Wild Child A Journey Through Nature By Dara McAnulty, illustrated by Barry Falls, is a glorious family friendly guide to encourage us all to get outside and explore the natural world - by young award winning activist and conservationist Dara McAnulty illustrated in colour by award-winning artist Barry Falls Wild Child begins in Dara’s own back garden and he takes us to hills, woods and ponds, pointing out his own favourite animals, flora and fauna. He explains all elements of the environment that fascinated him at a younger age and which continue to do so now. The book includes explanations of migration and metamorphosis, categorisation in the animal kingdom and fantastic facts on native birds, animals and plants. Each section finishes with an activity for readers to do when they get home: plant wild flowers, make a bird feeder, try pond dipping and build a vivarium. Dara ends the book with advice for young conservationists and instructions on how to follow the countryside code when out and about.

Dara McAnulty is a naturalist and activist from NorthernIreland. He has received many awards for his conservation work, including fromBBC Springwatch, The Daily Mirror and Birdwatch magazine. Dara is the youngest ever recipient of the RSPC medal for conservation. He is the winner of the 2020Wainwright Prize and the Non-Fiction prize at the Books are My Bag 2020 ReadersAwards and the British Book Awards for his book Diary of a Young Naturalist. He lives with his family and Rosie the rescue greyhound at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in County Down. Dara tweets at @NaturalistDara

Barry Falls grew up in rural Northern Ireland where he spent a lot of time drawing pictures and writing stories to go with them. He is a commercial illustrator, who has received multiple awards for his work with clients such as The New York Times, American Airlines and the Telegraph. His first book, It’s Your World Now! was published in 2019. Barry tweets @Barry_Falls

Dara McAnulty comments “Writing for younger children is a very special kind of conversation you have with your inner self. No word is wasted and each one carries such weight. As a teenage author, it is such a privilege to be able to invite children into a world which is and always has been, theirs to explore and learn from. I really hope that many children and parents will gain a different perspective and a new, multi sensory way of looking at everyday nature on or near, our doorsteps.”