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HOW A TRIP TO A&E INSPIRED SONG OF THE DOLPHIN BOY

When I was eighteen, a very long time ago, I was bitten by a sea snake while I was bathing in the South China Sea. The pain was incredible, and I was very lucky to survive. The snake must have had nearly as big a shock as me. After all, it had just been doing its usual thing on a Saturday afternoon when my big human foot stepped on it. It shot off through the water, seemingly unharmed. I hope it was. There was a huge variety of wild creatures in the sea off the Malaysian coas

PLASTIC FACT FILE

As Blue Planet II made devastatingly clear, plastic is having an unprecedented impact on marine life, with dolphins, whales, turtles, seals, fish and seabirds paying a tragic price for man's thoughtless consumerism. Here are a few plastic facts: 1. A 2017 study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that 12.7 million tonnes of plastic - bottles, straws, glitter, microbeads and bags ends up our oceans each year. That's a truckload every minute. 2. There are an estimated 3

SONG OF THE DOLPHIN BOY EXTRACT

Finn has always been different, and in the tiny fishing village of Stromhead he sticks out like a sore thumb. Always told to keep away from the water, he's felt that something was missing until one day he dives in and finds that, swimming with the dolphins, he feels completely at home... Something floated just above Finn's head. It was round and a dazzling orange colour. A jellyfish! thought Finn. I hope it doesn't sting. No – it's a balloon! A string was hanging down from th

GENERATION ANTHROPOCENE: How Humans Have Altered the Planet Forever

We are living in the Anthropocene age, in which human influence on the planet is so profound – and terrifying – it will leave its legacy for millennia. Politicians and scientists have had their say, but how are writers and artists responding to this crisis? In 2003 the Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht coined the term solastalgia to mean a “form of psychic or existential distress caused by environmental change”. Albrecht was studying the effects of long-term drought and l

DESERT ISLAND READING

Our Ocean-loving authors have written dozens of watery books, from Middle Grade mysteries and adventures about dolphins, seals, river voles, mermaids and young explorers to YA surf and sea romances. We hope you enjoy this selection.... Georgie Adams – Charmseekers: Moonlight and Mermaids Philip Ardagh – The Grunts all at Sea, The World of Moomin Valley Yaba Badoe – A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars Catherine Barr – Red Alert!, The Story of Life: a First Book of Evolution, 10 Reasons

OCEAN INSPIRATION

MY TOP 5 BOOK RESEARCH ADVENTURES BEHIND SKY SONG I’ve always been enthralled by snowy stories and many of my favourite childhood books featured icy realms: Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights. So, perhaps it was inevitable that one day I would write my own wintry book. But it was only when I travelled up to the Arctic recently, to north Norway, that I started taking notes about the lands

THE RISE OF SHARKS IN BRITISH WATERS

Increasing numbers of shark species are being found in British waters. Why is this happening, asks Ben Garrod – and where can we see them? If you are looking for sharks, there are plenty to see wherever you are around the British Isles. Dr Ben Garrod will be reporting on sharks for Radio 4's Costing the Earth in May, and reveals the five shark species you're likely to see in our waters. "My lasting love of sharks was kindled the day I rescued one. Just 11 years old, I was on

THE TRUTH ABOUT DOLPHIN ENCOUNTERS

EVER DREAM ABOUT SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS? READ THIS INVESTIGATION I DID FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES AND YOU MIGHT THINK TWICE. To the tourists and locals who pour into Attica Zoological Park on a blue winter’s day in Athens, the dolphin show represents the ultimate in wish fulfilment. After all, if there’s one thing we love more than dolphins, it’s getting up close and personal with them – a fact confirmed by a third of 600,000 customers asked by holiday giant, Tui Travel PLC, 81% of

WHY I'M FIGHTING TO SAVE OUR OCEANS

Born Free's 14-Year-Old Youth Ambassador on How Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference The photo above shows Born Free's founder, Virginia McKenna, visiting the tragic dolphins of Marineland, Antibes in France. In dolphinariums across the world, it is a common sight. In desolate pools of overly-chlorinated water, enclosed by sparse stretches of concrete and panels of glass (which are populated by dozens of prying faces and pointing fingers). If they are not being forced to p

On the following pages, you'll find awesome school resources, blogs and articles from:

Nicola Davies, Elizabeth Laird, Lisa Glass,

Abi Elphinstone

Robert Macfarlane

Dr Ben Garrod

M.G. Leonard

Lauren St John

and other authors.

We'll also have guest posts from Jackie Morris's marine biologist daughter and 14-year-old Born Free Ambassador, Bella Lack.

We'll be refreshing our site often with news and snippets. Keep visiting!

HOW A TRIP TO A&E INSPIRED SONG OF THE DOLPHIN BOY

PLASTIC FACT FILE

SONG OF THE DOLPHIN BOY EXTRACT

GENERATION ANTHROPOCENE: How Humans Have Altered the Planet Forever

DESERT ISLAND READING

OCEAN INSPIRATION

THE RISE OF SHARKS IN BRITISH WATERS

THE TRUTH ABOUT DOLPHIN ENCOUNTERS

WHY I'M FIGHTING TO SAVE OUR OCEANS

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