Nicola Davies

Meet five animals on their beastliest behaviour in this funny and absorbing narrative non-fiction title from award-winning author Nicola Davies. From award-winning children’s author and biologist Nicola Davies, this is a collection of funny, fascinating and true stories about animals "behaving badly" – which is to say, getting the better of us human beings! We start with the wolverine in Canada, who will trash your home and everything in it, and then meet the kea in New Zealand – park your car in kea country, and you'll find out the hard way that these clever birds have sharp beaks and a love of mischief. Next we visit India and learn about macaque monkeys, who have shoplifting, highway robbery and baby-snatching on their impressive rap sheet, before jetting off to the US. In Florida we find drumfish, whose strange humming calls will keep you up all night long, and in Alaska Sitka whales, who gang up to steal thousands of dollars' worth of cod from under the noses of fishermen. The book ends on a charming high, as Nicola describes two creatures that work together with humans: little brown birds that help us collect honey in East Africa, and bottlenose dolphins that help fishermen catch mullet in Brazil. With lively illustrations from rising talent Adam Stower, Animals Behaving Badly is a splendidly witty and original take on narrative non-fiction for younger readers.

Birds are a wonderful entry point for a first study of animal life. Discover Science: Birds by Nicola Davies introduces young readers to the essential features of their fine-feathered friends, such as how birds fly, feed, communicate, reproduce, and raise their young. Kids will love the simple hands-on projects, and the eye-popping photography that takes them right up close. Make science accessible with this essential series that will capture children's imagination while laying the foundation for future learning. With clear, simple language and a compelling design, Discover Science gives young readers the answers to fundamental questions about animal homes, birds, light and sound, materials, and more.

This empathetic handbook has been created for people affected by any form of disordered eating. Thoughtfully compiled by experienced authors, it will be a comprehensive guide through every stage of your recovery, from recognising and understanding your disorder and learning fully about treatment, to self-help tools and practical advice for maintaining recovery and looking to the future. Each chapter includes suggested objectives, tasks and reflections which are designed to help you think about, engage with, and express your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It will encourage you to process the discoveries you make about yourself for positive and long-lasting change. Encouraging quotes are included throughout from people who have walked this path and found the help they needed to overcome their own disordered eating. You are not alone on this journey.

A dazzling collection of poems by Nicola Davies, featuring over fifty different kinds of animals – beautifully illustrated by Petr Horacek. Nicola Davies, the award-winning author of A First Book of Nature, presents a spellbinding treasury of poems about the animal world, illustrated in breathtaking detail by Petr Horacek. Polar bears playing on the ice, tigers hunting in the jungle, fireflies twinkling in the evening sky and nightingales singing in the heart of the woods – there are animals everywhere. From blue whales to bumblebee bats and everything in between, A First Book of Animals takes you all over the planet to visit all kinds of different creatures. This book is a glorious celebration of life in the wild in all its variety and splendour, and belongs on every child's bookshelf. Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

This is the story of a boy who falls in love with the sea. One in a series of short stories that explore the deeper, darker side of our connection with the natural world, this story is for older children and adults, and is inspired by ancient folk tales and a love of nature. Be ready to feel a little bit of magic, and perhaps a few shivers down the spine.

"Sutton's large-scale illustrations help children to visualize microorganisms and processes that are too small to see. . . . A handsome and rewarding picture book." -- Booklist (starred review) All around the world--in the sea, in the soil, in the air, and in your body--there are living things so tiny that millions could fit on an ant's antenna. They're busy doing all sorts of things, from giving you a cold and making yogurt to eroding mountains and helping to make the air we breathe.

Discover the delights of nature with zoologist, poet and top children's book author, Nicola Davies. Follow her young adventurer as she treks through the jungle, dives deep down into the sea and climbs high up into the trees. The Word Bird features birds of all shapes, sizes and colors.

Follow a young adventurer as she treks through the jungle, dives deep down into the sea, and climbs high up into the trees. Into the Blue features delightful characters from the deep blue sea, and is fully illustrated in color by exciting new illustrator Abbie Cameron.

A bold, bright and fascinating Nature Storybook about one of the world's most hated creatures – the snake! A bold, bright and fascinating Nature Storybook by award-winning writer and zoologist Nicola Davies, about one of the world's most hated creatures – the snake! Perhaps it's the way they slither, or maybe it's their slimy, scaly skin ... whatever the reason, many of us shiver at the thought of a snake – and so does the little girl in this book. But the rest of her family loves them and as they tell her more about snakes (did you know they have no eyelids, smell with their tongues and can swim?) she has a change of heart, and by the end of the book she loves them too. Luciano Lozano's stylish, colourful and informative illustrations perfectly match the warmth and humour of the text.

Get to know these rare and beautiful birds in this warmly illustrated non-fiction picture book. The little girl in this book has never seen a barn owl, but one day her grandpa puts a nest-box high in the old oak tree. They wait and they wait until one spring night, just as the sky goes pink, a pale face looks out of it, then takes off towards them...

