“Reflects great admiration and wonder for all humpback whales.... A true homage to these wondrous creatures.” (Kirkus, starred review)

“Remarkable for almost too many reasons to name.... Along with Greta Thunberg, [Dara McAnulty] is on his way to becoming one of the most visible environmental campaigners of his generation.” (The Globe and Mail)

Book of the Year: Guardian

Winner of the 2020 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing

“Brave, poetic, ethical, lyrical” (Robert Macfarlane), Diary of a Young Naturalist vividly explores the natural world from the perspective of an autistic teenager juggling homework, friendship, and campaigning for the environment.

Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of 15-year-old Dara McAnulty’s world. From spring and through a year in his backyard in Northern Ireland, McAnulty spent the seasons writing. These stunning, evocative, and moving diary entries about his connection to wildlife and the way he sees the world are raw in their telling. Above all, Diary of a Young Naturalist portrays McAnulty’s intense connection to the natural world.

“I was diagnosed with Asperger’s/autism aged five.... By age seven I knew I was very different, I had got used to the isolation, my inability to break through into the world of talking about football or Minecraft was not tolerated. Then came the bullying. Nature became so much more than an escape; it became a life-support system.”