A very Happy Book Birthday to Jane Clarke and James Brown on publication day for Lottie Loves Nature published by Five Quills! I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour. Lottie Loves Nature is the first in a brand new spin-off series to Jane’s Al’s Awesome Science books, but this time with Al’s sister taking the lead. Lottie loves the natural world and everything in it and does everything she can to protect it. The first in this eco-adventure series features Lottie, along with her pet parrot, Nacho and her dog, Einstein, stopping her neighbour from getting rid of all the ants in his garden and rescuing the frogs as he’s turned the pond into a putting green! A fun narrative is interwoven with fascinating facts, lively illustrations and great nature projects for budding young conservationists aged 7+ to do at home. Lottie Loves Nature is a brilliant way to encourage children to be more aware of the natural world and start to make a difference right on their own doorstep!
Today, I’m sharing a gorgeous guest post from author Jane Clarke, featuring her Top 5 Stories Set in the Natural World. Welcome to the blog Jane!
“From the time I was a child, I’ve loved stories that are set in the natural world. Here are my Top 5 in the order I read them. The editions shown are the ones I own now, but in the case of the first three, I borrowed earlier editions of the books from my local library:
1. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A.Milne, illustrated by E.H.Shepard, first published 1926. This is a collection published in 1994.
“Once upon a time, a very long time ago now, about last Friday, Winnie-the Pooh lived in a forest …”
Instantly, I was in Hundred Acre Wood, giggling at the adventures of optimistic, silly Pooh as he searched for ‘hunny’, got stuck in Rabbit’s burrow, tracked Woozles through the snow, attempted to cheer up Eeyore, met up with the not-so-wise Owl, and attempted an ‘expotition’ to the North Pole. Friendship, kindness, humour, nature and adventure stories: I was hooked! I’ve just read it to one of my granddaughters and it still feels fresh!
2. Wind in the Willows by Grahame Greene, first published 1908 (!). This edition is from 2001 and has lovely illustrations by Michael Foreman but I vividly remember the ones by E.H.Shepard. Now the River Bank and Wild Wood burst into life, and emotions ran a bit deeper. I joined Rat and Mole on their adventures, and this book was the first to make me cry – with Mole when he missed his home. I worried about the lost baby otter, and was relieved when that ended well, if somewhat mystifyingly. Mr Toad made me laugh out loud and Weasels made me nervous. Behind it all, I noticed the environment changing with the seasons, but it’s only on re-reading the book that I realise how detailed and poetic some of the natural descriptions are.
3. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, 1956, written with wit and charm, bursting with eccentric animal – and human – characters, and oozing with Greek sunshine. It took me on a wonder-filled quest to discover the natural world from mini-beasts to ‘magenpies’ with Gerry and his tutor, Theodore. Even today, it has the power to make me laugh out loud in places. I read ‘My Family’ when I was in my early teens, and instantly became a lifelong fan of Gerald Durrell. Through his books, I found out a lot about nature and about efforts to conserve endangered species.
4. The Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson, 2001. Maia, Clovis and Finn are great company, and there’s an exciting story that plays out in an Amazon setting. As a young adult, I lived for a while in Mexico and Brazil, and a few years ago visited Venezuela where my son was then working as an adventure tour guide. Reading this took me right back to a river trip: “the lapping of the water against the side of the boat, the moths, the fireflies,” and the insect bites and the tummy upsets! It all feels (and felt) so adventurous.
5. The Explorer by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Hannah Horn, 2017. I read this only last week, and again was transported by the sights and sounds of the jungle where four children, who are stranded after an air crash, learn to survive with the help of a mysterious explorer. I was right there, shuddering along with them as they gingerly sampled ground-up grub pancakes. On many pages, Hannah Horn’s fabulous black and white illustrations of the environment frame the text and add to the feeling of being there. Friendship, wonders of nature and an adventure story – it brings me right back to where I started!”
Find out more at www.jane-clarke.co.uk or www.fivequills.co.uk
With thanks to Five Quills for sending me this book to review and inviting me to participate in the blog tour. Check out the rest of the blog tour here:
Lottie Loves Nature: Frog Frenzy by Jane Clarke, illustrated by James Brown, is published today, £6.99 paperback, by Five Quills.
Simon Tyler is an author illustrator and graphic designer with a passion for presenting facts and information in accessible and aesthetically pleasing ways. He has absolutely succeeded in doing that with Book of the Month, Bugs, which he wrote and illustrated in association with the 
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