Professor John Wedgwood Clarke – University of Exeter
Dr Regan Early – University of Exeter
Dr Lucy Mercer – University of Exeter
Sofia Cairns – BookTrust
Annie Crombie – BookTrust
Dr Ly Chu – BookTrust
George Barber – BookTrust
Jess Mitchell – BookTrust
New Nature Stories for early years readers is a collaborative, interdisciplinary project developed between RENEW and BookTrust, the UK’s largest reading charity. New Nature Stories is focused on how low-income families in urban areas and early years readers can engage with nature through children’s books, raising biodiversity awareness and inspiring local communities to discover nature on their doorstep.
Encouraging access to nature is a priority for early years professionals. The benefits of spending time in green space are well known, from improving physical and mental health and wellbeing, to developing attention and self-regulatory capacities, and encouraging enthusiasm for learning. 1
BookTrust research has also revealed that 73% of low-income families with a child aged 0-7 say that going outside is one of their favourite activities to do together, while 75% of low-income families with a child aged 0-7 say that being outdoors is important to them as a family. 2
However, children from low-income or vulnerable backgrounds have less access to these spaces, whether as public greenspaces or private gardens. 3 Nearly 1/3 of low-income families cite distance and cost as the main barrier to accessing green spaces. 4
New Nature Stories aims to play a role in tackling this issue. Books and reading can be a way for families to connect with nature: whether through imaginary worlds for readers with limited opportunities to access nature directly, or by helping families to forge closer connections with nature on their doorstep.
RENEW and BookTrust identified a shared area of interest: using the magic and joy of reading as a catalyst for children and their families to engage with nature.
New Nature Stories is underpinned by the partner organisations’ shared strategic objectives to inspire reading, create new nature-rich stories, and increase nature connection, particularly in low-income families. This work aligns with BookTrust’s strategic aims of getting every child reading, particularly in low-income families, and exploring biodiversity and the natural world. For RENEW it is part of our Theme 2 focus on communities, which aims to enable beneficial engagement by populations excluded, disadvantaged, or overlooked in connecting with nature.
We established a shared aim to add to the representation of biodiversity in children’s books, championing the rich, but sometimes overlooked, urban biodiversity that exists on the doorstep for many low-income families.
Our aims were:
Our two national Biodiversity Storytelling Summits have facilitated expert knowledge exchange, created new partnership networks and developed connections between creatives, scientists, researchers and industry professionals. These networking summits for conceptual and professional development brought together scientists, authors, illustrators, partnership organisations and publishers around a shared mission: harnessing the magic of reading to improve access to the natural world.
We have also facilitated an online Creative Story Support Network for creatives, building on the exchanges and feedback from the events. Two cohorts of freelance writers and illustrators have completed the programme.
Through New Nature Stories, approximately 100 authors and illustrators, researchers, partnership staff, early years professionals, advisors and creatives have enjoyed mentorship, knowledge exchange and professional development opportunities. Books inspired by the programme are in development for publication.
‘From our work and research, we know that in addition to improving wellbeing, educational attainment and significantly improving life chances – particularly for children from low-income families, regular reading has the power to create lasting impressions and inspire change. By combining the storytelling talents of authors and illustrators, the knowledge and enthusiasm of scientists, with our expertise in how to get children reading, we hope to inspire a new generation of young readers with a deep appreciation for the natural world.’
‘It’s so important that the books children have about nature open a sense of wonder, not only about global nature – the animals of the zoo – about what is around them, on their doorsteps, wherever they may live.
For instance, there are some extraordinary plants and insects on streets that are mind-blowingly strange and different. The scruffy and overlooked places can be the most exciting in terms of biodiversity. By bringing ecologists, writers and illustrators and publishers together we showed that we’re only touching the surface of the storytelling potential of everyday nature around us. Now more than ever we need to give children hope about their future and connect the next generation with the nature that sustains us all.’
As well as the freelance writers and illustrators participating in the project, we are grateful for the support of publishers Templar-Bonnier Books and National Trust Publishing who have presented talks at the Storytelling Summits and Story Support Network, alongside the wider RENEW team, advisors from Natural England, representatives from the Natural History Museum, ecologists at University of Exeter and independent researchers:
Professor Kevin Gaston
Dr Regan Early
Dr Mark Ferguson
Dr David Bavin
Dr Emanuelle Briolat
Maisy Inston
Dr Laura Kelley
Dr Shari Mang
Cara Patel
Professor Juliet Osborne
Dr Bethan Stagg
London Wildlife Trust
We are also grateful to participating publishers:
Anderson Press
Little Tiger
Walker Books
Simon & Schuster
Children’s Books North
The project has been made possible by professional services:
Dr Emma Zimmerman
Kelly Stevens
Dr Rebecca Short
Harriet Reed
S N Pattenden
Writers and illustrators participating in the project have gone on to place biodiversity-themed books with publishers.
They have also presented in-person and online workshops at libraries and schools inspired by the project.
BookTrust and participants from RENEW and partner organisations have offered advice and specialist input to authors and illustrators.
Ongoing reports and feedback on the development of New Nature Stories have been presented by researchers and staff from partnership organisations at RENEW’s annual Biodiversity Parliament events and information exchange made at conferences and events such as the IBBY, the 6th Nature Connections Conference and EU Read.
BookTrust and RENEW have conducted several surveys with participants to assess the impact of the programme.
