WILD PLACES: THE LIFE OF NATURALIST DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
We are super excited to announce that “Wild Places” has officially hit the shelves of bookstores near you! It’s a gorgeously illustrated story of David Attenborough’s life, and his love for nature and the wild places he visited throughout his life. Most importantly, it’s a call to action to restore our planet. Created by our ambassadors Hayley Rocco and John Rocco, with a dedication to Wild Tomorrow, we couldn’t be more proud to see this book and important story brought to life! Read more in our latest blog post below.
Hot off the press! Wild Tomorrow Ambassadors Haley and John Rocco’s Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough, published by Penguin Random House, is now available!
Wild Tomorrow is delighted to count the brilliant creative husband-wife illustrator-author team of John and Haley Rocco among our ambassadors. Their new children’s book Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough teaches young readers about the beauty and importance of animals, plants, and wild places through the eyes of Sir David, from his boyhood fascination with fossils, rocks, and newts in the English countryside to his global career bringing the natural world to our living rooms through the television screen. Wild Places reveals how Attenborough witnesses widespread environmental destruction, noticing “that the wild places were shrinking, while the not-so-wild places kept on expanding,” at the same time as climate change poses ever more threats to life on Earth. Yet, the book leaves children with the hopeful message that “if we act now, we can yet put it right” by rewilding the planet and living more sustainably.
The Roccos first connected with Wild Tomorrow while researching pangolins for a title in their upcoming “Meet the Wild Things” series of children’s books on endangered species. Hayley first learned about Wild Tomorrow after reading a blog post about our work to reintroduce pangolins to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and quickly jumped on one of our two-week Conservation Experience trips in 2022.
Protecting and restoring the natural world is central to Hayley and John Rocco’s work and hearts.They co-founded the Children’s Book Creators for Conservation (CBCC), a collective group of children’s book authors and illustrators who amplify the work of organizations like Wild Tomorrow through storytelling, and brought nine CBCC members to the Greater Ukuwela Reserve on a super creative and inspiring volunteer trip last year.
Hayley and John know the importance of teaching children about nature and conservation. Sharing stories of wild creatures and the habitats on which they depend captures young imaginations and empowers them to become better guardians of the world they will inherit.
We are profoundly honored that Hayley and John decided to dedicate their beautiful book to our co-founders “Wendy Hapgood and John Steward of Wild Tomorrow, who risked everything to help wildlife and wild places in South Africa. You serve as an inspiration that we can all do our part for the greater good of the planet.” They also sent their thanks to “Tori Gray, Greg Canning, Kevin Jolliffe, and the entire team of Wild Tomorrow, for effectively expanding wild places for the betterment of wildlife and our world.”
Wild Tomorrow’s co-founder, Wendy Hapgood, noted the parallels between Wild Tomorrow’s mission and David Attenborough’s central message, given voice to in the book: "We must rewild the world". Wendy says, “A huge step towards repairing our planet is connecting children's hearts and minds to nature. We love that this very special book brings David Attenborough's story to life on the page, as a call to action to restore wild places”.
One of the moving scenes of David Attenborough’s story, brought to life on the page in Wild Places. Here is David listening to the songs of whales. He broadcasted stories of their emotional intelligence to tv sets around the world, stirring empathy and garnering protection for these amazing creatures.
To mark the launch of Wild Places, Hayley and John Rocco will discuss the book, sign copies, and answer audience questions at the official launch at An Unlikely Story Bookstore in Plainville, Rhode Island, on Sunday, March 10 at 3 PM. Wendy Hapgood and John Steward will also join them in conversation.
New Yorkers can also catch Hayley and John at the Hoboken Literary Weekend, where they will hold a signing and reading for children on Saturday, April 6 at 11 AM.
This beautifully illustrated telling of David Attenborough’s life story is also the story of our planet, which has changed rapidly over the course of one person’s lifetime. It’s a call for us all — aligned with Wild Tomorrow’s mission — to protect and restore wildlife and wild places.
Order your copy of Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough wherever good books are found including at GoodBooks.org.
“It is surely our responsibility to do everything within our our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth”