Nonfiction

Diary of a Young Naturalist

Diary of a Young Naturalist

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  • Create Date：2021-07-09 03:18:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Dara McAnulty
  • ISBN：1571311807
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Summary

From sixteen-year-old Dara McAnulty， a globally renowned figure in the youth climate activist movement， comes a memoir about loving the natural world and fighting to save it。

Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of a year in Dara's Northern Ireland home patch。 Beginning in spring--when "the sparrows dig the moss from the guttering and the air is as puffed out as the robin's chest"--these diary entries about his connection to wildlife and the way he sees the world are vivid， evocative， and moving。

As well as Dara's intense connection to the natural world， Diary of a Young Naturalist captures his perspective as a teenager juggling exams， friendships， and a life of campaigning。 We see his close-knit family， the disruptions of moving and changing schools， and the complexities of living with autism。 "In writing this book，" writes Dara， "I have experienced challenges but also felt incredible joy， wonder， curiosity and excitement。 In sharing this journey my hope is that people of all generations will not only understand autism a little more but also appreciate a child's eye view on our delicate and changing biosphere。"

Winner of the Wainwright Prize for UK nature writing and already sold into more than a dozen territories， Diary of a Young Naturalist is a triumphant debut from an important new voice。

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Reviews

Nicki ，

Loved it！ Full review to follow

Paula Crabb ，

Dara's beautiful description settles my soul and my anxiety。 Thank you Dara。 Dara's beautiful description settles my soul and my anxiety。 Thank you Dara。 。。。more

Veronica ，

Young Dara McAnulty won the Wainwright prize for this book， a remarkable （and deserved） achievement for a 15-year-old。 I'm not really in the target market for it， I read it because S was。 So the nature aspects got a little bit samey for me --that said， its diary format lends itself well to dipping into rather than reading it all at once， so that's what I did。Most fascinating to me was Dara himself -- intelligent， curious， passionate -- and his family， "close as otters"; he， his two siblings and Young Dara McAnulty won the Wainwright prize for this book， a remarkable （and deserved） achievement for a 15-year-old。 I'm not really in the target market for it， I read it because S was。 So the nature aspects got a little bit samey for me --that said， its diary format lends itself well to dipping into rather than reading it all at once， so that's what I did。Most fascinating to me was Dara himself -- intelligent， curious， passionate -- and his family， "close as otters"; he， his two siblings and his mother are all on the autism spectrum。 They are supportive and understanding of each other， and it's so interesting to read about how Dara deals with issues like anxiety， bullying， and obsession， learning over time which strategies work best for him。 And， in a house move， finding a much better school environment。 Although he doesn't explicitly discuss bullying in the book， it seems clear that his first school did not address it well at all， whereas the second one provides a supportive and welcoming environment where he can make friends and express himself， to the extent of setting up an "eco-club"。Oh， did I say he's an excellent writer？ Extraordinarily articulate and poetic。 He'll go far。 。。。more

Albert ，

Remarkably tuned-in for a teenage author。 Dara writes as if with a sixth sense for the natural world with descriptions that make you see， hear， and even smell things as you go。

Harriet St Pier ，

stunning descriptions of nature & lots of birds。 makes u want to stop and look up more ！！

Xabier Cid ，

This is an odd literary object， and not only because this is a diary not leading anywhere （not to a particular event， or discovery， or death， or exile）。 I would call it， reluctantly， an autobiography; and yet there are only a few 'facts'; it is even difficult to pinpoint the key moments in the life of this Irish （a Northerner） teen: watching a tadpole is as important as meeting the Environment Minister， and this is not a political joke。To me， all the sightings， the experience of nature， is somet This is an odd literary object， and not only because this is a diary not leading anywhere （not to a particular event， or discovery， or death， or exile）。 I would call it， reluctantly， an autobiography; and yet there are only a few 'facts'; it is even difficult to pinpoint the key moments in the life of this Irish （a Northerner） teen: watching a tadpole is as important as meeting the Environment Minister， and this is not a political joke。To me， all the sightings， the experience of nature， is something I can relate to。 I know these birds， I've watched them myself （although the number of 'encounters' is an unbelievable achievement for McAnulty and speaks volumes of his dedication）。 I also felt （and enjoyed！） the progression of seasons （and I miss it， exiled now in an area of Europe much closer to the Equator）。 I am not sure if these experiences could be as moving to someone who never cared for nature in that particular way。 But perhaps because I've been surrounded by kids over the last months （and some of them were also people with ASD）， the most interesting aspect of this "diary" is the exploration of how the mind of an autistic teen operates。 All that， written in such a delicate and wonderful style， precise and perfect， that it makes this book so tempting for translation。 。。。more

