Our Wild Garden

What if wildlife wasn't only something we saw on nature documentaries, but something that lived in our gardens too?

When Ali and Poppy hear about wild gardening at school, they immediately start to dream about all the adventures they could have if they invited the wild into their backyard. They soon set to work transforming their ordinary garden into a beautiful (and slightly less tidy) place that can be a home for a wide variety of animals and plants. They dig a pond, let the lawn grow into a meadow, and allow their hedge to become a messy tangle perfect for little creatures to hide in. Soon their garden is a beautiful place, full of wild flowers and butterflies, where they see hedgehogs and migrating birds, fox cubs and hummingbird hawk moths...

Eventually, Ali and Poppy find themselves looking forward to each new year and season in a new way because of all the wildlife adventures it will bring to them. Rewilding is a growing trend, with many prominent champions, but this is the first wild gardening picture book aimed at kindergarden and elementary school age children.

A connection with nature is one of the most valuable gifts any parent can give a child, as it will enrich their whole lives, and this picture book will help parents to give that gift.

Daniel Seton is an editor and picture book author who lives in Dorchester, Dorset. He has a small garden which he is in the process of wilding, and it already has a visiting hedgehog.

Pieter Fannes lives and works in Brussels with his wife and two sons. Their tiny city garden is visited by lots of local birds. Luckily, their cat is afraid of them! From his nearby workshop, Pieter can see out over the rooftops and watch a nest of blue tits as he paints.