Over the last twelve months
As a family
We have not really left our village and the surrounding countryside
We have walked well over 1000km
And we know all the footpaths in the area
Throughout the last twelve months we have learned a lot
About the flora and fauna in our local fields and woodland
We have loved spotting rabbits and foxes
Badger trails
And birds from buzzards to woodpeckers
Pheasants to herons
We have loved spotting wildflowers
And foraging in the hedgerows
We have been so lucky
To focus our home education on the nature that we have observed
Through our daily walks and our own garden
We have raised tadpoles and returned them to their pond
We have created a wildlife pond in our garden
We have created a wildflower bed in the garden
And have left an area of our lawn to grow long and wild
Through our learning we have become very attached to our local wildlife
And the children are very keen to do all that they can to protect the plants and animals
We have come to know
I think all of the above is the reason that the book I am sharing with you today
Poppy Goes Wild
Has really resonated with my eldest daughter Esther
Esther read it in one sitting
And could not wait to tell me all about Poppy and her Grandad
About the otters and the farm
Esther thinks that she is quite like Poppy
In her love of nature and animals
Her love of being outside and digging in the dirt
Esther describes Poppy as friendly and determined
Someone who is kind and curious and likes to have fun
Today we are part of a blog tour promoting the wonderful new book
It is written by multi-award winning television producer
Nick Powell
And illustrated by Becca Hall
Who shares my love of The Lake District
And who has answered some questions for us
About herself and the illustrating process
You can read the Q&A after our review
I cannot wait to show my girls
Who as well as being enthusiastic nature lovers are also all budding illustrators
Before the Q&A though
Here are our thoughts on the book
Poppy Goes Wild by Nick Powell and Becca Hall
Poppy Goes Wild
Is about a little girl who is on a mission
To save her Grandad’s farm
The farm has become unfriendly to native wildlife
And Poppy wants to make the land habitable and welcoming again
This is a story written to introduce children to the concept of rewilding
Creating safe spaces to encourage the return of our native wildlife
We have planted lots of bee friendly flowers in our garden
To help the bees
We have done the same for butterflies
We leave some of our lawn long and wild
This book is encouraging everyone to become part of the rewilding movement
To spend time in nature
This is especially important for our children
How can we ask them to protect something if they do not know what it is?
This is a story about nature
About repairing the damage that has been done to the wild areas around us
But also about taking time to be outside
To be part of nature
In healing the world around us we can help ourselves and each other
This is a powerful book
Most will say that this illustrated chapter book is for children aged 4 to 7
My Esther is 10 and she devoured this story
It has really made a huge impact on her
And she talks about Poppy and the things she does to help the farm all the time
Esther especially likes the otters
I have loved this book and I am excited to now share it with you
Poppy loves to hear her Grandad talk about the farm
How it was when he was a boy
Poppy has been reading about rewilding
And she wants to help her Grandad make his farm land wild again
They set to work straight away
Reclaiming some farm land for the native wildlife
And helping them along by sowing sunflower and mustard seeds
Grandad hopes to attract his favourite bird the skylark
This beautiful book not only tells the story of returning the farm to a wilder way
But teaches children about different plants, birds and animals
When Poppy and her granddad decide to turn the largest field
Into a wildflower meadow
They talk about how hares adore eating grass and wildflowers
And that long grass is the perfect place for hares to conceal and raise their young
I have learned loads from reading this book
I would definitely recommend it for readers of all ages
And it is perfect for home educating families like ours
Who use our local area and outside spaces as our classrooms
As well as describing plants and animals
And explaining the processes involved in rewilding
This book also celebrates the joyful relationship
Between Poppy and her Grandad
When Esther finished reading the story
One of the first things she asked was if she could buy a copy of the book for her Granny
We are giving her a copy for Book Giving Day on February 14th
A few years ago Granny gave us a copy of The Lost Words
And the two books are linked
As Poppy tells her Grandad that one of the things that got her thinking
About the idea of rewilding the farm
Was learning that the words ‘otter’, ‘lark’ and ‘kingfisher’
Had been removed from the dictionary
As the animals were hardly seen anymore
It is at this part of the book that you realise how important the story
Of Poppy and her Grandad is going to be
For children and their grown ups
Just like The Lost Words
These books are not just nice stories
With pretty pictures
They are a call to action
To get involved in the movement of rewilding
To make our countryside wild again
So that the lost birds and animals can return
And the balance of our ecosystems can be restored
I would love to live in a world of falcons and beavers
Skylarks and hares
For Poppy the animal she wants to encourage the most
Is the otter
To do that Poppy and her Grandad need to reverse the changes they made to the river
When the land was converted for farming
They need to recreate the wetlands they destroyed
And give the river its natural bend back to encourage the otters to return
Once Poppy and her Grandad have dug up and reshaped the river banks
They set about making holts for otters
Homes made out of fallen branches
The illustrations are full of colour and detail and fun
They show the hard work of the pair but also their strengthening bond
The connection between Poppy and her Grandad and the land
This story is heart warming in so many ways
You cannot read this and not smile
I love the detailed descriptions of the work that Poppy and her Grandad do
Along with the reasons why they do each of the things they do
Reading this book has made me want to do a lot more in our garden
To encourage more wildlife to come in and feel safe
To help at the river on the farm
Poppy organises for her school friends to do a river clean up
Picking all the litter out of the river at the farm and in the town
As the story moves from spring to summer
And the farm is becoming wilder
Nick Powell teaches his readers about all the insects living in the hedgerows and the meadow
This part makes me smile as I remember our spring and summer
Spent listening to the minibeasts
Recording their sounds
And spotting ladybirds and caterpillars and other bugs
We loved getting up close and observing all the tiny creatures living in the hedges and fields
On Poppy’s Grandad’s farm they create hedgerows with hazel branches
They hope that by replacing hedges that were removed in creating the farm
They can encourage hedgehogs and other animals to return to live in them
As the seasons move on Poppy and Grandad start to see the rewards of their hard work
Hares leaping in their meadow
Wild poppies growing in the fields
And otters swimming in the river
As more and more animals return
Poppy and Grandad’s thoughts turn to the future
And together they list all the other animals they would love to see on their farm
Beavers, barn owls, peregrine falcons
“Poppy and her Grandad has already achieved a lot in starting to turn the farm wild again, but their mission to make the world a better place for wildlife has only just begun.”
