WINNER:
Where Poppies Blow by John Lewis-Stempel
Where Poppies Blow is the unique story of the British soldiers of the Great War and their relationship with the animals and plants around them.
SHORTLIST:
Love of Country by Madeleine Bunting
Few landscapes are as iconic as the islands off the north-western Scottish coast. On the outer edge of the British Isles and facing the Atlantic Ocean, the Hebrides form part of Europe’s boundary.
The January Man by Christopher Somerville
The January Man is the story of a year of walks that was inspired by a song, Dave Goulder’s ‘The January Man’. Month by month, season by season and region by region, Christopher Somerville walks the British Isles, following routes that continually bring his father to mind.
The Otters’ Tale by Simon Cooper
Otters are the most secretive yet also the most popular mammals – they are found in every county but are so rarely seen that they have been raised to mythical status.
The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel
Traditional ploughland is disappearing. Seven cornfield flowers have become extinct in the last twenty years. Once abundant, the corn bunting and the lapwing are on the Red List. The corncrake is all but extinct in England. And the hare is running for its life.
The Wild Other by Clover Stroud
Clover Stroud’s idyllic childhood in rural England was shattered when a horrific riding accident left her mother permanently brain-damaged.
Wild Kingdom by Stephen Moss
The newspaper headlines tell us that Britain’s wildlife is in trouble. It’s not just rare creatures that are vanishing, hares and hedgehogs, skylarks and water voles, even the humble house sparrow, are in freefall.