Catherine Jeffrey ，

An exceptional piece of writing and more so when you consider the author is still in his teens。 Dara shows us how to really experience nature。 If we all begin to appreciate more what is around us then perhaps we will all try a little harder to look after the planet。

Hazel Usher-Jones ，

What an outstanding account of life and experience so beautifully and informatively written。 I could not put this book down。 Suitable for all ages， this book has left me with a far better understanding of Autism and how it affects the choices sufferers take。 How to follow a belief in nature and how we can help to recover what is lost and help reverse this climate change through the eyes of a 15/16/17 year old and his daily life devoted to this cause and how this helps him to manage and to grow。 What an outstanding account of life and experience so beautifully and informatively written。 I could not put this book down。 Suitable for all ages， this book has left me with a far better understanding of Autism and how it affects the choices sufferers take。 How to follow a belief in nature and how we can help to recover what is lost and help reverse this climate change through the eyes of a 15/16/17 year old and his daily life devoted to this cause and how this helps him to manage and to grow。 The best book I have ever read。 I cannot wait to read anything else this young naturalist writes。 。。。more

Katelynn ，

This is the kind of book I've always dreamed of recommending to young readers with a penchant for the outdoors; an informative yet personal （and relatable！） account of a life lived for nature that had alluded me until Dara came along。 Not only does he highlight his local ecology， conservation efforts and environmental activism， but he shows how the natural world can and should serve as a safe space for diverse minds and bodies。 Also， the diary's organization by seasons works as a great tool for This is the kind of book I've always dreamed of recommending to young readers with a penchant for the outdoors; an informative yet personal （and relatable！） account of a life lived for nature that had alluded me until Dara came along。 Not only does he highlight his local ecology， conservation efforts and environmental activism， but he shows how the natural world can and should serve as a safe space for diverse minds and bodies。 Also， the diary's organization by seasons works as a great tool for segmenting the the book into lesson plans if you're reading it in an academic setting。 。。。more

Daragh O'Reilly ，

A powerful manifesto from a unique， young voice。

Rowena ，

Beautifully written， brilliant escape

Anse Kinnaer ，

Ongelooflijk dat McAnulty maar 14 was toen hij dit schreef。 Hoedje af！

Elaine Stockdale ，

Both uplifting and humbling。

Lucy ，

Loved it！ A book that has made me see the natural world differently。 I will take more time to notice the natural world every day - and realise the power that exists in this。I loved following Dara through the year， hearing his insights and thoughts。

Evelyn Evertsen-Romp ，

Wat een schitterende schrijfstijl heeft Data McAnulty， als hij vertelt over de natuur， voel je de magie en de noodzaak om goed voor onze wereld te zorgen。

Connor Davies ，

Excellent， just truly excellent。 An incredibly passionate， poetic view of nature and how Dara navigates his relationship with nature and the world at large。 Just completely beautiful and written in such a heartfelt way that you can feel Dara's passion leaping out of the pages。 Would recommend to anybody。 Remarkable。 Excellent， just truly excellent。 An incredibly passionate， poetic view of nature and how Dara navigates his relationship with nature and the world at large。 Just completely beautiful and written in such a heartfelt way that you can feel Dara's passion leaping out of the pages。 Would recommend to anybody。 Remarkable。 。。。more

