Bird, Bee & Bug Houses

Susie Behar is a book editor and writer, with more than 25 years experience of editing children’s non-fiction and fiction. She lives in rural West Sussex, UK, surrounded by farmland, open countryside and lots of birds, bees and bugs. She has written books on a number of subjects, including mental health, well-being, the countryside and the natural world. Esther Coombs is the illustrator of the award-winning Kids Can series including Kids Can Cook Vegetarian, Kids Can Cook and Kids Can Bake, and three children's activity books, The New York Activity Book, The London Activity Book and Plant, Sow, Make & Grow (all published by Button Books). She is a professional illustrator probably best known for drawing buildings; however, she also works with domestic objects and more organic 'natural' subjects such as animals, plants and people. Recent clients include Hampshire Cultural Trust, Kyle Books UK, The Watts Gallery and commercial developers. Coombs lives in Canterbury, England.See more at esthercoombs.com.

Bird, Bee and Bug Houses is a beautifully crafted nature book, packed full of information, ideas and instructions on activities to help young readers learn about and create their own bird, bee and bug houses and contribute to supporting and conserving the natural habitats and environments of many species around us. Stunning, brightly coloured illustrations, drawings and diagrams are enchanting and engage the reader visually. They bring each species to life initially then focus in on detailing the 'how to...' sections of the book, helping the reader know how to build bee, bird and bat home and make mini ponds or meadows (the last activity being my personal favourite) Alongside clearly listed steps, displayed artistically on the pages, the book moves from a wide focus look at each species to a close up look at what we can do to create supporting environments for them; a sort of zoom out, zoom in narrative sequence, which works really well to engage the reader. The projects are all achievable (even the wooden built nests) and some require minimal planning ahead and use very common garden resources that could be scaled up or down, depending on the size of the outdoor area you have. Button books constantly produce modern looking non- fiction that creates curiosity and sparks the imagination of its young readers. This book has a gentle charm to it that complements the subject matter entirely.

• Introduction 6Homes and habitats 8Bird architects 10Make a bird box 12Awesome owls 16Owl homes 18Build a birdbath 20No-bake bird cake 22Beautiful butterflies 24Make a butterfly garden 26Fantastic bats 28Build a bat house 30Make a bee home 32Inside a hive 34Build a bug hotel 36Build a beetle tank 38Termite towers 40Fabulous frogs 42Make a mini pond 44Pond dipping 46Make a mini meadow 48Become a wildlife detective 50Glossary 52Useful conversion websites 54Acknowledgements 56