turn; that if we look after the natural world, we will always have a friend in nature – a space to be calm, to pause and think, to recharge, to bring us joy, amusement, and health.
Laura Knowles has a background in children's publishing and is the author of We Travel So Far, We Build Our Homes, The Coral Kingdom and It Starts with a Seed, which was awarded the 2017 Margaret Mallett Award for Children's Non-fiction.
Rebecca Gibbon (Illustrator)
Raised in Wales, Rebecca moved to Herefordshire after being based in London for many years. She collects children's books, vintage tea towels, Galt toys and Scandinavian ceramics, all of which feed her imagination. Rebecca took her foundation course at the Cardiff School of Art & Design, followed by a BA in Graphic Design at Liverpool School of Art. After graduating, she took an MA in Illustration at the Royal College of Art. There's a special naive quality to Rebecca Gibbon's work that is reminiscent of LS Lowry, but all the colour and activity in each image mean her artworks are perfect for children's books, travel illustration, advertising campaigns, packaging and editorial.