Shelley Gibbs ，

As someone who seeks solace and comfort in nature， finding wonder in the flora and fauna around me， I found a kindred spirit in Dara McAnulty。 I loved this book a whole lot。 It’s beautifully written and passionate， both in terms of the elegant descriptions of the landscapes and creatures of Northern Ireland， as well as the hope that others will be encouraged to connect to， and be motivated to preserve， the natural world and all the species that inhabit it。 McAnulty also powerfully communicates h As someone who seeks solace and comfort in nature， finding wonder in the flora and fauna around me， I found a kindred spirit in Dara McAnulty。 I loved this book a whole lot。 It’s beautifully written and passionate， both in terms of the elegant descriptions of the landscapes and creatures of Northern Ireland， as well as the hope that others will be encouraged to connect to， and be motivated to preserve， the natural world and all the species that inhabit it。 McAnulty also powerfully communicates how exhausting and challenging it is to suppress parts of your whole self in order to fit in。 While he doesn’t pull any punches about how dire our situation is with respect to climate change， this is ultimately hopeful and inspiring。 There’s value in the big （civil disobedience） and in the small （creating and enjoying the wild spaces all around us）。 “As nature is pushed to the fringes of our built-up world， it’s the small pockets of wild resistance that can help。” 。。。more

martin smith ，

Beautifully written and an interesting insight into the experiences and thought processes of someone with autism。 His passion for and understanding of nature， was truly enlightening。

Deborah ，

A year of discovery of the wildlife of Northern Ireland

Sarah Flynn ，

This was a book club read and would not have been a book I normally would have picked up myself。 However the beautiful descriptive writing kept me reading despite it being a non fiction book， and the deep connection the author has with the natural world， and his passion for it were extremely vividly portrayed。

Denyce ，

I remember seeing this book in hardcover for the first time and was engaged by the bright yellow cover and font， seemingly full of cheer， I was glad to have had the opportunity to read it on NetGalley and curious as to whether the content was going to reflect the inviting dust jacket。The book written by Dara McAnulty won the Wainwright prize for nature writing when he was just sixteen。 It was quite an achievement。 and his love and interest in the natural world shines through on every page。 Being I remember seeing this book in hardcover for the first time and was engaged by the bright yellow cover and font， seemingly full of cheer， I was glad to have had the opportunity to read it on NetGalley and curious as to whether the content was going to reflect the inviting dust jacket。The book written by Dara McAnulty won the Wainwright prize for nature writing when he was just sixteen。 It was quite an achievement。 and his love and interest in the natural world shines through on every page。 Being autistic and having been tormented and bullied at school， nature provides him with comfort and solace。 He doesn't dwell on being bullied， however， merely mentions it and focusses on what inspires and delights him。His knowledge of the natural world is extraordinary。 He's also an activist， and is involved with many projects which is incredibly inspiring。 His family is also extraordinary。。。his sister is also autistic， and his parents have done a remarkable job of encouraging their children to explore - with parents like Dara has， anything could be possible！Anyone with an interest in nature would appreciate this book for many reasons。 Having read through a year of Dara's life， I was humbled and inspired by him。 A remarkable young man， and a wonderful book。WIth thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Chris Malecek ，

Lyrically beautiful nature writing paired with keen insights into what it is like to experience the world when you are "on the spectrum。" Wonderful portrait of the artist and his family。 Lyrically beautiful nature writing paired with keen insights into what it is like to experience the world when you are "on the spectrum。" Wonderful portrait of the artist and his family。 。。。more

Micheal ，

Insightful

Jayne Gardner ，

Excellent book。 Piqued my interest into the wildlife and mountains of Northern Ireland。 Also an insight into the mind of someone who has autism

