“In the hardest times of my life, nature has given me lasting gifts…”

The Book Fairies of the UK have been busy sharing copies of Naming Nature by T. A. Barron in green spaces today!

Who was lucky enough to spot one?

About the book:

The names we give to animals and plants have their own tales to tell. In French, a butterfly is papillon, from a root word meaning ‘tremble’. In Spanish, it is mariposa, in homage to the Virgin Mary, while the Russian babochka recalls tales of witches. Celebrated author T. A. Barron explores words from across the world, bringing out the fascinating stories that underlie our names for nature.

From butterflies and hummingbirds to narwhal and leopards, Naming Nature celebrates our wondrous natural world by exploring the language we use to describe it. Take elephants, for instance. African languages often focus on the power of the animal; Tswana and Tsonga refer to ‘the unstoppable one’ and Zulu ‘one crashing through’. In ancient European languages however, elephants were seen as commodities. When Homer and Hesiod wrote about elephas in the seventh century BCE, they simply used the word for ivory. Bestselling author T.A. Barron brings together his love of the natural world and his joy in language, creating an inspiring – and often surprising – collection.

Happy finders!

We love hearing from people who have found a book hidden by a book fairy! Here are some of our favourites from today…

Get your hands on a copy…

This book is out NOW in all good bookshops! If you prefer to order your good reads online, then you can find Naming Nature here on Bookshop.org, a website that actively supports indie bookshops up and down the UK!

Become a book fairy today!

If this activity has made YOU want to be a book fairy, then you absolutely can! Just grab some book fairy stickers or a starter kit to begin your fairy journey…