Nature Folklore

A Guardian 'Book of the day' For millennia, elms shaped our landscape and our folklore; then they started dying. For the past century, a deadly pandemic has raged across the world, destroying all in its path and outmanoeuvring scientists' desperate attempts to halt it. Dutch elm disease has...

This leaf, so complete in itself, Is only part of a tree. And this tree, so complete in itself, Is only part of the mountain. And the mountain runs down to the sea. And the sea, so complete in itself, Rests like a raindrop On the hand of God. Ruskin Bond’s Book of Verse brings together the...

As children, we are captivated by stories of huge fantastical creatures, such as the wooly mammoth and the pterodactyl. The prevailing wisdom is these species are long extinct, but new evidence uncovered by author Gerald McIsaac casts doubt on these widely held assumptions. McIsaac gathered stories from the elders of the First Nation, those who were formerly referred to as Indians, Native Americans, or Aboriginals.

Ever wondered why we knock on wood, cross our fingers, or avoid black cats? Dive in and learn about fascinating superstitions from all over the world! The Good Luck Book explores the surprising - and sometimes scary - history of the world's most practised superstitions (and plenty more that you...

"A long time ago, when the land was yet wrapped in grand sweeps of forest, when nearby meadows wore nothing but the scent of wildflowers..." So begins the first tale of Spirits of the Wild, an enchanting collection of 60 nature myths from around the world, many of them hundreds - or thousands - of years old. Each myth is charmingly retold by Gary Ferguson, one of the West's best-loved nature writers.