Written, Illustrated, & Photographed By: Naomi Walmsley & Dan Westall
For Ages: All ages
Language: English
Topics Covered: Nature, STEM, Outdoor Skills, Urban Nature, Education.
Summary: This book is SO cool! I used to be a substitute teacher at a nature school outside of Boston, and this book would have been really helpful.
All sorts of topics are covered in the book: tips for spotting urban wildlife, the importance of trees in our cities, and nature-based art activities. I loved the foraging tips and recipes for treats like nettle crisps and smoothies, and instructions for making your own beeswax food wraps.
The combination of real photos and illustrations make for an engaging layout and easy to understand instructions with a personal touch that feels like you’re reading a letter from a friend. The children in the photo look like they’re having great fun, and are the same consistent group of participants throughout. The pages are engaging for children flipping through to find an activity, or for an educator or caregiver looking for a specific theme. The pages are colorful and chock full of fun crafts like spiders made from nuts, or a supply list for a nighttime hike. This book is the most recent in the creators’ series, and I absolutely want the others now!
This book was kindly sent by GMC Publications, but all opinions are my own!
They run Outback2Basics, an organisation which educates schoolchildren in Stone Age skills – from painting, eating bugs and making arrows to the workings of a compost toilet.
Mum-of-two Naomi describes her outfits as “cave woman fashion” with throws made primarily of rabbit fur, while Dan dons tines made from deer antler round his neck.
Naomi said: “We are modern Stone Age people, that’s what I always tell people.
Dan Westall
Having always been interested in the outdoors, Dan worked as a survival consultant behind the scenes on various TV shows.