In CS Lewis’s Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lucy reads out a spell for revealing hidden things. Inspired by this idea, nature writer Simon Barnes offers 23 “spells” for making nature visible, from “Magic Trousers” (waterproofs) and “the Snake-Charming Spell” to “How to turn into a swan” (by canoeing). Each chapter sets out new techniques and equipment to open our eyes to the mammals, birds, butterflies and reptiles living largely unnoticed all around us. These spells also reawaken primeval parts of our consciousness, long dormant in our urban lives: “We are hunter-gatherers in suits and dresses and jeans and T-shirts.”
With practical tips on how to identify animal traces such as otter slides and badgers’ snuffle-pits, and how to find an elephant hawk moth the size of your palm, Barnes describes the wonders of nature with an infectious enthusiasm. How many people get up to hear the dawn chorus? It is “the single biggest wildlife miracle that we have in Britain”. Puffins, eagles, dolphins – Barnes has suggestions for finding all these “magical beasts”. By making space in our lives for nature, “you do something to your brain”. And according to Barnes, “the wilder you are, the more amazing life is”.
• Rewild Yourself, illustrated by Cindy Lee Wright, is published by Simon & Schuster (RRP £8.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
