Robert Macfarlane and illustrator Jackie Morris created this large-format volume in response to the removal of natural words from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. They target specific vocabulary including acorn, bramble, otter, and kingfisher, replacing these lost terms with acrostic poems termed spells. The book uses gold leaf and watercolor paintings to represent each organism in three movements: an empty landscape where the word is missing, a magical summoning through verse, and a final portrait where the creature or plant reappears. This structure functions as an imaginative field guide designed to reintroduce nature-focused language to children.
Educators, parents, and artists use this work to counter the disconnect between young people and the outdoors. Readers walk away with a functional lexicon for the British countryside and a method for identifying local flora and fauna. By looking at the detailed illustrations and reciting the poems, the audience memorizes the names and features of common species. The book provides a practical tool for environmental literacy, ensuring that certain plants and animals remain recognizable through specific, identified terminology rather than fading into a generic green background.
- Published
- 2017
- Language
- EN
