Teach Reading and Writing Issue 19

Nicola Baker hopes that her series of books about life on a farm will spark a passion for the countryside in its young readers... 66 | www.teachwire.net L A S T WORDS Nicola Baker’s new book, Finding Hope: AWhistledown Farm Adventure , is out now (Hardback, Simon & Schuster Children’s Books). G rowing up in rural communities I always had a love of the countryside, animals and nature. The books I read as a child often had animals at their heart – The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark , Charlotte’s Web , The Battle for Badger’s Wood . Farming, however, was something I experienced later in life, in my teenage years. It’s something I instantly connected with, and I feel fortunate that my children have been able to grow up helping out on the farm and spending lots of time with our livestock and pets. Being around animals teaches children so much that they can take with them into adulthood. It builds foundations of resilience, responsibility, kindness and compassion, as well as perseverance and problem-solving. We work together as a family a lot on the farm, which builds a strong work ethic and a sense of teamwork – both fantastic life skills. I believe that children are never too young to start developing these skills, and books about animals and the countryside help to ignite this sort of passion from an early age. It’s so important to get a connection with farming too. We all eat food, so being familiar with where it comes from and what goes into producing it is a natural thing. If a spark of interest can be created at an early age, it can only be a good thing going forward. It’s a joy to see the children’s faces light up on school visits when they see the photos of animals on our family farm and watch the video of an egg hatching; animals have a unique magic all of their own. I’ve used my experiences of farming, animals and the countryside to create a realistic world in the Whistledown Farm Adventures. Each of the four books in the series is set in a different season, to encompass the nature and farming calendars. The first book, Finding Hope , takes place during spring, which is a busy time in the farming calendar. It’s particularly hectic on a sheep farm during the spring lambing period, and it’s always one of my favourite times of the year. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing a lamb being born: watching it stand within minutes and then happily shake its tail as it takes its first drink. This is the sort of thing I’ve included in the books, so that children can get a flavour of what it’s like on a farm. Hopefully they’ll pick up some interesting facts about things like hatching eggs and lambing. Although all four books in the series are fictional, it was important to me that the stories were peppered with real-life elements taken from farming, the natural world and the countryside. Sometimes that means writing about the not-so-nice things, as that’s the reality. Farming is a passion. Most farmers will tell you it’s in their blood: it’s a vocation and a lifestyle rather than a job. They are out in all weathers, every single day. Ava’s journey in Finding Hope starts with her like a fish out of water, and reluctant to get stuck in to farm life. I’m a firm believer that you don’t know what you’re going to love until you try it, and this is what happens to Ava. She realises that she loves the farm and all the animals on it, and becomes determined to save one lamb in particular. Even when everyone around her won’t listen to her worries about some strange goings on at the farm, she trusts her instincts to get to the truth. My hope is that if readers from non-rural backgrounds get to experience the world of farming and the countryside through my books then they, just like Ava, might discover something they love. “I’m a firm believer that you don’t know what you’re going to love until you try it” “Animals have a unique magic all of their own”