Dara McAnulty

This wonderful nature diary is written by a young man who has become a bit of a celebrity in Britain for his defense of all things natural. The nature writing is detailed and evocative. The twist here is that he is on the autism spectrum, and reports that his whole family is also on the spectrum. so, in between the nature passages, we also have his inner turmoil over his diagnosis and how it affects his life and work. Honestly, it sometimes seemed tiring listening to these self-flagellating recitations, but then you remember that, arguably, he returns to these thoughts as a result of the condition. This leaves the reader feeling like they that much closer to understanding the condition, at least as it is represented in his individual life.

5 bones!!!!!
Highly recommended!!!!!… (more)

Excerpt from a longer article:

Synergy: Adventures in Nature

NATURE is the contents and relationships found in the material world including all life. Humans are a tiny part of the physical universe known as nature.

To understand a concept, it’s useful to read a cluster of books related to the topic. Explore these recently published nonfiction picture books for children:

...WILD CHILD: NATURE ADVENTURES by Dara McAnulty provides information and activities for young nature explorers. From gardens to woods, each chapter explores the life in a natural area and activities to immerse young people in nature. Whether making a bird feeder and observing nature from a window or dipping for life in a pond, this picture book provides a variety of approaches and activities to connect with nature. ARC courtesy of The Experiment, an imprint of Hachette Books.… (more)