“I’d like to dedicate this book to all the children who like to climb trees, run barefoot, splash in puddles, search for bugs, sing with the birds, taste snowflakes and count the stars.
Because we all belong to nature and nature belongs to us all…”
Yuval Zommer, The Big Book Of Belonging
“I want to say something to all the young people watching tonight: For too long, we haven’t done enough to protect the planet for your future. But Earthshot is for you. In the next ten years we are going to act. We are going to find the solutions to repair our planet.”
Prince William
Today our Big Book Of Belonging Readalong with Tandem Collective UK has come to an end but we have been so inspired by this beautiful book and by watching the Earthshot campaign documentary the children have asked if we can continue with work around climate change and repairing our planet.
And so that is what we are doing starting today.
We have read The Big Book Of Belonging and talked about how we are all connected. Animals, humans, plants and oceans around the globe. We are all dependent on one another, our actions can have wide reaching benefits and long lasting consequences. We have talked about ecosystems and how when one part of an ecosystem fails the whole community fails. The children are keen to make changes at home and to raise awareness of how other children, families and business can make small changes that can make a big differences. In the words of our friend Loll Kirby we are all Old Enough To Save The Planet and in the words of Sophie Beer Change Starts With Us!
The Big Book of Belonging is a beautiful reminder to us all that the more we can connect or reconnect with nature the more we can reconnect with ourselves and the more we know about our planet, the more we will want to protect and repair it.
Through bite size chunks of information and stunning illustrations Yuval shows little readers some of the amazing species we share our planet with, he shows children the unique power and beauty of nature, he explains why all creatures great and small need a home.
Through the stunning pages of this book curious little readers can learn how animals and plants communicate, the importance of teamwork, why we all need water to survive, the importance of family and all about life cycles and the circle of life. There is so much in this book to encourage us all to spend more time in nature, exploring and adventuring. We have learned about migration, foraging, how the seasons change, why we need clean air and the vital need to protect and repair ecosystems. Each topic touched upon is enough to fire up children’s curiosity and would work as a launch into further research, reading and activities. Children can begin to understand the things they can do to help our planet. There is inspiration and practical ideas for children to start recycling, reusing and being friends to nature in their own gardens and local communities.
There is so much in this book. Designed to dip in and out of, a celebration of nature and a gift to treasure for years to come.
Thank you Yuval for inspiring my small people with your wonderful words and truly beautiful illustrations x
Here are some of the other books we have been reading alongside The Big Book Of Belonging and some of the activities we have done
We were sent one copy of The Big Book Of Belonging for the purpose of the readalong