Nuvneet ，

A gorgeous read。。。。。。。Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty， winner of Wainwright Prize 2020， is an excellent and a delightful read。 It is in the form of diary entries by Dara McAnulty a young， promising and talented new voice in the field of nature writing。 This book is about being autistic in a cold and inhuman world that has no regard or love for fellow humans and the nature around them。 It exudes Dara’s love for nature and feeling of safety he has when he is with plants， animals， bird A gorgeous read。。。。。。。Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty， winner of Wainwright Prize 2020， is an excellent and a delightful read。 It is in the form of diary entries by Dara McAnulty a young， promising and talented new voice in the field of nature writing。 This book is about being autistic in a cold and inhuman world that has no regard or love for fellow humans and the nature around them。 It exudes Dara’s love for nature and feeling of safety he has when he is with plants， animals， birds and his family。 His experiences with school， bullying， chaos， noise and ever increasing construction in the name of development are very beautifully described。 His entries also give a glimpse into the importance of nature in Irish mythology。 I wish that instead of focusing on numbers and mindless competition， we would develop love for nature and fellow humans in our children and teach them to live with diversity and in harmony with their natural surroundings。 。。。more

Jonny R ，

I didn't manage to finish this book and stopped at about 2/3rds way in。 It's a fairly short book at about 220 pages and I breezed through the first 50 pages in one sitting but I found it less engaging as I read more and got more and more bogged down in it and realised I wasn't really enjoying it and was constantly looking at how far I'd got before deciding to pick up a new book。。。 I still feel like I might come back to it and finish it but we'll see。I think my main issue is it's a nonfiction dia I didn't manage to finish this book and stopped at about 2/3rds way in。 It's a fairly short book at about 220 pages and I breezed through the first 50 pages in one sitting but I found it less engaging as I read more and got more and more bogged down in it and realised I wasn't really enjoying it and was constantly looking at how far I'd got before deciding to pick up a new book。。。 I still feel like I might come back to it and finish it but we'll see。I think my main issue is it's a nonfiction diary and so it becomes quite repetitive and there is no overall story arc。 Also it's written by a teenage boy， he's very eloquent and well educated and enthusiastic but he's still a teenage boy and yet to stand on his own two feet or make his way in the world。 The writing mostly follows him and his family making a series of trips to bits of the great outdoors and his interest in wildlife and in particular birds。 The descriptions are lush and vivid and I found myself able to picture many of the places。I briefly lived in Ireland in Mayo a couple of years ago and he is just the other side of the border in Enniskillen （to start with）。。。 For me it was a very intense， but also lonely time and my partner found it extremely hard - we'd gone from living in Leeds city centre， she gave up her career to move out there and didn't manage to find work and was extremely lonely and struggled to cope with all the free time。 I on the other hand was too busy - working （remotely） 4 days a week， trying to set up a smallholding， fixing the old cottage we'd bought and trying to help Fran get through a very serious depression。 Because Fran was struggling so much we spent a lot of time visiting various places and trying to get out and about， we also got our wonderful dog Chico as a rescue from Ballina and were learning how to raise him and toilet training him etc！！ Like I say intense but also lonely！ We left after just 9 months but I have more memories of days out exploring there than I do from the last 18 months back in England （probably in large part covid related）。That's a big round about way of saying that Dara managed to capture my experience of the Irish countryside （even though we hadn't visited the same places） - it's often very private， things that are tourist attractions are often deserted and you can frequently go out and not see another person but certain other places will be much more lively （for me I'm thinking of the forest park near Boyle whose name escapes me right now）。 There's a lot of beauty there but also access is a lot more restricted than it is in the UK （although not sure what NI is like on that front as I've not been）。 It's also often more wild - the bog where we lived was beautiful and very diverse， I've never seen anything like it in the UK as the moorland here tends to be grazed by sheep and managed by burning。 I'm not a twitcher but I am interested in the natural world and I saw birds in Ireland I've never come across before - the bog had snipe （which make the strangest noise when they're displaying - I didn't even realise it was a bird when I first heard it！） and lots of bats。I think maybe that was part of the problem - maybe he was slightly preaching to the Choir with me - I already love and revere the natural world （although more interested in plants than birds） and am fully on board with environmentalism/stopping climate change （although not a political activist myself I'm trying to work the land and produce food without using fossil fuels）。 I also had a tough time being bullied as a teenager， that's really hard and it can take a long time to get over， it's great that he's got a close and very loving family though。。。 I think more stories about them would have been interesting as we didn't really get to know them as characters in the diary （which is perhaps in the nature of diaries - they tend to be quite self centered）。 It made me think of the excellent Corfu trilogy by Gerald Durrell， which has similarly beautiful prose about nature but which I found a little boring in places too。。。 However what really makes those books shine is the anecdotes about his extremely eccentric family。 With those books they were written years later and as a result they have a much larger amount of material to work with。The other book it brought to mind was "H is for hawk" which is an autobiographical book about a women who decides to get and train a goshawk after her father dies。 Its a book about nature and birds but it's also a soul bearing study of grief which was what made it really interesting for me。 Dara mentions negative emotions and experiences but doesn't really explore them deeply。。。 I can totally understand why that is tbh - it must be a very hard thing to put in print - I don't think I'd do it！ And also it can be hard to write about other people while everything is recent - somehow as time passes it becomes more acceptable。 I suppose also the hawk book was probably almost a eulogy to the author's dad in a way so it wasn't blaming anyone else， whereas it would be harder to eg explore bullying without doing that。For me it was interesting to read the work of someone autistic， I'm not sure how common Dara's experience is but it sounds like a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs。 I can certainly sympathise with him as I felt depressed and sometimes suicidal for much of my teenager years and also suffered a lot of social anxiety， which isn't quite the same as autism but isn't a million miles away。 Being a teenager is rough， I hope he gets through it alright :） So I suppose I wanted to like this book， have a lot of respect for the author and what he's into but ultimately didn't find it that engaging - I think maybe mostly because of the diary format and on a related note because there wasn't another narrative thread that tied the experiences together more （like in the other books mentioned）。I think with some more life experience to draw from there could be excellent work from him in the future and I'm glad so many other people seemed to have got so much from the book。 。。。more

