When We Went Wild: Volume 1

by Isabella Tree

Allira Tee (Illustrator)

From the bestselling author and rewilding pioneer Isabella Tree, When We Went Wild is a heartwarming, sustainably printed picture book about the benefits of letting nature take the lead, inspired by real-life rewilding projects.

Nancy and Jake are farmers. They raise their cows and pigs, and grow their crops. They use a lot of big machines to help them, and spray a lot of chemicals to get rid of the weeds and the pests. That's what all good farmers do, isn't it? And yet, there is no wildlife living on their farm. The animals look sad. Even the trees look sad! One day, Nancy has an idea... what if they stopped using all the machines, and all the chemicals, and instead they went wild?

The author's own experience of rewilding her estate at Knepp has influenced conservation techniques around the world that are bringing nature back to the countryside and bringing threatened species back from the brink.

Ivy Kids brings you beautiful, sustainably printed books to rewild your child. They are hopeful, joyful stories and nonfiction about nature and the environment that are charmingly illustrated and printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, locally in the UK, and using renewable energy.

Praise for Wilding, the author's bestselling memoir:

'This must be the most inspirational nature book of the year...a narrative of conservation, courage, vision and miracles... The story of what happened is thrilling... the Knepp Conservation Project is world-famous: a beacon of hope... Read this book and marvel.' - Bel Mooney, 'The Year's Best Books on Nature', Daily Mail

• ISBN10: 071126287X
• ISBN13: 9780711262874
• Publish Date: 1 June 2021 (first published 23 February 2021)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 30 August 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd
• Imprint: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 32
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

When We Went Wild is a retelling of the wilding of the author's estate, Knepp Castle in West Sussex written and illustrated for children. Due out 1st June 2021 from Quarto on their Ivy Kids imprint, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is such a beautifully illustrated, exciting, and encouraging book for kids and their teachers, families, and facilitators. It's very simple but shows the concepts clearly and understandably for even very young readers. The author explains some of the concepts, and mentions regenerative farming, rewilding, and resource equity in the afterword which could prove a good starting point for very valuable conversations with our children or in a classroom setting.

The book is beautifully and simply illustrated with a wealth of subtle detail and colour. There are insects, animals, and wildflowers on almost every page. It's never directly referenced in the text, but I appreciated that the human characters are multi-ethnic. Representation is important. (I like that the author and illustrator didn't make a huge deal out of it; but it's nice to see, nevertheless).

This would make a good selection for public or school library or home. It's a heartening story and has a happy ending, but not without dramatic tension in the telling.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.