British Wildlife has featured book reviews since the very first magazine back in 1989, and every review included in issues since 2018 is available to read on the British Wildlife website. These reviews provide in-depth critiques of important new titles in natural history publishing, from nature-writing bestsellers to technical identification handbooks. They are all authored by experts in…
Professor William Scott reviews Rewild Yourself: 23 spellbinding ways to make nature more visible by Simon Barnes, illustrated by Lee Wright. There is a lot to like about this book, and if everyone did even half of what Simon Barnes recommends, their lives would be more fulfilled, and the rest of us would benefit as well. As is…
Henricus Peters reviews Hollow is a Home by Abbie Mitchell, illustrated by Astred Hicks. Take a peek into the world of tree hollows and the Australian animals that call them home. Trees are praised for many things, and rightly so: provider of nesting site for birds; perching place for beautiful flowers; the roots strengthen and structure the…
Henricus Peters reviews Animals Make us Human by Leah Kaminsky & Meg Keneally Do you know what Sir David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg, the Dalai Lama and Beyoncé all have in common? (The answer is at the end of this review!) This delightful and important book was born out of devastating circumstances. First the Australian bushfires of 2019–20, as the country’s…
Juliette Green reviews A Tiger’s Message by Martin D Hill & Marisa Morgan (illustrator) A Tiger’s Message is a beautifully colourful book that helps children learn about the wildlife of tropical rainforests, the threats that they face, and what people can do to help. At first glance, it appears to be a picture book aimed at Key Stage…
Sue Shanks reviews I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast by Michael Holland & Philip Giordano I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast is a book that explodes in front of you as soon as it comes out of the envelope or as it sits in the bookshop. The intriguing title and vibrant front cover ensures that the reader is compelled…
Dr Elsa Lee reviews What the Oak Tree Sees by AK Scott & RM Brink This beautiful, whimsical and nostalgic picture book answers a question my children and I often ask of an oak tree in the village that we call home. This tree has been a place of refuge for us as a family since we arrived…
Sue Shanks reviews Darwin Comes to Town: How the urban jungle drives evolution by Menno Schilthuizen Darwin comes to Town is a thoroughly researched book delving into the many ways that plants and animals are exploiting the habitats which are available in our urban landscapes and through these interaction are themselves undergoing evolutionary adaptations in a relatively…
Henricus Peters reviews Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways by Derek Gow The author image on the back flap reminds me of (sometimes controversial) television botanist Dr David Bellamy, a past president of our NAEE who passed away in 2019. A reasonably burly figure with a bushy white beard set on…
Juliette Green reviews James Finds the NAG Patch by Sara Kightley This is the story of an intrepid teddy bear who, like his namesake Captain James T. Kirk, boldly goes where no teddy bear has gone before – to the North Atlantic Garbage Patch (or NAG Patch for short) – “a mysterious place that holds a dark…