Bird Alert, the latest title in the Lottie Loves Nature series, is an entertaining blend of fact and fiction that is perfect for encouraging children to notice and appreciate wildlife. A story of friendship and family that is fun to read and full of information about birds to be spotted in gardens and parks, it is perfect for budding ‘twitchers’ and nature lovers.

Lottie loves nature and, inspired by her favourite wildlife TV programme and its presenter Samira Breeze, she is bird-watching in her back garden. There are sparrows nesting in the garden and Lottie is noting their behaviour and progress in her nature journal. When a fledging falls from the nest Lottie is determined to keep it safe from her neighbour’s cat and to make sure that the sparrow family are well cared for.

Lottie and her friend Noah, who is as interested in space as Lottie is in nature, are appealing characters and children will enjoy following their story with the added bonus of learning a great deal as they read. I particularly like how the information is included in a variety of ways. As part of the story line the children make a bird bath and a fat cake to feed the sparrows and full instructions are provided at the end of the book. Lottie’s journal and Noah’s diary feature throughout the story naturally and there are occasional breaks to provide fact files on topics such as murmurations or migration. At just over 100 pages this is a short read but one that includes a great deal of learning. The text is broken up with plentiful black and white illustrations and the overall design is attractive. Facts are presented in text boxes and with diagrams, illustrations and maps and in a child friendly format.

Lottie Loves Nature Bird Alert is a great way of nurturing an interest in nature and is a lovely read for newly independent readers of about 7+; an entertaining, informative book with a gentle message about conservation. An earlier title in the series, Bee-ware, has been chosen as a recommended read for the Wild World Heroes, Summer Reading Challenge 2021, and I can understand why. There are some wonderful activities on the publisher’s website that would be fabulous to share both in school and at home too.

Lottie Loves Nature: Bird Alert was published on 5th August by Five Quills and is available to purchase at your local independent book shop or online. I should like to thank the publishers and Catherine Ward for providing my review copy.

If you are looking for picture books to encourage a love of nature I have reviewed a selection here.