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Our Wild Reads: National Year of Reading

2026 marks the National Year of Reading in the UK. To celebrate, we're sharing our staff's favourite wild reads - from the childhood books that inspired us, to calls to action that are changing the world.

Reading is one of the very best escapes; books represent a place where our imaginations can run wild, where we can take inspiration from the real and the unreal, and where we can learn just how extraordinary our wild world is.

This National Year of Reading, our staff have selected some of their favourite wild reads - from long-held childhood favourites to recent books they couldn't put down. Whether you're in the market for a new ID or spotters guide, want to learn more about the habits of the cuckoo, or fancy escaping to a wild island, there's something here for everyone...

Popular Science    Scientific Writing    Taking Action

Nature Memoir    Wilder Landscape    For Children    

  Field Guides and Reference Books

Popular Science and Ecology

From whales and rainforests to woods and moths, there's so much out there to learn more about...

Book cover - an illustration of a dark, mossy woodland with a bird flying through the centre

This book details the depletion of entire landscapes over time and sheds light on the fact that Britain's few remaining fragments of temperate rainforest remain at serious risk due to lack of knowledge, outdated landownership laws, and ongoing poor management. The enthusiasm, descriptive writing, and detailed ecological history provided within this book provide a fascinating insight into these largely forgotten habitats and their unique composition. I've personally been inspired to go out and explore some of their precious remnants here in the UK. (Tim, Planning Ecologist)

A colourful book cover in navy with illustrated moths

I heard about this book from a friend who is a keen and knowledgeable moth-er, and who had loved reading it. I was not, and am still not, very knowledgeable about moths, but I certainly enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it for anyone with even a slight interest in moths, or wildlife in general. It isn’t written as a guide book, or an especially scientific book, and I found the style very approachable and engaging! (Matt, Living Landscapes Assistant)

Further reads...

How to Speak Whale, Tom Mustill (Jono, Head of Ops - North)

Last Chance to See, Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine (Josh, Digital Membership Officer)

Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape, Oliver Rackham (Matt, Nature Reserves Officer)

Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake (Matt, Nature Reserves Assistant)

The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wollenbehn (David, Head of Ops - East)

The Wild Places, Robert MacFarlane (Amy, Comms Officer)

Scientific Writing

For those wanting something with a little more maths, and maybe a graph or two...

A book cover with an illustration of a cuckoo placing eggs into a nest

I love this book as it is rare to find something that is both an academically thorough dive into a complex and enigmatic single species, while also being written in an incredibly accessible and engaging way for the general reader. Cuckoos are a bird of myth and legend, and yet the facts of their lives are somehow stranger than our imaginations can concoct. The bird is a miracle of evolution. (David, Head of Ops - East)

Further reads...

The Diversity of Life, E O Wilson (Jim, Reserves Manager)

The Life of the Robin, David Lack (David, Head of Ops - East)

The Serengeti Rules, Sean B Carrol (Jim, Reserves Manager)

King Solomon’s Ring, Konrad Lorenz (Emma, Data and Evidence Officer - Peat)

New Naturalist Ponds, Pools and Puddles (Jim, Reserves Manager)

Taking Action for a Wilder World

Books fiction and non-fiction that celebrate the power of taking action - in small ways, and in much bigger ways. Feeling inspired? Why not check out our #TeamWilder movement?

A kingfisher flies over a tumbling stream on this book cover

I really love this book because it’s a beautifully illustrated and immensely personal heartfelt account of one couple’s rewilding journey. Hannah’s writing style draws the reader in and conjures vivid images of the wildlife and landscapes she has dedicated her life to. The challenges and complexities of rewilding are addressed in a coherent and considered way, and each season reveals fresh discoveries and new wildlife spectacles as life returns in abundance to their once barren farmland. Above all, I love this book because it restores faith that despite witnessing the dramatic decline of so many species within our lifetimes, it is possible to bring nature back from the brink with the time that we have left. (Jo, Community Engagement Manager)

Further reads...

One Garden Against the World, Kate Bradbury (Amy, Comms Officer)

The Book of Trespass, Nick Hayes (Lauren, Head of Supporter Engagement)

The Winter Garden, Heidi Swainn (Dee, Digital Communications Assistant)

Overstory, Richard Powers (Amy, Comms Officer)

Nature memoirs

The wild world around us is something that holds a special place in the hearts of many of us; for our staff, it has directly influenced our careers! 

