Protecting our planet

Finding Bear, sequel to The Last Bear, drives a powerful message to young readers as climate change takes hold in the Arctic. April Wood returns to help her friend, Bear the polar bear, who is struggling to navigate this changing world.

We're invited to look inside to discover how a digger works, as we follow its journey from the builders' yard to the building site, and watch it build a new house. But that's not all, as each double page spread contains peep-through pages, a little cat to spot and a well-informed mouse which gives ‘Did You Know?’ facts. I certainly learnt a thing or two; who knew a digger can weigh as much as 20 elephants?

Introducing the youngest readers to the tiny creatures that creep, crawl, wriggle and fly all over Ireland, and it does that brilliantly. This is the perfect read for toddlers who enjoy spending happy hours gazing at insects, that, with the possible exception of worms and snails, don’t stay still long enough to be examined. However, this book fulfils the child’s wish to investigate bugs in detail for as long as they wish, while the names clearly printed on each page will encourage the budding entomologist to relate the shape of the word to the creature’s name.

Whether it's a cute teddy, a homemade bird feeder, or a beautiful card on some handmade marbled paper, there is a project to suit any group or adventurous solo crafter. The projects chosen by the Repair Shop experts have clever tips and extra ideas that will add creativity and imaginative flair to your crafting sessions.

Simon Chapman’s book is an interesting exploration of rivers in general and of six major world rivers in particular. The book is divided into three sections which mirror the course of a river (upper, middle, lower), with discussion around the various stages of the development of a river is very clearly laid out for the young reader.

Since Jack’s dad died, he has been feeling lost. His mum, an environmental anthropologist, is rarely home and when she is, all she wants to do is have ‘serious chats’. To quench the heavy feeling that has been following him, Jack looks for danger and excitement by getting involved with a gang of boys that want to cause trouble. But suddenly, Jack’s mum suggests a trip abroad together and he finds himself in the depths of the rainforest, dealing with dangers far worse than the ones at home.

The Lorikeet Tree is a tale of family dynamics, love and loss, against a backdrop of ecological concerns. Emily and Alex are 15-year-old twins, who live with their terminally ill, widowed father in a reforested property in Australia. Emily is passionate about safeguarding the indigenous species in their forest, whereas Alex is enthralled by a feral kitten that he adopts, providing the central conflict in the book.

The story of The Crown begins on the cover with a stunning charcoal and graphite drawing that wraps around the cover. It shows a child with a halo of rubbish on the back that becomes a crown of glorious branches, berries, butterflies and beetles on the front. The story is inspired by the Native American proverb ‘We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children’, but what really rings in my ears is the poignant line that reads, ‘I am not a princess but I have inherited a crown’.