ARC’s Snakes in the Heather Education Officer, Owain Masters showcases ARC’s children’s story book ‘In Search of Old Uncle Blue’ for the run up to #WorldBookDay.  

This Thursday (3rd March) is World Book Day, the international celebration of books and reading.

When a love of reading is fostered in young people they may well have a source of delight for life. The same could be said of fostering a love of nature. At ARC we firmly believe that education is key to a lifetime appreciation of the natural world. This education, of course, does not need to be formal. Perhaps the best way is simply immersion, ensuring nature is a safe, welcoming space to cherish and enjoy. Some examples are learning through outside play or wild-art, rock-pooling or pond dipping, birdwatching or observing other wildlife whilst out on walks…

Then, there are ways to support what is learned outside such as watching natural history TV shows, listening to podcasts, or though science lesson and experiments… In short, there are loads of ways to absorb interesting facts about nature!

With all the above in mind, we have created a children’s storybook, ‘In Search of Old Uncle Blue’. It is a colourful story with lovely artwork and characters and includes lessons about our native wildlife. Here is a bit of a teaser:

Sophie thinks she might be a snake but she isn’t sure. She wants to find out about herself and others like her so she sets off on an adventure to find her family. On her quest she visits all sorts of interesting places and meets all sorts of interesting creatures. This educational storybook is beautifully illustrated with hand-painted artwork and teaches the reader about our fascinating wildlife, especially reptiles, and the habitats that can be found on our doorstep.

I am delighted to say that ‘In Search of Old Uncle Blue’ is on sale in our online shop with all proceeds supporting wildlife conservation. 

Get your copy

We would be delighted to see some of you dressed up as your favourite character from the book at World Book Days in years to come.

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Snakes in the Heather is supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

ARC also thanks the Banister Charitable Trust and Love the Forest for generous donations to the Snakes in the Heather project.