I grew up in London, close to Richmond Park, where I got to know many of the characters who have since popped up in my stories. I bird-watched, caterpillar-collected, and pond-dipped, and my bedroom had a floating population of minibeasts. My first picture book, Fred and the Little Egg, was about a bear cub trying to hatch an acorn, and my stories have continued to reflect my love of nature. My Fletcher’s Four Seasons series follows a kind-hearted fox cub as he explores his wood through the changing seasons. I hope my books will inspire children to explore and care for the natural world too.
I wrote...
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
By
Julia Rawlinson,
Tiphanie Beeke
What is my book about?
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves was inspired by my son asking me to fix a fallen leaf back onto its tree. Fox cub Fletcher is worried when his beautiful tree starts to lose its leaves. He does everything he can to save them, but it’s just no use. When the final leaf has ‘plipped’ off, Fletcher feels all hope has gone… until he goes back the next day and a glorious sight awaits him.
This tender, uplifting tale of friendship and hope, with glorious watercolour illustrations by Tiphanie Beeke, is the first book in Fletcher’s Four Seasons series. Kindness, nature discovery, and a sparkling surprise ending!
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
The Books I Picked & Why
Say Hi to Hedgehogs!
By
Jane McGuinness
Why this book?
There’s a leaf-collecting hedgehog in Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, and Say Hi to Hedgehogs! teaches you more about these wonderful animals, following a hedgehog’s story through the seasons. I love everything about this book – the illustrations are beautiful, with a ridiculously cute hedgehog family, magical night scenes, and cosy autumn and winter pages; I learnt some fascinating hedgehog facts from the notes scattered through the story; and the book even includes tips for making your home hedgehog-friendly.
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story
By
Sean Taylor,
Alex Morss,
Cinyee Chiu
Why this book?
I love quiet stories and this one is beautiful, exploring how animals survive in the winter woods through the relationship between a boy and his grandmother. We quickly follow the changing seasons from summer to winter and discover that although the winter woods may seem bare, life is tucked snugly out of sight waiting for Busy Spring (a companion book by the same team). A cosy story, gorgeous illustrations, and lots of nature facts, both in the story and the fact-packed pages at the end.
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
The Leaf Thief
By
Alice Hemming,
Nicola Slater
Why this book?
This hilarious tale of a squirrel struggling to cope with its tree losing its leaves in autumn shares a theme with Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, but makes it very much its own thanks to its delightfully dramatic main character. Squirrel is a hoot from start to finish, outraged one minute, trying to relax with yoga and a hot bath the next. The book has colourful, expressive illustrations, a wonderful final page twist, and some bonus facts at the back about autumn, trees, and squirrels.
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
A First Book of Nature
By
Nicola Davies,
Mark Hearld
Why this book?
A gloriously illustrated mixture of nature facts, poetry, and things to do, this book is like my childhood squished between covers, taking in pond-dipping, caterpillar-hatching, rock-pooling, worm-watching and so much more as it guides you through the seasons. I would have loved this book as a child, and still love it now.
When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.
Tree: A Peek-Through Board Book
By
Britta Teckentrup
Why this book?
There’s so much to look at in this beautiful book which follows a tree through the seasonal cycle. The gentle rhyming text is accompanied by colourful peek-through illustrations, with an owl cleverly joined by more and more woodland animals as the seasons turn towards midsummer’s night. I had to read this one again and again, following not just the tree but the foxes, birds, and even a spider’s web through the seasons.