A book cover with an illustration hare

I loved this gentle and thought-provoking book about a woman who takes care of an orphaned leveret and in doing so develops a deep connection with the patterns and rhythms of nature around her. (Laura, Nature Reserves Manager (Central)

A book cover showing a woman climbing a greyscale cliff

Space Below My Feet is at once a remarkable story of adventure and a life well-lived, but most importantly for me, the story of a woman who knows herself, recognises a challenge and does it anyway despite the difficulties. This book is one of my go-to comfort reads, as it reaffirms my love for climbing, and the sense of flow you feel when it’s just you, your thoughts and the wild outdoors. (Sas, Individual Giving Manager)

Further reads...

The Living Mountain, Nan Shepherd (Rosie, Peat Programme Manager)

Waterlog, Roger Deakin (David, Head of Ops - East)

Seal Morning, Rowena Farr (Lauren, Head of Supporter Engagement)

H is for Hawk, Helen MacDonald (Amy, Comms Officer)

The Solace of Open Spaces, Gretel Ehrlich (Lucy, Crayfish Officer)

Diary: Story of a year on Easdale, Vicky Wait (Jo, Community Engagement Manager)

The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy, Michael McCarthy (Rosie, Peat Programme Manager)

Neurodivergent by Nature, Joe Harkness (Dee, Digital Communications Assistant)

Wild Woman, Philippa Forrester (Laura, Nature Reserves Manager - North)

Elixir, A voyage into Alchemy, Kapka Kassabova (Lucy, Crayfish Officer)

Wilder land

Just as Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has moved into looking at landscape-scale restoration, and a greener future for spaces from Ingleborough mountain to the Humber Estuary, there are plenty of folk looking to wild their land on a massive scale...

An illustrated book cover of two hares in red colour

A fascinating insight into the long history of arable farming in England, showing nature doesn't need to come at the expense of arable crops, it was once an integral part of the arable farm. Hinting at a possible roadmap to a different future for arable farming, where nature is central to its prosperity. (Henry, East Project Officer)

Further reads...

Wilding, Isabella Tree (Laura, Reserve Manager - North)

Wild Fell, Lee Schofield (Matt, Living Landscapes Assistant)

Rooted, Sarah Langford (Emma, Data and Evidence Officer - YPP)

Meadowland, John Lewis-Stempel (David, Head of Ops - East)

For Children

For many of us, our love for wildlife starts at childhood. Whether you fancy a trip down memory lane or you're inducting your little one into the wonders of the natural world, books are always a good place to start.

A book cover with an illustrated tree and two people sat on a bench in front of it

My daughter and I love this book and the beautiful illustrations taking the Tree through each season. We love the story, and the community spirit that runs along the pages. Everyone coming together for each other and for nature makes this a book we come back to time and time again. (Amy, Fundraising Assistant)

Further reads...

Welcome to the museum: Botanicum (Amy, Fundraising Assistant)

Rewild the World at Bedtime, Emily Hawkins (Laura, Nature Reserves Manager - North)

The Animals of Farthing Wood, Colin Dann (Karen, Conservation Grazing Manager) - this was our most-requested children's read by staff!

The Complete Brambley Hedge, Jill Barklem (Amy, Communications Officer)

Little People, Big dreams, David Attenborough (Amy, Fundraising Assistant)

Wild Girl, Helen Skelton (Amy, Fundraising Assistant)

Tale of Mrs Tiggywinkle, Beatrix Potter (and all associated stories!)

Field guides and reference books

Want a world of wildlife you can fit in your hand, or fancy something fun on the coffee table to get your guests at home talking? Obviously our membership magazine Discover Yorkshire's Wildlife is best, but in close second...

Collins Wildflower Guide (Jim, Nature Reserves Manager - South)

The Almanac 2026 A Seasonal Guide, Lia Leendertz (Tim, Planning Ecologist)

Wonderland: A Year of Britain's Wildlife, Day by Day, Brett Westwood/Stephen Moss (Andy, Project Officer - East Catchment)

A Wilding Year: Bringing life back to the land, Hannah Dale (Jo, Community Engagement Manager)

I-Spy Garden Birds, David Bellamy (David, Head of Ops - East)

FSC butterfly books, illustrated by Thomas Lewington (Emma, Data and Evidence Officer - YPP)

Harvest mouse

Harvest mouse ©Amy Lewis

Yorkshire Authors, books about Yorkshire (and our friends)

Not that we're biased, but arguably some of our greatest naturalists come from or have been inspired by Yorkshire and its wildlife. Check out these reads for a taste of home...

The Rarity Garden, Richard Baines 

The Flow, Amy-Jane Beer

Forget Me Not, Sophie Pavelle

The Book of Bogs, Anna Chilvers and Clare Shaw

Yorkshire, A Literary Landscape, David Stuart Davies

...and of course, Discover Yorkshire’s Wildlife - our very own guide to the very best wildlife spectacles to enjoy and where.

Check out our online shop here!

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