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Dara McAnulty is a teenage autistic author, naturalist and conservationist from Northern Ireland.
After writing his blog Naturalist Dara for over three years, he published his debut book, Diary of a Young Naturalist, which won the 2020 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, and was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize – the youngest ever author to do so. Dara then went on to win The Booksellers Association Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Non-fiction, the An Post Irish Book Awards Newcomer of the Year, and his last award (so far!) was the British Book Awards Narrative Non-fiction Book of the Year. An incredible, record-breaking achievement for a teenager yet to sit his A-levels.
Dara is a passionate and fervent campaigner for the natural world and dedicated fundraiser, volunteer and wildlife recorder. He lives with his family and Rosie the rescue greyhound at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in County Down.
"This diary chronicles the turning of my world, from spring to winter, at home, in the wild, in my head."
Diary of a Young Naturalist is a powerful and scintillating portrayal of the beauty of the natural world, as it shines a light on autism and of overcoming severe anxiety. It is a story of the binding love of family and home, and how we can help each other through the most difficult of times.
Join Dara on a nature walk and experience the joy of connecting with the natural world.
This beautiful gift book, illustrated in full colour by Barry Falls, is divided into five sections: looking out of the window, venturing out into the garden, walking in the woods, investigating heathland and wandering on the river bank.
Dara pauses to tell you about each habitat and provides fantastic facts about the native birds, animals and plants you will find there.
