Winner of the 2020 Wainwright Prize, Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of Dara McAnulty's world, from spring to summer, autumn to winter, on his home patch, at school, in the wild and in his head. Evocative, raw and beautifully written, this very special book vividly explores the natural world from the perspective of an autistic teenager juggling homework, exams and friendships alongside his life as a conservationist and environmental activist. With a sense of awe and wonder, Dara describes in meticulous detail encounters in his garden and the wild, with blackbirds, whooper swans, red kites, hen harriers, frogs, dandelions, skylarks, bats, cuckoo flowers, Irish hares and many more species. The power and warmth of his words also draw an affectionate and moving portrait of a close-knit family making their way in the world.

About the Author
Dara McAnulty is a naturalist, conservationist and activist from Northern Ireland. He's received many awards for his conservation work, including from BBC Springwatch, The Daily Mirror and Birdwatch magazine. He's written and presented numerous natural history programmes for BBC radio and television, and become an ambassador for the RSPCA, the iWill campaign and the Jane Goodall Institute. Dara is the youngest ever recipient of the RSPB medal for conservation. He lives with his family and Rosie the rescue-greyhound at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in County Down. DIARY OF A YOUNG NATURALIST is his first book.

Reviews
"His portrait of loving parents raising three neurodivergent children on poetry, punk and puffins is profoundly moving." Alex Preston, The Observer; "Rich poeticism courses through the writing that belies his years." Hilary A White, Irish Independent; "Like reading William Blake or Ted Hughes, it really is a strange and magical experience...surely one of the most talked about nature books, or any books, this year." The Daily Mail; "I adored it." Lauren St John.; '...the fanfare is wholly justified: this is an astonishingly assured book for one so young.' Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller (Non-fiction Book of the Month, June 2020); "This lovely and remarkable book." Charlotte Moore, The Spectator; 'an extraordinary voice and vision: brave, poetic, ethical, lyrical'. Robert Macfarlane; "Breathtaking." Philip Marsden; 'McAnulty's writing glows with his deep sympathy for the natural world' Tim Flannery


Awards
Winner of Books Are My Bag Readers Awards Non Fiction 2020 and The Wainwright Prize 2020. Short-listed for THE IRISH POST AWARDS 2020 2020 and Waterstones Book of the Year 2020.



Book Information
ISBN 9781908213792
Author Dara McAnulty
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Little Toller Books
Publisher Little Toller Books