Cities Going Wild
To Save the Planet
Published on 5. March 2026
Book
Hardback
40 pages
978-1-915659-80-4 (ISBN)
Description
Bring nature to the big city! Cities across the world are doing it - making themselves friendlier places for plants and wildlife - and happier, healthier places for all of us.
Find out about Sky Forests and Bird-Friendly Cities, Spongy Spaces and Rain Gardens, Insect Super-Highways, Living Walls, Urban Jungle Food and all the other ways in which cities worldwide are changing.
Have fun spotting the birds, insects and other creatures that share our cities. And look out for lots of activities, so that YOU can make YOUR city green!
Find out about Sky Forests and Bird-Friendly Cities, Spongy Spaces and Rain Gardens, Insect Super-Highways, Living Walls, Urban Jungle Food and all the other ways in which cities worldwide are changing.
Have fun spotting the birds, insects and other creatures that share our cities. And look out for lots of activities, so that YOU can make YOUR city green!
Reviews / Votes
"Lush full-colour illustrations from Engel fill every page, accompanied by Barr's sensitively-written text about the importance of making space for nature to improve quality of life for all creatures. A crucial book for children's understanding of the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature, and all the joy a connection to nature can bring." * The Bookseller * "International in scope, yet teaming with local detail, Cities going Wild... to save the planet offers younger readers a hopeful vision of nature thriving alongside us in cities. Sumptuous illustrations and great examples of urban nature development work make it a crucial and urgent book to get in the hands of the next generation of nature lovers who need to know we can all make a home for nature on our doorstep, wherever we may live." * John Wedgwood Clarke, RENEW, University of Exeter * "If you ever wondered how cities across the world are bringing nature into urban spaces, Catherine Barr & Christiane Engel's Cities Going Wild to Save the Planet is the book for you. Sky forests, bird-friendly cities, rain gardens...full of facts & interactive." * Jo Bowers * "Linking urban nature to how people live, with a focus on practical changes, the warm, vibrant illustrations and chunks of accessible texts are a joy to behold... perfect for KS2 classrooms and primary school libraries. An outstanding book - highly recommended." * School Reading List * "This relatively slim volume packs in a lot of information, and positive, inspiring information at that... The stunning illustrations by bring both the scope and details of these projects to life, and on many pages there are specific animals and birds for the reader to spot.With suggestions of how you too can add to the greenery where you live, as well as a breadth of different examples from all around the world, this is a truly inspiring book. A must for every school book corner or library." * BookTrust * "It would work nicely as a book to use in school, browse in the library or read at home on the environment for those looking at eco-friendly ways to combat issues such as climate change, pollution and habitat destruction, but would also have uses if looking at cities in general in terms of settlements and local areas." * Books for Keeps *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Hereford
United Kingdom
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 6 years
Illustrations
Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 280 mm
Width: 244 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
414 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-915659-80-4 (9781915659804)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Catherine Barr is a leading author on science and nature topics for young children, specialising in presenting them in new and exciting ways. She worked for Greenpeace and London's Natural History Museum before becoming a full-time writer. Her previous books for Otter-Barry are Red Alert: 15 Endangered Animals Fighting to Survive, Invisible Nature: A Secret World Beyond Our Senses (winner of the Teach Primary science book prize), Wildlife Crossings: Protecting Animal Pathways Around the World and Water: Protect Freshwater to Save Life on Earth. Catherine is an inspiring speaker, who particularly enjoys visiting schools to share her books. Her website is catherinebarrbooks.me, and she lives in the Welsh Borders.
Christiane Engel grew up in Germany and now lives in Kent, England. She has a BA in Children's Art and an MA in Children's Illustration, and is an author and book creator as well as an illustrator, with over 50 books for young children to her credit. Christiane works with soft pencil, acrylics, watercolour and digital media. She has previously collaborated with Catherine Barr for Otter-Barry Books in Water: Protect Freshwater to Save Life on Earth, and Wildlife Crossings: Protecting Animal Pathways Around the World.
Christiane Engel grew up in Germany and now lives in Kent, England. She has a BA in Children's Art and an MA in Children's Illustration, and is an author and book creator as well as an illustrator, with over 50 books for young children to her credit. Christiane works with soft pencil, acrylics, watercolour and digital media. She has previously collaborated with Catherine Barr for Otter-Barry Books in Water: Protect Freshwater to Save Life on Earth, and Wildlife Crossings: Protecting Animal Pathways Around the World.