Catherine Barr is a children’s author of the most stunning and beautifully created science and nature books for children. I have been a massive fan of her conservation stories for ages. When I heard that she was reading stories at The Book Lounge this morning I rearranged everything to be there.
Her books are the kind of natural factual books for curious children, that are just as interesting for the adults that read alongside them. All about conservation and wildlife and did I say, overflowing with facts. The most amazing factoids and details on every page, not to mention things we can do to help conservation. Her books always have an associated project you can follow online, or something practical you can do in your daily life… this makes her books so much more engaging.
It was interesting to hear, that she only started writing books for children when she couldn’t find one on a topic of interest to them. I am so glad she became a writer. The illustrators for all her books add a certain bright and beautifulness, the pages are filled with details to look at and explore.
Fourteen Wolves has been on my wish list for a while now, so today was the day… to get it signed. And that is going to the top of the “to be read” stack!!!
Meanwhile, she told us all about her books…
All about water and in particular about her recent trip to the Okavango…
Amazing facts: Did you know that Jacana moms fly away and the dad takes care of the babies.
Many of the islands in the Okavango begin as termite mounds, they grow bigger and bigger and then plants and trees start to grow on them and so on…
Also, as hippos forage at night, they push their way through the watery reeds and plants, and create channels for the water to flow through. Also they are the only animals that secrete their own sunscreen. I bet she didn’t know that Cape Town has their own hippos at Rondevlei.
And, did you know… The lions in the Okavango are the only lions in the world that do their hunting in water. They are also the biggest lions in the world, because they have so much prey to eat.
You can find Catherine Barr on her excellent website, where she has loads of great downloadable activity sheets for curious kids and their parents. And she is on instagram here.
And a shout out to The Book Lounge that has excellent story times for kids, in the city, at 11 AM every Saturday.