Published on 14 October 2024
Blog post by: Simon Pattenden, RENEW Communications Officer
This interdisciplinary event, attended by publishers, authors, teachers, librarians, illustrators and scientists, focused on creating new biodiversity narratives and visual storytelling in children’s literature.
Above: Drawing the bigger picture: Illustration by Georgia Harmey – Illustrator in residence at the Biodiversity Storytelling Summit 2024.
A short walk from the Art Garden, above a beautifully landscaped courtyard, a sign reads ‘Gathering of strangers,’ This is the Whitworth’s Civic Engagement and Education Space, dedicated to community-focused projects from early years to older ages. The Whitworth Art Gallery is a unique space and provides the venue for this year’s RENEW x BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summit.
Above: Gathering of Strangers. The Whitworth Art Gallery, Civic Engagement and Education Space, dedicated to community-focused projects from early years to older ages.
BookTrust and RENEW are working together, focused on increasing the presence of urban biodiversity in children’s books and making these new stories accessible for all children to benefit from the magic of shared reading.
RENEW x BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summits are reciprocal, collaborative events where biodiversity science provides children’s authors and illustrators with new worlds to visualise and translate. Conversely, the practice of writing and illustrating children’s books provides scientists with an opportunity to think speculatively and a little out of the Excel spreadsheet. For many scientists, this interdisciplinary collaboration is where original research questions are born, so events like the summit are bursting with new ideas.
– Dara McAnulty, Diary of a Young Naturalist
Above: BookTrust Deputy CEO, Annie Crombie with RENEW Co-Investigator and Associate Professor in Non-Fiction Writing at University of Exeter, John Wedgwood Clarke.
Over 50 participants attended this year’s Biodiversity Summit providing expertise from the biological sciences to the creative arts, from teaching to publishing. The event was opened by BookTrust Deputy CEO, Annie Crombie and RENEW Co-Investigator, poet and Associate Professor in Creative Writing from the University of Exeter, John Wedgwood Clarke.
Above: Helen Tan with BookTrust’s Ly Chu & George Barber.
BookTrust’s Ly Chu (Senior Researcher) and George Barber (Research and Impact Officer) joined by Helen Tan (Early Years Area Lead for Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Department of Education), set the scene and motivation behind this year’s summit, in particular, BookTrust’s Bookstart programme, an initiative working with partner organisations and low income families across the UK to select relevant, engaging, diverse books and activities to help children maintain a regular reading practice.
To discover more about the Bookstart programme or how to become a Bookstart partner, please follow the link: BookTrust’s Bookstart Programme
– BookTrust
Above: Helen Tan, Early Years Area Lead for Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire, Department of Education.
Helen Tan is the Early Years Area Lead for Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Department of Education. Previously an experienced teacher Helen has witnessed first-hand the positive impacts of reading on a child’s personal and educational development and works with BookTrust to support the delivery of a range of reading initiatives, such as the Bookstart programme which provides equal opportunity of access to ‘relevant, engaging and diverse,’ books and resources for all children*, particularly those from low-income households.
– Helen Tan
Helen provided a holistic view of the barriers faced by many children unable to access nature and how books can provide, what is commonly referred to as reading ‘mirrors and windows’, lighting up a range of perspectives and reflecting common ground with other children, promoting resilience and nurturing creativity.
Above: Dara McAnulty delivers his keynote speech at the RENEW x BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summit.
Fresh from the Kota Kinabalu state capital of Sabah, Malaysia, on the northwest coast of Borneo, Dara McAnulty’s keynote recalled first-hand encounters with plants and animals in the Danum Jungle, a globally important biodiversity hotspot. But this wasn’t the focus of Dara’s delivery, instead, he explained how this recent adventure had helped reframe his love for the ecology on his doorstep – in Northern Ireland – where Dara was born.
Dara’s family moved house several times throughout his childhood and an early diagnosis of Aspergers/autism meant Dara felt different from other children, bullied and feeling isolated Dara discovered that being in nature and green places made him feel part of a much bigger picture. The surrounding suburban neighbourhoods intensified these personal encounters with nature, free to explore the moss and lichen understory to the overstory of Irish temperate rainforest, nature was where Dara first found his tribe.
Very quickly, Dara wasn’t just observing, noting, and studying nature, he was now part of it, feeling connected by tendrils, empathic to bats, stirred by seabirds, inspired by organic symmetrical forms. The freedom to explore and discover new worlds helped nurture a profound connection to nature and biodiversity, becoming an important foundation for a successful, (very early) career as an author.
Dara’s first book, the multi-award-winning, Diary of a Young Naturalist, is a rich undulating journey into wild and wonderful places and a demonstration of Dara’s personal resilience as an adult with autism, naturalist, conservationist, writer and activist.
– Dara McAnulty
Dara’s keynote conveyed the importance of giving children access to nature and how books had enabled him to delve deeper into the natural world. According to BookTrust these early reading journeys create unspoken connections between children and books, be it fact or fiction and with the gift of accessibility, bridge learning, economic and social divides.
Nature speaks to all of us in some way, I wonder what the world might look like if we all listened as closely as the nature writer, Dara McAnulty.
Above: Dara McAnulty talking to BookTrust’s media team.
– Dara McAnulty, Diary of a Young Naturalist
Above: Presentations from experts, illustrated by Illustrator in Residence Georgia Harmey
Scientists Maisie Inston and Emmanuelle Briolat from the University of Exeter have an infectious enthusiasm for local ecology. Both researchers investigate the behaviours of several British species during twilight hours to understand the impact of artificial lighting, the built environment, habitat loss and the contrasting abundance of species from night to day to get a better picture of how human behaviour impacts UK biodiversity.
