The Practical Naturalist

This book is designed to bring a few green shoots into what are quite dull, gray times.

The natural world is on your doorstep whether you live in the heart of a concrete jungle, by the sea, on top of a mountain, or in a cottage in the woods.

The Practical Naturalist is about giving you the wherewithal to explore that natural world. It will be inspirational, informative, and educational-it aims to inspire you to get out there and experience the wonders of the world around you, inform you by showing you what you can discover in each habitat and also give you tips on how to conserve it.

Each section (habitat) will have three strands:

1 Informative section will tell you all you need to know about that particular habitat, bringing it to life in an evocative way. These spreads will also have boxes on the science and ecology of the habitat, and key practical aspects (such as how to read tide tables). The accompanying artwork style will retain that personal feel-not cold and clinical, but as if newly sketched (while still showing and telling you what you need to know).

2 Catalog section will show you what you'll see in that habitat-snapshots of groups of species belonging to a particular place to help you identify what you might see. For example, this section might show a collection of objects you'd find on a beach in New England. However, while it's specific, it's also generic, since you'd find similar things on any beach from Reykyavik to Rio.

3 The practical part: These are the elements that show you what to do in each habitat-a selection of projects that allow you to engage with the environment, without intruding. This section is specially photographed for the book, and might show a pond or sea water sample, a mask that allows you to view the underwater world, or a simple birdhouse for your backyard.