Click on the image to view a trailer of the new animation of
It's Up To Us: A children's Terra Carta for People, Nature and Planet
including an introduction by the King
With grateful thanks to Ecoflix, Christopher Lloyd and The Prince's Foundation
Nature writing for children
The Doorstep Library Garden focuses on the importance of books about nature. Children are instinctively drawn to the living world around them. As they get older that interest often wanes. Yet we live in a time where science is starting to reveal how complex and interconnected our natural world systems are, and showing the importance of putting nature at the heart of our actions. We have the chance to make changes, working in harmony with nature, and truly inspiring writing about the natural world helps to keep children's love of nature alive. On the shelves are a wide variety of brilliant books, from illustrated versions of Charles Darwin's On THe Origin of Species for young children to adventures of plant hunters which teenagers will enjoy. What all these books have in common is the sense of wonder they inspire.
Books at The Doorstep Library Garden
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We have an Author of the Day at the garden during the week ready to answer questions about their books and discuss children's literature and nature writing for children in general:
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Monday: Chris Thorogood, author of When Plants Took Over the Planet (Quarto)
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Tuesday: Leisa Stewart-Sharpe, author of What A Wonderful World (Templar) and Constantine Innamee, Highgrove Director at the Prince's Foundation to speak about It's Up To Us: A Children's Terra Carta by Christopher Lloyd with a foreword by the King
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Wednesday: Thomas Mogford, author of The Plant Hunter (Welbeck Publishing Group)
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Thursday: Maya Gartner, Phaidon Associate Publisher and Alice-May Birmingham, editor of A Home for Every Plant: Wonders of the Botanical World by Mathew Biggs, illustrated by Lucila Perini (Phaidon)
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When Plants Took Over the Planet
by Chris Thorogood, illustrated by Amy Grimes
published by QED Publishing
Discover the incredible story of how plant life grew to cover the surface of planet Earth, from long before human life existed up to the present day. This large-format, highly illustrated book will guide readers through the key aspects of the life of plants, from early ferns which were most certainly munched on by dinosaurs, to carnivorous plants that snap and 'attack' their prey, or powerful medicinal plants that can heal ailments and boost health. Mysterious and wonderful plants and trees are explored through the diverse habitats they're found in, from the Amazon Rainforest to the Sahara Desert, and through the animals found living on them or amongst them. This book also explores how humans use - and abuse - our precious plants, and how reliant we all are on the survival of our planet's network of botanical life.
What a Wonderful World
By Leisa Stewart-Sharpe, illustrated by Lydia Hill
Published by Templar Fiction
Our world is WONDERFUL - and it's worth protecting. From the author of the BBC's children's book Blue Planet II, this book takes you on a breathtaking tour of our planet. From towering mountaintops, through grasslands, jungles, rivers, deserts, polar wildernesses and into the blue ocean - to discover the incredible variety of life that calls it home. Along the way, read the stories of 35 inspiring Earth Shakers - children and adults, from tree-planters to scientists, from all around the world - who have taken action to protect it. Plus, there are lots of practical tips and handy resources inside that give you the tools to make a positive change today. Every budding young activist will be inspired to make a change for a better future. Includes a special foreword from Lee Durrell MBE, of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
The Plant Hunter: A Great Adventure
By Thomas Mogford
Published by Welbeck Publishing Group
1867. King's Road, Chelsea, is a sea of plant nurseries, catering to the Victorian obsession with rare and exotic flora. But each of the glossy emporiums is fuelled by the dangerous world of the plant hunters - daring adventurers sent into uncharted lands in search of untold wonders to grace England's finest gardens.
Harry Compton is as far from a plant hunter as one could imagine - a salesman plucked from the obscurity of the nursery growing fields to become 'the face that sold a thousand plants'.
But one small act of kindness sees him inherit a precious gift - a specimen of a fabled tree last heard of in The Travels of Marco Polo, and a map.
Seizing his chance for fame and fortune, Harry sets out to make his mark. But where there is wealth there is corruption, and soon Harry is fleeing England, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing up the Yangtze alongside a young widow - both in pursuit of the plant that could transform both their lives forever.
A Home for Every Plant: Wonders of the Botanical World
by Matthew Biggs, illustrated by Lucila Perini
Published by Phaidon
Journey across 40 incredible habitats around the world to discover the biggest, boldest, and stinkiest plants
Without plants there would be no life on Earth, but most people are blind to their impact. This stylish and informative introduction to plants sets out to cure ‘plant blindness’ by introducing children to 66 amazing plants from the six major climactic zones around the world. From the smelliest, such as the massive Titan Arum of the Indonesian rainforest, which stinks of rotting flesh to attract insects, to the hardest-working, including peat moss, an overlooked bog plant that helps protect our planet by trapping carbon dioxide, readers will learn about the vital role of plants in Nature through detailed, vibrant illustrations and fascinating facts. Children will also learn how to use their new-found knowledge of the plant’s natural environment to care for the plants around them and at home. Fully researched, written, and vetted by expert botanists from around the world, this book teaches children about plants in the context of their natural environment, and is ideal for geography and biology curricular tie ins, as well as being a book that will inspire children to love and care for the plants around them. This is the perfect compendium for plant-lovers, budding gardeners, and would-be botanists and nature-lovers alike.
Receive 20% off using code PLANTS20
It’s Up to Us: A Children’s Terra Carta for Nature and the Planet
By His Majesty King Charles III, Christopher Lloyd and 33 award-winning artists
Published by What on Earth Books
Join His Royal Highness, author Christopher Lloyd and 33 amazing award-winning artists from around the world on a beautiful, lyrical and thought-provoking voyage through Nature, the threats we face and an action plan for the future. It’s Up to Us is based on the Terra Carta, a roadmap to sustainability issued by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and his Sustainable Markets Initiative. More than 400 corporations have already signed on, agreeing to put the health of Nature, People & Planet at the heart of their activities. Now it’s up to all of us to make sure our leaders keep their promises.
This book has been developed in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation, a charity established by HRH The Prince of Wales to demonstrate how Nature can be put at the heart of human activities. Half of all the proceeds from sales will go directly to the work of the charity, based at Dumfries House in Scotland.
We are grateful to independent booksellers South Kensington Books and The Bookshop East Grinstead for their support.
South Kensington Books is an independent bookshop in the heart of South Kensington's museum quarter. There has been a bookshop on this site since the 1940s. They continue the tradition of sourcing great books for the local community and the many visitors to South Kensington.
https://www.kensingtonbooks.co.uk/
The East Grinstead Bookshop is the quintessential English bookshop located in the heart of rural Sussex. Our shop, nearly 500 years old, is filled to the rafters with wonderful books, new and second-hand, staffed by people working in a business they are passionate about.
Our stock is wide-ranging and eclectic, with signed copies and beautiful gift editions as well as everyday reading. Come and visit us, or our website, to find exactly the book you were looking for - and many which you never knew you needed! Our Staff includes experts in the field of Children's Books, and there is nothing we enjoy more than helping children find a book they want to read. We also have a wide range of gardening books, and a full programme of Events which this year include a series of events on Climate Change and Nature Writing.
www.eastgrinsteadbookshop.co.uk