Kate ，

"Mum used to call me lon dubh （which is Irish for blackbird） when I was a baby， and sometimes she still does。 I have the heart of a naturalist， the head of a would-be scientists， and bones of someone who is already worried by the apathy and destruction wielded against the natural world。"~pg。7•🌿Thoughts ~What an interesting and important book this is！ Its no wonder it's already a prize winner！Diary of a Young Naturalist is a wonderfully poetic collection of diary entries through the seasons in No "Mum used to call me lon dubh （which is Irish for blackbird） when I was a baby， and sometimes she still does。 I have the heart of a naturalist， the head of a would-be scientists， and bones of someone who is already worried by the apathy and destruction wielded against the natural world。"~pg。7•🌿Thoughts ~What an interesting and important book this is！ Its no wonder it's already a prize winner！Diary of a Young Naturalist is a wonderfully poetic collection of diary entries through the seasons in Northern Ireland told from the perspective of an autistic 15 year old as he navigates his school， home life and work as a conservationist and environmentalist。 I was blown away by McAnulty's gorgeous writing and keen eye and knowledge for detailing nature。 His and his families spirit and love of nature and all its animals was so refreshing！ His mother and siblings have autism as well， and their closeness as a family was very heartwarming。 Dara shares what its like living with autism， how it isolated him in many ways and the bullying and judgement that came with it too but in developing his love of nature it offered him solice and salvation and drove him into activism and conservation work。 He pulled me into his world and I am grateful。 This is a beautifully written book about a young person's first hand account of living with autism， offering insight and and hope for our future。 We need more youth as passionate about nature and our earth as Dara McAnulty！Thank you to @greystonebooks for sending me this book opinions are my own。 •For more of my book content check out instagram。com/bookalong 。。。more

