I love nature. I love books about nature. But I also live in a city, in a smallish island country, and so am very much aware of the urbanisation of our green spaces, the loss of our back gardens and the squeeze that is put on the multiplicity of other species by living cheek and jowl with humans. And so I am very interesting in the idea of rewilding - learning to reintegrate nature back into our daily lives - and I was very interested to read this book as I've been reading it's author Nick Baker's blog over the last couple of years. This is an excellent book, although not what I had expected. I had thought this would probably be discussing the "big" rewilding idea of re-introducing an apex predator species to the UK, maybe some ideas on how to rewild tour urban space or back garden. But no, this is a guide on how to essentially rewild your person, and therefore an infintely better book. And it really is a back to basics guide, on how to enhance your senses, on how to observe, on how to connect. It's a very common sense and simple approach, but really highlights the logic gap that modern life has given us, sometimes in quite staggering ways. I was lucky enough to have a reasonably outdoorsy 1980s childhood, and so this book triggered a lot of forgotten memories, things I used to do naturally as a child but had forgotten about. It also brims over with the type of enthusiasm that seems to be unique to people who enjoy nature (have you noticed that? A reason in itself to take an interest!) This is an excellent book and I hope it does well!

Nick Baker has been part of the fabric of natural history television and writing in England over the last two decades ; his enthusiasm towards the environment whether it be on our doorstep or further afield has always been infectious and persuasive. This book is a call to arms in many ways as it appeals to all of us to consider our relationship with the natural world. We have all heard much of rewilding and the reintroduction of native species and letting nature ideally revert back to a state of ecosystems of times past- Knepp Castle for example. But this book appeals to us as individuals and asks to consider how we may make an increased sensorial connection to the natural world on our doorstep. The prose is intelligent and directs our understanding to a multitude of creatures in the wider or local environment and how they connect and use their senses to survive and benefit the ecosystem within they inhabit. In many senses this book should be a required reading for educationalists to consider how young learners can or could connect with nature ( the Forest And Beach schools movement is a start) or even families. The mindfulness focus in many of our lives is a positive and needs to take us more outdoors to examine and submerge ourselves into what we have and if we are not careful may very well soon lose to future generations. An accessible , informative and important read.

Nick Baker has been part of the fabric of natural history television and writing in England over the last two decades ; his enthusiasm towards the environment whether it be on our doorstep or further afield has always been infectious and persuasive. This book is a call to arms in many ways as it appeals to all of us to consider our relationship with the natural world. We have all heard much of rewilding and the reintroduction of native species and letting nature ideally revert back to a state of ecosystems of times past- Knepp Castle for example. But this book appeals to us as individuals and asks to consider how we may make an increased sensorial connection to the natural world on our doorstep. The prose is intelligent and directs our understanding to a multitude of creatures in the wider or local environment and how they connect and use their senses to survive and benefit the ecosystem within they inhabit. In many senses this book should be a required reading for educationalists to consider how young learners can or could connect with nature ( the Forest And Beach schools movement is a start) or even families. The mindfulness focus in many of our lives is a positive and needs to take us more outdoors to examine and submerge ourselves into what we have and if we are not careful may very well soon lose to future generations. An accessible , informative and important read.

To ‘rewild’ conjures up images of the reversal of habitat degradation and fragmentation exemplified by the Knepp Estate, West Sussex, or the reintroduction of apex predators and other keystone species as seen in the Yellowstone National Park, USA. This is resolutely not the focus of Nick Baker’s book. Instead, Baker writes about human reawakening and rehabilitation towards wildlife and the natural world. Personal recollections are blended with ideas and strategies on how to reconnect each of the five senses with the world around us. This is an interesting read, but not a particularly light one; the writing style is rather to florid to allow for that, reminding me in places of Chris Packham’s Fingers in the Sparkle Jar. Whilst I found the concept behind the book interesting, for me the level of detail provided was a little excessive sometimes. I think the topic may have been better served as a section in a book looking at the methodology of rewilding as a whole. A well researched book with a number of interesting ideas and inspirations.