Delightful love letter to reading and gifting of books. I’m a huge fan of Robert Macfarlane, and his generous spirit shines through in this essay. A must for all book lovers.

Words removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary are given new life in this stunning book written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris. These words are wild words, describing the natural world; a world that children are losing. Words like: acorn, bluebell, fern, willow, wren and otter. It breaks my heart that these words are seen to be irrelevant to today’s children.
So, this is a book to own, to cherish, and to share with the children in your life.

I must confess my book-crush on Robert Macfarlane, which makes it almost impossible for me to review anything he writes without bias. However, I feel I can safely say I would be enamoured by The Lost Spells no matter the author.
This book is a delight. From its format: small, hardback, dust-jacketed and ribbon bookmarked, to the text and illustrations by Jackie Morris which celebrate all things wild.
The text is written specifically to be read aloud - and Macfarlane’s liberal use of onomatopoeia makes some poems positively rattle along. Morris’ illustrations are truly magical.
There is an illustrated glossary provided that will help naturalists identify items on their wanderings. This is a British publication, but many of the animals and plants will be familiar to readers around the world.
Like their previous collaboration, The Lost Words, this is a book to own and cherish, always at the ready for when you need to dip into a magical world where the air is sweet and the sounds are pure.
Bliss!