by Tina Kelly –
I live in a concrete jungle, and yet nature is everywhere. For certain, there are trees, bugs and pigeons, but I’ve witnessed a peregrine falcon on a nearby balcony, a hawk atop a tree in a parking lot, sparrows chattering on my deck, and even a river otter travelling down the road.
Nature isn’t “away,” only to be found in parks, rural or remote areas. With curiosity and eyes open, we can find nature almost anywhere. These publications shine the light on urban nature.
Chasing Bats and Tracking Rats, Urban Ecology, Community Science, and How We Share Our Cities, Cylita Guy and Cornelia Li (2021). “Cities can be surprisingly wild places” boasts the cover. Author Cylita Guy is a Toronto-based ecologist and science communicator. The cover goes on to say: “Join Cylita Guy as she shares the exciting adventure of urban ecologists – herself included – whose work shows that studying urban wildlife can help us make cities healthier for all of their inhabitants.” There are chapters on bats, rats, coyotes, bees, bears, birds and microplastics. Each chapter ends with an urban ecology challenge to drive home the content.
Expedition Backyard, Rosemary Mosco and Binglin Hu (2022). Follow friends Mole and Vole as they find themselves accidentally transported to the city. In this young learner graphic novel, avid nature journalers, Mole and Vole, record their adventure discovering the city’s nature at night, nature underground, nature all around. This book targets children four to eight years old and includes activities to do at home.
Wild City: Meet the Animals Who Share Our City Spaces, Ben Hoare and Lucy Rose (2020). No passport needed for this world tour. Award-winning journalist, Ben Hoare, presents the urban inhabitants of 17 cities. The first stop on the itinerary? Vancouver and the wildlife that comes with its seaside location. Berlin, Mumbai, Sydney, New York and Mexico City are among the featured cities. Aside from the cities highlighted, Hoare teaches urban nature in a thematic way – city mammals, city birds, cities at night – and ends with ways to make wildlife welcome.
Taking Care of Where We Live, Merrie-Ellen Wilcox and Amanda Key (2024). Hot off the press! This book was released in September as part of Orca Book Publishers Orca Think series. Orca Think encourages us to question, connect and take action for a better future. In this edition, the issue at hand is caring for ecosystems, near and far. Real world examples are featured in chapters on restoring, rewilding, peopling and acting.
What Matters, Alison Hughes and Holly Hatam (2017). Another book by local publisher Orca Books. With mixed media illustrated pages, this story shines the spotlight on how one simple act– picking up a single piece of trash – impacts many different animals in the most positive ways.
Our Green City, Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Colleen Larmour (2022). Featuring beautifully busy illustrations akin to a Richard Scarry town, this book invites you to discover the elements that make an ideal sustainable city. Being green, as the book states, means taking care of all living things – people, plants and animals too. People work together to make and maintain this green city; a sense of community is observed on every page. Illustrations draw the reader in to seek and find green features– rain gardens, thrift shops, refill stores, backyard gardens, green roofs, farmers markets, different modes of transport and more. Author Tanya Lloyd Kyi is based in Vancouver.
These books encourage us to find, coexist and care for the wild.
