Wild Languages of Mother Nature: 48 Stories of How Nature Communicates
This is a magical collection of illustrated stories from the Nature’s Storybook series. These 48 stories explore how animals and plants communicate in very creative ways!
Mother nature has devised so many beautiful and surprising ways to share information. Nature can be marvellously noisy, with birds singing, bears roaring, frogs croaking and kangaroos stomping... but many creatures and plants communicate through other, less vocal methods, too.
In this book, children can meet both noisy and not-so-noisy communicators, from a bee who waggle dances to explain a route to pollen, to rhinos who leave messages with their dung, African elephants who send vibrating messages to each other and demon mole rats who communicate by headbutting! Kids will discover that communication is often through sound, but it is also in the silent sign language used by ravens, in the hormone trails left by ants, in the artistic displays of pufferfish and amazingly, it's even under the ground in fungal networks between trees. As well as exploring how animals and plants communicate, the stories also delve into the why, showcasing examples of wildlife communicating in order to share information with their pack, flock or herd, or to win the attention and affections of a mate, or to scare off predators and rivals. A wealth of nonfiction information is woven in, making sure that readers come away with more knowledge and wonder for the wild world.
Ultimately, this book reveals that mother nature is in conversation all around us, all the time. And the beautifully told stories help readers to listen in to these incredible conversations and will encourage children to see that the need to communicate and connect is at the very heart of all life, from huge mammals to tiny insects to plants.
Margaux Samson Abadie, also known as Nano Fevrier, is an illustrator and children's clothing and textile print designer from France. Her work is rooted in nature, childhood memories, folklore, travels, literature, cinema and music. She likes to tackle subjects such as ecology, slow living and mindfulness.
Gabby Dawnay is the bestselling author of many books for children, a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine, and a scriptwriter for children's television. She also runs art, reading and poetry workshops in schools, and once upon a time, managed a contemporary art gallery.