Michael Morpurgo
Hodder
This short non-fiction title delivers more than may be expected, given its size. Mostly a love letter to nature, life on the farm, and in the countryside, but sprinkled with a treatise for us to take our rural life, communities and countryside seriously.
Poetry is littered throughout, as the reader is taken by the hand and led through Spring, from March, through to June, encountering characters, animals and memories from this personal take on the season. The most detailed observances from frogspawn to buds on the tree showcase the keenness with which Michael is waiting for the seasons to change, and yet the biggest things we have to deal with are shared in this space too - life and death, childhood experiences, regret, the tribulations of intervening or letting nature take its course... this small volume covers a lot of ground.
A great book to read, and remind ourselves of the blessing that is nature, and the care it needs from us.