Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough

by Hayley Rocco, John Rocco (Illustrator)

Overview

An inspiring and accessible picture book biography of the beloved naturalist, broadcaster, and documentarian David Attenborough—stunningly illustrated by a Caldecott Honoree.

As a boy, David loved exploring the wild places near his home in England, collecting fossils, rocks, and newts. When he grew older, he got a job in television, where he had an idea for a new kind of show: He would travel to wild places all over the world to film animals in their natural habitats. Over the span of seven decades, David's innovative documentaries have been treasured by millions of people.

But as time went on, he noticed the wild places he loved were shrinking. What could David do to help? What could we all do?

This is the story of David Attenborough. It’s also the story of our planet, which has changed rapidly over the course of one person’s lifetime, and a clarion call for us to do our part to bring back the wild places and protect the creatures who call Earth home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593618097
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/27/2024
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	341,086
Product dimensions:	9.87(w) x 11.31(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	AD790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Hayley Rocco is the author of How to Send a Hug, her first collaboration with her husband, John Rocco. Before dedicating herself to writing for children full-time, Hayley worked as a publicist at several major publishers. An ambassador for Wild Tomorrow, a nonprofit focused on conservation and rewilding South Africa, Hayley travels the world armed with a pen, a journal, and her camera, discovering stories of wild things and wild places. Visit Hayley at hayleyrocco.com and follow her on Instagram @hayleyroccobooks.

John Rocco is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Blackout, the recipient of a Caldecott Honor, and How We Got to the Moon, which received a Sibert Honor and was longlisted for the National Book Award. John, also an ambassador for Wild Tomorrow, ventures with Hayley into the wild in search of stories they can bring back and share with readers everywhere. John and Hayley live in Rhode Island in an old house tucked in the woods near the sea. Visit John at roccoart.com and follow him on Instagram @roccoart.

Editorial Reviews

11/27/2023

Married team the Roccos (How to Send a Hug) showcase the life of naturalist David Attenborough (b. 1926), taking him from youthful presenter of planet Earth to herald of the consequences of shrinking wildlife habitat. Naturalistic illustrations illuminate scenes of Attenborough’s youth and young adulthood with period detail, showing him as a television host introducing audiences to creatures the world over. Gradually, he pays witness to cities taking over areas where wildlife once thrived; “We are replacing the wild with the tame,” reads one included quotation from the figure. As Attenborough ages visibly in successive spreads, wild populations dwindle and weather catastrophes strike. Chatting with experts to learn about the connected ways that human activity is compromising the planet, he creates new programs to publicize broad solutions (“If we eat less meat, there will be more land for wild places”). A hopeful conclusion pictures Attenborough at the head of a procession of people carrying tree saplings to plant, now an exemplar of a public figure who changed course to address climate change. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note and more about rewilding the planet concludes. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough

* “[A] sterling biographical account . . . Interspersed quotes from the film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet lend authenticity . . . Children will delight in learning about the 'voice of nature.' ” —School Library Journal, starred review

* "This mesmerizing picture book will likely captivate its audience with a powerful, accessible message and remarkable illustrations . . . Belongs in the library of any child who finds joy in the natural world. Dazzling." —Shelf Awareness, starred review

"For fledgling conservationists and climate activists . . . An inspiring overview of a life dedicated to essential eco-causes." —Kirkus Reviews

"Naturalistic illustrations illuminate scenes of Attenborough’s youth and young adulthood with period detail . . . An exemplar of a public figure who changed course to address climate change." —Publishers Weekly

"Told in short elementary-school-friendly sentences with some science vocabulary, the text offers an overarching look at Attenborough’s life so far . . . Crisp, neat prose and lush artwork augment the simplicity well." —Booklist

"Haley Rocco proficiently distills information about Attenborough’s career into straightforward text following Attenborough’s path chronologically . . . John Rocco’s art is notable for its rich and luminous hues depicting stunning natural landscapes." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“It is not often that I’m truly touched by the picture books I read, but Wild Places is one of those books. The author and illustrator’s deep passion for and devotion to conservation is apparent throughout. Equally important and beautiful, Wild Places belongs on the shelves of every school and home library.” —Sherri Duskey Rinker, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Steam Train, Dream Train and the Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site series
 
“A beautiful book about an inspiring life, with a timely message accessible for all ages.” —Rick Riordan, international bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
 
“Wild Places is eloquent and profound in its telling of Sir David Attenborough’s life. Hayley’s concise writing, matched with John’s vivid art, shows the impact one person can have on our planet and encourages us to change for the better. This is a must-have for any classroom.” —Tony DiTerlizzi, co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles
 
“This stunning, informative, and deeply humane book belongs on the shelf of everyone who cares about our planet, its creatures, and its caretakers. A wonder and a treasure." —Deb Caletti, Michael L. Printz Honor winning author of A Heart in a Body in the World
 
“A beautifully written and illustrated tribute to the importance of preserving the Earth for Future generations. Wild Places should be required reading for every young citizen of planet Earth.”—Mike Massimino, former NASA Astronaut and New York Times bestselling author of Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

From the Publisher

★ 02/23/2024

Gr 1–3—The Roccos (How To Send A Hug) present a light but sterling biographical account of Sir David Attenborough, a British naturalist, pioneering television host into the natural world, and conservationist. Realistic art—a combination of pencil, watercolor, and digital paint—is rich, textural, and full of movement. When Attenborough was born, for example, "more than two-thirds of our planet was covered in wild places." The spread is two-thirds full of a lush tropical jungle, with Attenborough's family in the remaining third, smoke pluming from factories. This is a biographical sketch of Attenborough's passion for wild places, beginning with his explorations close to his home as a boy and following him to university and BBC Broadcasting. As he floods people's homes, bringing the wild inside, he notices how the natural world shrinks and his voice in conservationism begins. Scenes on double page spreads, with lush greenery and thriving wildlife, contrast starkly with the spaces struck bare by humans via pollution, overfishing, and logging. Interspersed quotes from the film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet lends authenticity. An author's note and a selected bibliography provides further information on Attenborough's life. Additional back matter includes information on conservation and current concerns and solutions. VERDICT A must-purchase for libraries; children will delight in learning about the "voice of nature."—Rachel Zuffa

School Library Journal

2023-11-04
A tribute to the life’s work and message of renowned naturalist, author, and filmmaker David Attenborough.

Though light on biographical specifics, even in the afterword, this profile does begin with a young David bicycling out of a smoke-choked English city into a green woodland, where the discovery of an ammonite fossil launches a lifelong interest in wild places and their animal residents and in telling people about both. In a memorable opening image, our planet is overlaid with a parade of dozens of animals that spiral out to finally portray one small, familiar, casually dressed gent. Illustrator John Rocco places Attenborough in paired settings; ugly urban sprawl, razed forests, dead reefs, and barren wastes are depicted alongside lush rain forests, vistas of alternative energy sources, and undersea reaches teeming with marine life. These images provide visual expression to Attenborough’s later appeals to live on the Earth more responsibly and to “rewild” overfished oceans and mistreated lands. Attenborough remains a distant figure here but has become undeniably iconic and “our connection to the natural world” and “the voice of nature” over seven decades. In a grand symbolic final scene, he leads a racially diverse line of people from a city of eco-friendly high-rises into an even greener future. For fledgling conservationists and climate activists, the backmatter includes both leads to further resources and a starter table of “Problems” and “Solutions.”

An inspiring overview of a life dedicated to essential eco-causes. (author’s note) (Picture-book biography. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews