The Nature That Inspires My Stories
One of the things I hope all my books encourage is something very simple…
To slow down.
To look a little closer.
To notice.
Some of my happiest childhood memories weren’t from expensive days out or grand adventures. They were the little moments spent outdoors, watching insects, listening to birds, collecting feathers, and wondering about the world around me.
Now, living in rural France with my family, I find myself sharing those same moments with my own children.
Sometimes we’ll stop to watch a bumblebee disappear into a flower.
Sometimes we’ll point out a buzzard circling overhead.
Sometimes it’s simply sitting quietly in the garden and listening to birdsong drifting through an open window.
Those tiny moments often become stories.
Bumblely Bee’s Bum
This book began because of my youngest son, Ash.
For weeks, he wandered around the garden happily announcing, “Bumblely Bee’s Bum!” every time he spotted a bee.
He absolutely loved saying it.
The title made us laugh every single time, and before long it had become one of those family phrases that kept popping up throughout the day.
But behind the giggles was something else.
Ash wasn’t just being silly.
He was noticing.
He would stop what he was doing to watch bees moving between flowers, disappearing into blossoms and emerging covered in pollen.
He was fascinated by them.
The more I watched him, the more I realised there was a story hidden inside those funny little moments.
I wanted to capture the laughter, but also that sense of curiosity children have when they discover something wonderful in the natural world.
These Are the Birds That I See in a Day
This book arrived in a very different way.
There wasn’t a grand plan behind it.
In fact, I was simply going about an ordinary day at home.
As I moved through the day, I started noticing just how many birds I was seeing.
A blackbird on the lawn.
A buzzard overhead.
Swallows darting through the sky.
A robin watching from a fence post.
One bird after another appeared throughout the day, and I found myself paying attention in a way I hadn’t before.
By the evening I was making notes and sketching ideas.
What began as an ordinary day became a book.
The story isn’t really about identifying birds.
It’s about learning to notice them in the first place.
Once you start paying attention, they’re everywhere.
The quiet magic of paying attention
Children are naturally curious.
They notice tiny details that adults often rush past.
A bee.
A feather.
A bird singing from a hidden branch.
A butterfly landing on a flower.
A ladybird crawling across a leaf.
Those moments might seem ordinary.
But they’re often where stories begin.
Both Bumblely Bee’s Bum and These Are the Birds That I See in a Day grew from exactly that idea.
Not from big adventures.
Not from dramatic events.
Just from slowing down long enough to notice what was already there.
If my books encourage even one family to spend a little more time outdoors together, watching, listening and wondering, then I’ll feel they’ve done exactly what I hoped.
What little things do you find yourself noticing?
Bees?
Birds?
Wildflowers?
Butterflies?
I’d love to hear what catches your eye when you’re out for a walk.
If you enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind these books, there’s plenty more to discover.
Visit www.readstudiospublications.com to explore my books, read more Stories Behind the Stories, and step into the little world of Read Studios Publications.