Venture into the night with bats in this fun, informative, award-winning picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series. Did you know that bats aren’t birds, but mammals? That they sleep upside down? That they shout as they fly, using their voice to find their way? Curious young minds will love learning about the life cycles of bats in this picture book which combines story with information.

An illustrated mountain adventure with Caucasian leopards, based on a real conservation project, from award-winning author Nicola Davies. The sixth title in Nicola Davies' Heroes of the Wild series is a mountain adventure based on a real conservation project to protect Caucasian leopards. Malik loves exploring the mountains near his village in Armenia, and he's never forgotten the leopard he once saw as a very young boy. But the night he hears a shot from a poacher's gun ring out across the mountain he knows his leopard is in grave danger. As Malik strives to find out who would want to kill such a beautiful creature, he uncovers a villainous plot that will mean not only the death of his rare and beloved leopard, but will harm every other living thing in the mountains too.

Follow a tiny turtle's life cycle with this fun, informative picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series. Follow a tiny turtle's life cycle with this fun, informative picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series. Watch and wonder as one tiny sea turtle grows and grows, before she heads back to the beach to become a mother herself. Curious young minds will love learning about the turtle life cycle in this picture book which combines story with information.

An informative, gorgeously illustrated study of the majestic polar bear. An informative, gorgeously illustrated study of the majestic polar bear. Huge, magnificent, alone, a white bear moves through the frozen Arctic. Powerful hunter, tender mother and gentle playmate – she shares this land of ice and snow with the Inuit people, who watch and learn from her. Come on an unforgettable journey into the world of the polar bear... Containing accurate information suitable for classroom projects and activities, this emotive, atmospheric picture book brings the icy grandeur of the Arctic to life.

Find out about the largest mammal on the planet in this fun, informative, award-winning picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series. Find out about the largest mammal on the planet in this fun, informative, award-winning picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series. The blue whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived on Earth. Curious young minds will love reading this sensuous exploration of what a blue whale feels, sounds and smells like, and learning facts about a whale's size, life-span, diet, babies and more.

Find out what sharks are really like in this fun, informative picture book, part of the Nature Storybooks series. The last word you want to hear when you're swimming in the warm blue sea is "Shark!" But most real sharks are not what you might expect. Some are no bigger than a chocolate bar, some have built-in fairy lights and most wouldn't go near a human, even if you were wearing a sign saying "dinner"! So if you think all sharks are giant, man-eating killers, you're in for a big surprise.

This exciting non-fiction picture book introduces young readers to the wondrous (and invisible) world of microbes. There are living things so tiny millions could fit on a dot. Although they are invisible, they are everywhere and they multiply very quickly. They are vital for life on earth, and do all sorts of things – from giving us a cold and making yoghurt to wearing down mountains and helping to make the air we breathe. With charming illustrations by Emily Sutton, this friendly, clever book succeeds in conveying the complex science of micro-organisms simply and clearly, and opens up an exciting new avenue for young non-fiction.

Meet the animal kingdom's most competent killers in this fascinating natural history book. Stabbing and strangling, poisoning and drowning, electrocuting, exploding, dive-bombing and even death by glueing! Throughout the animal kingdom, creatures great and small have evolved to become masters of murder: from dive-bombing peregrine falcons to exploding carpenter ants, from electric eels to spitting cobras. The ingenious and often hilarious means of survival that both predators and prey employ are entertainingly explored in this celebration of all things deadly. With fantastically funny illustrations by Neal Layton and highly original explanations and advice on how we can all peaceably share our world, this book cannot fail to enlighten and engross. This is one of six books in the Animal Science series – the best biology series ever!

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about poo in this exciting new edition of a bestselling book. Hippos navigate by it, sloths keep in touch through it, rabbits eat it … and most grown-ups prefer not to mention it at all! But however you look at it, poo is probably the most useful stuff on Earth. It comes in all shapes and sizes, and every animal has its own special sort. Find out what it’s for, where it goes, what we can learn from it and lots more in this book, one of six in the Animal Science series – the best biology series ever!

A picture book of great beauty and hope about the power we have to transform our world. On a mean street in a mean city, a thief tries to snatch an old woman’s bag. But she finds she can’t have it without promising something in return – to “plant them all”. When it turns out the bag is full of acorns, the young thief embarks on a journey that changes her own life and the lives of others for generations to come. Inspired by the belief that a relationship with nature is essential to every human being, and that now, more than ever, we need to renew that relationship, The Promise is the story of a magical discovery that will touch the heart and imagination of every reader, young and old. With poignant simplicity, honesty and lyricism, Nicola Davies evokes a powerful vision of a world where people and nature live in harmony. And Laura Carlin's delicate illustrations capture a young girl’s journey from a harsh, urban reality to the beauty and vitality of a changed world.