Using the power of citizen science, the nocturnal duo are collating sightings of echolocating bats, rummaging hedgehogs and pollinating moths. Maisie explained the technical research aspects of measuring these factors, the sleepless nights and the rewarding payoff when new observations inform better conservation strategies.
Knowing adventurous scientists like Maisie and Emmanuelle are working whilst most of us are asleep to monitor the behaviour of bats, moths, and hedgehogs would spark any child’s imagination. It already sounds like a great idea for a children’s book.
To support the research of Dr Emmanuelle Briolat on the Night Gardens Citizen Science Project or participate in the Night Gardens survey, please follow the link below.
https://www.visual-ecology.com/night-gardens-a-citizen-science-project/
Above: Emmanuelle Briolat and Maisie Instow nocturnal scientists researching the behaviours of bats, hedghogs and moths.
Regan Early is a Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology at the University of Exeter and Co-Investigator on RENEW’s Theme: 2 Community Action. Regan leads the Fabio (Fundamental and Applied Biogeography research group), a collective of research scientists investigating how human activity impacts species distribution globally and how climate change is making certain habitats more inhabitable for invasive species.
– Dr Regan Early – University of Exeter
Above: Emmanuelle Briolat and Maisie Instow nocturnal scientists researching the behaviours of bats, hedghogs and moths.
Regan’s presentation noted the shifting dynamics of UK biodiversity, in particular some of the new arrivals to UK ecology such as the Wasp spider, widespread throughout the South of England, the Small red-eyed damselfly first seen in the UK in 1999 and roosting in thousands amongst the Whitworth Art Gallery surrounding parkland – the Rose-ringed parakeet.
How children view and understand the concept of invasive species is a communication challenge that science alone might struggle to achieve. Collaborative storytelling between scientists, authors and illustrators can help children understand and facilitate open discussions about our changing ecological landscapes.
Regan Early – Fundamental and Applied Biogeography research group
Above: Postdoctoral Researcher and Conservation Scientist David Bavin.
David Bavin is an interdisciplinary Conservation Scientist working for the National Trust and a Postdoctoral Researcher with the RENEW X2: ExCASES team.
David began his presentation by recalling his earliest experiences with nature and books. Titles such as Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson or the Dorling Kindersley Picturepedia series were important first reads that inspired a successful career in zoology and conservation. Today, David has gained extensive experience as a conservation scientist and an unshakable dedication to the natural world, especially interested in human-animal conflict and the translocation of carnivore species. David’s presentation explained how the translocation of pine martens in England and Wales required careful community engagement to ensure a successful coexistence for the pine martens, land owners, farmers and the general public.
Understanding the expectations, attitudes and values of people and communities helps to avoid future conflict and in best case scenario create a sense of community ownership and wonder for carnivore species such as pine martens.
– David Bavin
– John Wedgwood Clarke
Above: The storytelling, cartoon-making, comedy writing, Mike Barfield.
Mike Barfield’s career as a writer, poet, performer and award-winning cartoonist for Private Eye for over 30 years is prolific. His cartoons and illustrations are instantly recognisable and fearlessly authentic, his trademark style is full of humour, equally at home writing and illustrating vivid science books for kids or commenting on global environmental and political issues through satirical cartoons.
No stranger to the sciences, Mike was fascinated by plants and animals from an early age. Inspired by the classically illustrated Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, the Ladybird Natural History series or programmes such as Animal Magic presented by zookeeper Johnny Morris.
– Mike Barfield
Following his passion through school to university, Mike graduated with a first-class degree in botany and zoology from Kings College London. But it was a love of comedy and writing where Mike’s career took off. Since then Mike has produced many award-winning titles in 30 different languages such as the activity-based ‘Destroy This Book,’ series, ‘The Wildlife of Animals’ with Paula Bossio, and ‘Planet Earth, My Life So Far,’ with Jess Bradley, amongst many others.
During panel discussions, Mike explained that children’s books are not just information, that there are deeper emotional connections happening between young readers and stories, children can physically hold and own a book and return to its pages again and again.
Above: Caroline Hill-Trevor taking the helm at the Biodiversity Storytelling Summit panel.
Caroline Hill-Trevor is Head of Book Selection and Purchasing at BookTrust, Caroline has many years’ experience working in various roles in children’s publishing but considers her current role at BookTrust as a dream job.
Caroline chaired the summit’s final panel where experts encouraged the audience to think about the various ways books can be used to spark young imaginations to drive both interest and future change.
– Caroline Hill-Trevor
It’s important that the connections made during these summits are kept alive, the development of ideas and biodiversity-based stories can bring to life a new range of children’s books and by sharing these stories we can make a difference to children’s lives and get kids talking about conservation and biodiversity renewal.
– Annie Crombie, Deputy CEO, BookTrust
Georgia Harmey is a freelance illustrator from Dorset. She works on a variety of projects, making comics, creating artwork for magazines, designing book covers and zines. Georgia is interested in making energetic, colourful drawings with detail, a handmade feel and a strong narrative. Check out more of Georgia’s Illustration here.
Above: RxB Illustrator in Residence, Georgia Harmey documents the RENEW x BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summit 2024 from a range of perspectives.
– John Wedgwood Clarke
– Annie Crombie