Michael Layden ，

WOW！！ Much has been said in other reviews about this amazing book， so I won't dwell too much on eulogising the absolute beauty and rawness of the writing。 Instead this is a personal comment on my reading of the last few weeks and the strange synergy between three books。 I started with "Living mountain" by Nan Shepherd， which was the first book for a long while that really made me thirst for wild places。 I did not think I would read a book so soon that would top its raw wonder and observation of WOW！！ Much has been said in other reviews about this amazing book， so I won't dwell too much on eulogising the absolute beauty and rawness of the writing。 Instead this is a personal comment on my reading of the last few weeks and the strange synergy between three books。 I started with "Living mountain" by Nan Shepherd， which was the first book for a long while that really made me thirst for wild places。 I did not think I would read a book so soon that would top its raw wonder and observation of nature， but Dara's book flowed along the same sparkling brook into magical places。 Then I read "Kindred" by Rebecca Wragg Sykes about what the current thinking about Neanderthals is。 the book showed them to be a much more complex and fascinating species。 One of the clues to their sense of wonderment were hints of bird wings at their sites。 Dara， talks often of his kindred， other people who are fascinated by wildlife and who he feels comfortable with。 Being Autistic it is not easy for him or his family to fathom the brutality of Homo sapiens stomping around their wonder filled world。It is hard not to see Dara and his remarkable family as some sort of new branch of our homind family which has evolved to live in a dying world and help heal it。 People who can feel the deep pain and make sense of it， that normal consumers completely miss as they pillage and live mere existences of independent bleakness。He and his siblings have ecstatic hugs， dances and other explosions of activity when they meet wonder。 He feels the deep connection to the past when visiting and delights in the beauty of our native language。 The family measure trees in hugs and delights in the sensation of contact with the earth。 Neanderthal like， the shear wonder of birds wings and feathers leave traces of a bottomless sense of loss several times in the book。 Blanid's joy over finding a jays feather and despair over losing it a moment later， a thread joining us no doubt over 100，000s of years to our neanderthal forebears。 What an absolute beautiful and remarkable family。 Thanks Dara for sharing your wonderment and its flip side the sense of despair brought on by venal stupidity of an immature arrogant species。 Hopefully you and your generation of eco healers will move us to a higher plain of evolution。 So that someday our descendants will look on exhibits of Homo Consumer only to remind them of the horror of the time before the new age of wonder and deep meaning。 。。。more

Zara ，

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest， independent review。Dara is an autistic teenager who is juggling schoolwork and fitting in at school。 But when not at school， he is a passionate activist and conservationist。His books have won four awards and counting， and I can see why。 He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his subject， is someone on a mission to change the world， and writes in an extremely poetic way， something you'd expect of an older， experienced adul I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest， independent review。Dara is an autistic teenager who is juggling schoolwork and fitting in at school。 But when not at school， he is a passionate activist and conservationist。His books have won four awards and counting， and I can see why。 He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his subject， is someone on a mission to change the world， and writes in an extremely poetic way， something you'd expect of an older， experienced adult， not a young teen still at school; he writes far beyond his years。 His way with words is just incredible！Inspirational and definitely something everyone should read so they can learn to appreciate the nature around them， and learn what needs to change。Well done， Dara！ Certainly someone to watch！ 。。。more

Kim ，

I read this book as it was recommended by a friend who knew that I was interested in bird watching， having worked with an autistic child whose interest was birds。 I learnt more from him than he ever did from me。 This book was so interesting， the amount of knowledge that this young man has about nature， puts people twice his age to shame。But for me， I feel people working in education and with autistic children should read this。 Dara describes his feelings and how things like excessive chatter， br I read this book as it was recommended by a friend who knew that I was interested in bird watching， having worked with an autistic child whose interest was birds。 I learnt more from him than he ever did from me。 This book was so interesting， the amount of knowledge that this young man has about nature， puts people twice his age to shame。But for me， I feel people working in education and with autistic children should read this。 Dara describes his feelings and how things like excessive chatter， bright lights etc can cause such extreme emotions in an autistic person。 He describes how others do not understand this， nor understand his interest in nature。 He describes how he is bullied for being different to them， for seeing beauty in a feather or a conker。 For me， the saddest phrase of all was when he said he realised that he hadn’t been bullied for a month！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Diary of a Young Naturalist

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Diary of a Young Naturalist&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Diary of a Young Naturalist&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0