A children’s book inspired by the Wilder Blean Project, an initiative that involves free roaming bison acting as ecosystem engineers in Canterbury, Kent has been published.
‘The Bison and the Butterfly’, written by children’s author Alice Hemming and illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff, tells the story of ‘Bison’, who is sad and lonely but after an encounter with a wise woodpecker and other creatures in the woodland, her life is changed forever! It is a story about friends in nature and the nature of friendship and was created to inspire young people about our natural world.
In preparation for the book, Alice spent time with the children at Herne Bay Infant School who offered their ideas and suggestions for the story through interactive workshops.
To support the book’s launch, over the coming weeks, activities will be available to young nature lovers, from special storytelling sessions and writing workshops with the author at the free Wilder Blean Festival, to summer family events including a Bison and Butterfly activity trail at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve and Tyland Barn in Maidstone.
Work is also underway to open a story trail at the home of the bison, West Blean and Thorden Woods, giving young visitors to the woodland the opportunity of an interactive experience, using audio posts.
Explaining her inspiration behind the book, author Alice Hemming said: ‘I have always paid close attention to news stories about wilding and conservation and the Wilder Blean project is just fascinating. Children really care about environmental issues and books are a great place for them to find out more in a fun way. Also, I have never seen a picture book with a bison character before.’
Head of education and lifelong learning at Kent Wildlife Trust Lee Mason-Baldwin said, ‘The Wilder Blean Project and wider landscape initiative give us all reasons to be hopeful for the future and is a much needed good news story in what can feel like a bleak landscape.
‘We must inspire young people to champion the environment, after all, we will be handing them the baton of responsibility to protect our natural world as they grow. However, it is also important we give them reason for hope and tackle the eco anxiety we know many young people face. The Bison and the Butterfly does this through its uplifting storytelling of friendship and rewilding.
‘A percentage of sales from the book will be donated to the charity, and the launch is supported by a wider education programme and activity pack. We hope it will be the first step that children take to set them on a lifelong journey that ignites their passion for nature.’
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