Tom Moorhouse

After his dad's boat crashes, Ed finds himself on a strange beach. He meets a girl - headstrong Steff - who doesn't know where they are, either. As Ed and Steff explore, they discover the deep lore of this new realm. They meet a pack of wolves with a secret and an armoured pangolin called Astolpho, who reveals the only way home involves a dragon who lives at the top of an impossibly tall, rocky spire . . . Traditional fantasy elements are mixed deliciously with Tom's unique humour and originality, in this breathtaking, heartfelt, utterly immersive story.

'A delight' Hugh Warwick, ecologist and author of A Prickly Affair'Hilarious and heartbreaking' Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell'A triumph' Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild, Being a Human and A Little Brown Sea'A necessary nature book, with prose as sharp as prickles.' John Lewis-StempelA body lies motionless on the ground. Small, with a snouty head and covered with spines, it is unquestionably dead before its time. And all of those gathered around the corpse are suspect. So which one of them is responsible for this crime - and for the disappearance of many many thousands of hedgehogs in recent decades? Is it the car driver, the badger, the farmer, the gardener ..? Who could possibly have it in for a hedgehog? In poll after poll they come out top as our favourite mammal. And yet their numbers are estimated to have halved in less than twenty years. Magnifying glass in hand, Tom Moorhouse investigates the evidence. On a vital mission to bring those responsible to justice, prevent further murder and save a species, he uncovers a story full of twists, turns and uncomfortable truths about the trade-offs that exist between humans and wildlife. But he can also see a solution.

"A triumph of accessible science writing." - Lee Schofield"An intriguing book. The hedgehog has found its champion." - Tristan Gooley"Jaunty, scholarly, wise." - Charles Foster "Any project that highlights the plight of hedgehogs is invaluable." - Tim Rice In poll after poll hedgehogs come out top as Britain's favourite mammal. And yet their numbers are estimated to have halved in less than twenty years. Why? Who or what is responsible for the disappearance of so many thousands of hedgehogs in recent decades? Is it the car driver, the badger, the farmer, the gardener ..? Tom Moorhouse sets out to investigate the evidence, and in seeking to discover the cause of this loss and how we save the species he uncovers a story full of twists, turns and uncomfortable truths about the trade-offs that exist between humans and wildlife. And then thankfully he provides solutions. A final chapter, complete with contributions from hedgehog conservation experts, equips the reader with the toolkit required to try and coax our beloved hedgehogs back.

A DAILY MAIL BOOK OF THE WEEK: 'particularly enjoyable''Somehow laugh-out-loud funny - passionate, warm and full of fascinating insights into the eccentric world of the field naturalist.' - Isabella Tree, author of WildingWater voles are small, brownish, bewhiskered and charming. Made famous by 'Ratty' in The Wind in the Willows, once they were a ubiquitous part of our waterways. They were a totem of our rivers. Now, however, they are nearly gone. This is their story, and the story of a conservationist with a wild hope: that he could bring them back. Tom Moorhouse spent eleven years beside rivers, fens, canals, lakes and streams, researching British wildlife. Quite a lot of it tried to bite him. He studied four main species - two native and endangered, two invasive and endangering - beginning with water voles. He wanted to solve their conservation problems. He wanted to put things right. This book is about whether it worked, and what he learnt - and about what those lessons mean, not just for water voles but for all the world's wildlife. It is a book for anyone who has watched ripples spread on lazy waters, and wondered what moves beneath. Or who has waited in quiet hope for a rustle in the reeds, the munch of a stem, or the patter of unseen paws. Praise for Tom Moorhouse:'The pages of this book are shot through with quicksilver light reflected from wet fur - not a lament for our rivers but a chorus of hope for their future.' - Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path'Beautiful and important. Tom's book is extraordinary in its gentle curiosity and sympathy for his subjects. I love this book.' - Sir Tim Smit KBE, Executive Vice-Chairman and Co-founder of the Eden Project'Terrific. Lightly but beautifully written. Very moving. Water voles are adorable little beasts. They are also tough, randy and stroppy, as Tom Moorhouse makes clear in this wry, amusing account of the often bloody, painful and frustrating business of conservation fieldwork. 'I hold stubbornly to optimism,' he declares, and his Elegy for a River demands that we do the same.' - Christopher Somerville, walking correspondent for The Times and author of The January Man

There's something strange in the skies over Toad Hall - it's an airborne amphibian! Toad has a new paraglider but not the skill to control it. And when his haphazard flight - all recorded on his head-cam - reveals that whole swathes of the Wild Wood have vanished, it's up to Toad to catch the culprits! With the help of Teejay, Ratty, and Mo, Mr Toad has launched his riskiest mission yet. Can he stop the environmentally unfriendly weasels, or will Operation Toad leave him dangling in danger? With outrageous antics from Mr Toad, action-packed adventure from the start, and stylish two-colour illustrations from Holly Swain that capture all the comedy, this is a fantastic package for young readers.

