An Author that Feels like Home

by Fran

I am sure that I am not alone in discovering, over the last few years, the beautiful children’s books by Hannah Gold. I freely recommend them to children and adults alike; in fact, I have bought my 38-year-old sister one as a Christmas Eve present for the last few years. They sit gorgeously on our 9+ shelves in the shop but could be read aloud to or by younger readers as well. They have a dual charm- encouraging young readers to love and respect the wild world and care for the environment, and to remind adults of a relationship with the natural world that may need a fresh nurture. 

Regardless of how or why you pick up a Hannah Gold book, you are sure to fall in love with her beautiful descriptions of the wild, her wonderful characters and important storylines. When I read the series all about April and her friendship with a wild polar bear and life in the Arctic, it feels like home. I cannot quite put my finger on this. I have never been to Svalbard before- but the descriptions of the rugged landscape and feral weather stir something deep inside me that feels like arriving. Perhaps her stories remind me of books I obsessed over as a child where young girls and boys rescued animals in the countryside. All our holidays were exploring the countryside as children. My dad still reminds me of long walks where I hiked the whole way with a trail of imaginary rescue animals that had to pass through each gate before he was allowed to close it. Hannah Gold’s characters remind me of a part of myself, or a version of myself that is either partly realised, waiting to emerge or exists in my heart. I love them. I am sure that they will inspire a generation of young readers to love and care for the animals and wild around them, just like some of my favourite books did as a child. My parents created outdoor adventures for me when I was growing up, and I supplemented them with imagination. Hannah Gold’s characters have some of the most inspiring experiences with wildlife that encourage me to be hooked with wildlife all over again and dare to dream that a life lived in tune with the world around me is not only possible, but vital. 
Children’s books have a unique power to do this, I find, when read as a child sure, but as an adult too. They remind us of what was once important to us, or what should be included in our lives perhaps and we have forgotten. They remind us to be kind to ourselves and the world, to nurture our dreams like precious possessions. When we forget who we are, it is remembering who we were as children and what we loved then, that can sometimes unlock who we are meant to be now. Hannah Gold’s books have this magic in them. She is a weaver of rugged dreams and a spellcaster with a huge heart. 
If you haven’t picked up her books yet, child or adult, head to our children’s section and step into her stories, you won’t regret it.