I applaud this book’s ambitious but highly plausible vision of our future cities being filled with urban nature. I found the narrative flowing and convincing and enjoyed the many examples of what has already been achieved to integrate more green space and wildlife into cities around the world, from Berlin to Singapore.
I think it’s a great primer to reimagining how we can, and must, one day live in perfect harmony with nature, especially in the city. It filled me with hope, which is a real challenge for any writing on the subject of biodiversity.
An eye-opening and urgent re-examination of nature in our cities, from the Sunday Times bestselling author.
'Awe-inspiring... full of wonder, warning and hope' ISABELLA TREE, author of Wilding
Our modern-day cities might seem to represent our separation from the vitality of the natural world. Yet, as Ben Wilson reveals in this invigorating re-examination of urban landscapes across the globe, nature has always been at the heart of the city.
Moving from Los Angeles and Delhi to Singapore and Amsterdam, Wilson explores how the bond between humans and nature has oscillated throughout history, and shows that - in a time of…
I love that this book builds on the author’s previous personal account of rewilding a rural Sussex farm in the bestseller Wilding to promote the wider potential of rewilding in cities, including our own back gardens.
I believe urban rewilding is crucial for the benefit of wildlife, people, and sustainable cities, so it was gratifying to read something that will raise public awareness of broader interpretations and applications of rewilding. It is packed with practical advice, helpful illustrations, and comprehensive endnotes for further sources of information (It was, of course, a bonus to see my own project included here, but not the reason for my recommendation.)
I hope as many people will read it as have read the first book to ensure we all do our bit to make all human environments, from the rural to the urban, fit for nature too.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'Important and empowering' - BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
'Get this great guide and be inspired' - STEPHEN FRY
'A handbook of hope ... Buy it, read it, start changing things right now' - JOANNA LUMLEY
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The enormity of climate change and biodiversity loss can leave us feeling overwhelmed. How can an individual ever make a difference?
Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell know firsthand how spectacularly nature can bounce back if you give it the chance. And what comes is not just wildlife in super-abundance, but solutions to the other environmental crises we face.
The Book of Wilding…
This book helped me take more notice of trees and confidently identify key British species. Despite my passion for nature and rural upbringing, I could identify only a handful of common species, often only when in leaf, before reading this.
The book’s narrative style, of a gentle guided walk led by the erudite author, will inspire you to take more mindful walks in real life, noticing the leaves, forms, berries, and flowers that help distinguish tree types. The central colour photographs help affirm the vivid, entertaining descriptions, but I recommend you also have a tree-spotter’s guide on hand to help with those species that are not shown.
I recommended this book to open the eyes of anyone suffering from any degree of ‘plant blindness,’ reportedly most adults.
A guide to Britain's 50 commonest trees, which takes you on a journey - from the wildest woodland to municipal carpark, via field hedgerow and orchard garden.
Rewild My Street provides design-led guidance for people wishing to adapt their homes, gardens, and streets for wildlife.
Inspiring images show how to integrate wildlife features into a typical urban setting. Links to stylish products and step-by-step activities show how to achieve this, while species and habitat information highlight the value of making these changes.
The project started in London and seeks to reverse the trend of city streets ‘going grey’ through changes to private gardens. It enables design research at London Metropolitan University's Centre for Urban and Built Ecologies, exploring ‘urban rewilding’ to address biodiversity decline and promote sustainable redevelopment of cities. It has generated articles and book chapters on city representation, generosity in architecture, beauty and monstrosity, rewilding myths, and behaviour change.
My child says this is a stunning book with nicely sketched illustrations and good details about which wildlife you can find in different cities around the world.
He keeps it by his bedside for bedtime reading and thinks other kids would like it because it is colourful and calming.
Picture a city. What do you see? Traffic and towering buildings? Or maybe you imagine something a little . . . wilder?
These are the astonishing stories of the animals who are adapting to live in our urban world - and how you can help them to thrive.
From the pitter-patter of penguins in Cape Town, to the prowl of a leopard in Mumbai, the splash of a seal in Sydney, cities are home to all sorts of unexpected residents.
Keep your eyes wide open as as we travel the globe discovering wild cities. With magical illustration and beautiful storytelling,…
Winner of the Waterstones Children's Gift of the Year 2018, this lavish poetry collection is a perfect present for any age.
I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree: A Nature Poem For Every Day Of The Year, named after the first line of Judith Nicholls' poem 'Windsong', is a beautifully illustrated gift book treasury of 366 animal poems - one for every day of the year, including leap years. Filled with familiar favourites and new discoveries, written by a wide variety of poets, including John Agard, William Blake, Emily Bronte, Charles Causley, Walter de la Mare, Emily Dickinson, Carol…
My son thinks this is a lovely and very artistic book themed around animals and nature. He recommends it for both children and adults, as he knows it appeals to both because his mum originally bought it for herself.
He likes it because the illustrations are amazing and detailed. He thinks the verses are well put together.
Beautiful books make unforgettable gifts. This pocket-sized treasure is the perfect gift for fans of nature, language and rich artwork, adult and child alike!
Kindred in spirit to The Lost Words but fresh in its form, The Lost Spells introduces a beautiful new set of natural spell-poems and artwork by beloved creative duo Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.
Each "spell" conjures an animal, bird, tree or flower -- from Barn Owl to Red Fox, Grey Seal to Silver Birch, Jay to Jackdaw -- with which we share our lives and landscapes. Moving, joyful and funny, The Lost Spells above all…