This is such a joyous book
By the end of reading this to myself
I was grinning from ear to ear
And I totally understood why it has had such a huge impact on Esther
This year we are going to work together as a family to rewild more areas of our garden
To learn more about what we can do to make our garden more friendly and safe for animals
I am so looking forward to long days outside in nature with my little people
Following Poppy’s lead
And I am most looking forward to encouraging the children to draw a map
Of our garden
In the style of the amazing map that makes up the endpapers of this brilliant and beautiful book
A map that reminds me of the stories I loved as a child
Including Milly Molly Mandy
Which my littlest two now adore
This is such a special book
If you are looking for some light at the end of this long dark winter
I heartily recommend you read Poppy Goes Wild
It will make your heart sing
It makes you want to pull your wellies on
Get outside
And go wild!
And here now as promised
Becca Hall, Illustrator of Poppy Goes Wild Q&A
What drew you to illustration?
I have always been into drawing – cliche I know but it’s true! I always loved the freeness of it – you can create worlds that don’t exist, or bring animals to life, giving them human characters and emotions. So as soon as I found out about the illustration courses at University, I knew that’s what I would do. I studied illustration with animation at Manchester School of Art, where I explored as much as I could, to enable me to get a good start on what I wanted as a career. Since leaving university, I have launched a successful online shop, illustrated a variety of commissions; from pet portraits to hampers for Lakeland, and illustrated 6 children’s books, including Poppy Goes Wild!
What did you love about the story of Poppy Goes Wild?
When Nick sent me the story at the beginning of the year, I was filled with excitement and knew I’d love to be a part of this book. I loved Poppy’s willfulness for change and her enjoyment at getting her hands dirty doing it! The story reminded me of days spent at my Grandparents house, in the heart of the Lake district when I was a child. They owned some woodland, and I would spend hours making houses for animals (and fairies!), or fishing for tadpoles in the nearby lake, going for walks and spotting baby deer in the garden.
How long did it take you from start to finish, to create the illustrations for Poppy Goes Wild?
I started late March, creating the characters and working out what they were going to look like, what they were going to wear etc. Once they were in place, I could start on the roughs! These were done in pencil – some pages occasionally hinting at the colour scheme, but mainly focusing on the layout and composition of the illustrations. Once these were approved by Nick and the lovely people at Little Steps Publishing, I could crack on with the finals. Nick had told me at the beginning that there was a three-month deadline from start to finish, so there were some long days towards the end, but I managed it – with a week to spare!
Did you face any challenges whilst illustrating Poppy Goes Wild?
At times, it was the time constraints that became a challenge – books I have worked on in the past have had much longer deadlines which means more time to explore different compositions, characters and ideas. However, I think the tight working schedule forced me to make these decisions quicker. I was also illustrating this book during the first lockdown in the UK, which was a strange time for everyone. It was comforting knowing I had something to work on that kept life as normal as possible.
Do you have any particular routines or rituals whilst illustrating?
Plenty of cups of tea!! Sometimes I have a small bowl of mini eggs on my desk too – they’re great for when I’ve been concentrating for a while and just need a little injection of sugar! When illustrating, I try and set myself targets each day for what I want to get done. Once I had completed my list for the day with Poppy Goes Wild, I could go out for a walk or sit in the sunshine without feeling guilty. I think it’s easy to just see the project as a whole and feel overwhelmed, so breaking it down in this way means I still get a balanced life and avoid burnout. Although sometimes it’s easier said than done!
Did the Lake District, where you grew up, have any influence in the illustrations for Poppy Goes Wild?
Yes absolutely! Having lived there for most of my life, I am very familiar with life in the Countryside. Having recently moved to the coast, it was a joy drawing rolling hills, fields of meadow flowers, rivers and woodland.
What was your favourite childhood book?
My favourite childhood book has got to be We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. I found the illustrations so beautiful and eye catching and loved the pace of the story as it mimics their walking, and then running. My dad always used to tell me that the bear was just misunderstood and wanted friends. There’s a beach in Cornwall with lots of caves – I used to imagine that’s where the bear lived!
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself that we may not know.
I’ve never been into sports – at school I avoided it as much as possible and always just told myself I ‘wasn’t a sporty person, and that was okay’. But in March this year, I moved to Cornwall and decided it was time to finally try surfing. I’ve always wanted to have a go, and I was hooked from the first day! I bought myself a board and have been surfing as much as I can ever since – even around Christmas when the sea has gotten a lot colder! I can’t wait to visit warmer climates where I can surf – it feels like a whole new world has opened up for me.
I hope that you have enjoyed learning about Poppy Goes Wild
Do check the other stops on the blog tour to learn more about the book
The author and the illustrator
This is a beauty of a book
And a timely reminder for us all to do all we can
To make the world a better place for wildlife
And to get outside and enjoy nature
This spring and summer
I think our mantra might be
Be more Poppy!
We were sent one copy of this book to review
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