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Catherine Ward Books

Beck is sad about moving to Grandma’s farm and leaving their old house and friends behind. But Beck isn’t the only one with a new place to live — a pair of beavers have come to live in the stream nearby.

As Beck settles in, they watch the beavers busily gathering sticks to build a dam, which creates a pool and wetland habitat where lots of other wildlife can live. When the beavers have kits, Beck realises how happy everyone is in their new homes.

By the Beaver Pool is a tale of new beginnings, rewilding, connecting with nature and feeling at home. Catherine Ward’s gentle story cleverly weaves in beaver facts to teach young readers about these incredible ecosystem engineers, which are being reintroduced in the UK due to their ability to transform their local environment and increase biodiversity. Phoebe Roze’s characterful, warm illustrations show the parallel stories of Beck and the beavers, set in stunning Scottish scenery.

‘The Emerald Forest’ is a gorgeous and moving picture book bringing to life the plight of orangutans on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

The story, written by Catherine Ward, is written in prose but its language is poetic and has a lovely rhythm to it, making it perfect for reading aloud. Karin Littlewood’s illustrations are stunning, and the size of the pages and the scope of the pictures, bursting with the greenery and light of the Indonesian forest, create an immersive experience. In one illustration, it feels as if the orangutan is looking right at you. Because of this, the experience of the orangutans as their habitat comes under attack is felt on an emotional level too. The plight of the orangutans is unsettling, but the message overall is one of hope, as the orangutans are rescued and rehomed in the story.

The book encourages the reader to look towards a future where the forests of Sumatra might recover if people play a part in protecting them. This stunning rainforest-themed picturebook would be invaluable for use in a class topic on the use of palm oil, or more generally in talking about the impact of human activity – for better and for worse – on the environment.

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