Mr Toad has the builders in, and they're busy filling Toad Hall with awesome gizmos and gadgets. But there's something odd about them: why don't their bushy tails look quite right? And why are they loading Mr Toad's furniture into their van? Squirrel skulduggery! Greedy weasels! Mr Toad will need help from Teejay, Ratty, and Mo to have a REMOTE chance of defending his home. Can he keep his property safe, or will Toad Hall be in lockdown? From the author of The River Singers and The Rising, this stylishly illustrated story is inspired by The Wind in the Willows.

Teejay (which stands for Toad Junior), Mo and Ratty are exploring the ruined grounds of Toad Hall. After falling into a tunnel they discover something . . . someone in the ice house. It turns out to be Mr Toad and the children have found him in the nick of time: Wildwood Industrious (the shady operation run by the descendants of the Stoats and Weasels) is on the brink claiming legal ownership of Toad Hall. With outrageous antics from Mr Toad, action-packed adventure from the start, and stylish two-colour illustrations from Holly Swain that capture all the comedy, this is a fantastic package for young readers.

Oxford Reading Tree All Stars is an engaging chapter fiction series which combines age-appropriate content with imaginative stories, perfect for inspiring and stretching able infants. The series develops comprehension skills and provides a wide variety of fiction topics and styles, alongside illustrations that aid understanding. All the books in this series are carefully levelled, so it's easy to match every child to the right book - one which will develop their reading skills and fuel their love of reading. Help with children's reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. This pack contains 36 Level 12 books, six of each of the following titles: The Crayfish Catchers, Nan and the Baaad Sheep, Griff and the Griffin, Normal Norma, Extinct and The Creatures at Number 9.

Oxford Reading Tree All Stars is an engaging chapter fiction series which combines age-appropriate content with imaginative stories, perfect for inspiring and stretching able infants. The series develops comprehension skills and provides a wide variety of fiction topics and styles, alongside illustrations that aid understanding. All the books in this series are carefully levelled, so it's easy to match every child to the right book - one which will develop their reading skills and fuel their love of reading. Help with children's reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. This pack contains six Level 12 books, one of each of the following titles: The Crayfish Catchers, Nan and the Baaad Sheep, Griff and the Griffin, Normal Norma, Extinct and The Creatures at Number 9.

Willow and Alder love racing down the river rapids and don't let the strong currents scare them. But will their newly-discovered taste for crayfish lead them into trouble? Oxford Reading Tree All Stars is an engaging chapter fiction series which combines age-appropriate content with imaginative stories, perfect for inspiring and stretching able infants. The series develops comprehension skills and provides a wide variety of fiction topics and styles, alongside illustrations that aid understanding. All the books in this series are carefully levelled, so it's easy to match every child to the right book - one which will develop their reading skills and fuel their love of reading. Help with children's reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

First a rat must earn his name. Then he must live up to it. This is the story of Gabble, a young rat with a wild, beloved, but unpredictable brother, Ash. At the start of the book Ash tricks Gabble into going out with him on a 'name raid', a dangerous mission to earn a True Name, normally reserved for older rats. Gabble finds himself drawn into a perilous adventure, crossing boundaries, fighting with enemy rat packs, and eventually being forced to confront both his brother and himself in the most dramatic fashion.

Something was approaching the burrow. Something deadly. Something that made Sylvan's fur bristle with fear . . . Knowing their lives are under threat, Sylvan and his brother and sisters have no choice but to abandon their burrow for ever. Together they set out on an epic journey along the Great River; but with dangers lurking at every turn, will they ever find a safe place to call home? Now available in paperback, this exciting and beautifully-illustrated animal adventure has the makings of a future children's classic. 'Just the sort of book I would have loved as a child.' Gill Lewis