The Song That Sings Us

Product Information

Wild, powerful and passionate, The Song that Sings Us is an extraordinary weaving of fierce action and tender poetry, a heart-wrenching yet hopeful symphony of the threads that connect all life on Earth.’ – Sophie Anderson And of course, as the title portends, there’s a lot of beautiful singing, not least at the novel’s end. This arrives as a sort of choral epiphany with many of the books characters raising their voices in unison, underlining the sheer connectedness of things and, by dint of this, placing the reader very much at the heart of it all. This is a fantasy adventure story with a very strong environmental message. The three children each have very distinct personalities and story lines which all combine at the end for the climax of the story. The novel is fast paced with lots of action as the siblings get involved with the different forces in opposition to the Automators. There is quite a lot of violence as the Automators are ruthless and don’t care who or what they destroy although this is not too graphic. I liked the different points of view throughout the story and the way the animals are given importance including a ship being captained by a tiger. Nicola Davies portrays the world of Rumyc vividly and it is easy to picture the oceans and landscapes where the story takes place.

Much of this is facilitated by the fact that special beings, known as Listeners can communicate with the natural world and so commune with creatures such as snow terns which ‘fly between the ends of the world, from here, around the White Sea, to Diwedd Pawb, right at the bottom of the world.’ The book is an amazing adventure story, fast paced and lyrical, filled with hope. I am working on the cover for the next book set in the same world. Skrimsli. If you’ve read Song you will have met and probably fallen in love with Skrimsli, and this second book in the series by Nicola is just as powerful as the first. She pulls no punches, weaves your heart around characters, takes them deep into danger and, well…. you will need to read it to find more. These are, like Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, books for any age, and our times. I will refrain from talking about the animals that you meet throughout the story, as I think it is better to experience them blind, allowing your feelings for them to develop naturally, like the children’s do. Don’t go into this thinking that they will be minor or throwaway however; they are just important as the humans! The ending was a little confusing but I think that was intentional- it’s meant to feel mystical and wondrous.

Published

The Automators have come, just like Ma always knew they would, and they don’t plan on taking any prisoners. Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book." I'm looking for a song from the early 2000s to maybe 2019 by a female artist. I have it on an old MP3 player from various CDs. I can't find the CD (moved/traveled since then!) and the name is listed as 'Take it and Run'. Harlon is aware of the quiet before they fall. She has time to see the moon setting behind the mountains, the shapes of her brother and sister against the indigo sky, against the dull pearl of the snow. Heartfelt meditation about living alongside grief’: A Shelter for Sadness by Anne Booth and David Litchfield. Illustration: David Litchfield

In a thrilling and dangerous adventure they must all journey alone through the ice fields, forests and oceans of Rumyc to try to rescue each other and fulfil a mysterious promise about a lost island made to their mother. The delineation between humans and animals is blurred and there are some interesting ideas around bionetworks and the interconnectivity of species. But this is not just a book for ecowarriors. Anyone who enjoys a really good adventure thriller will love it – and readers may never feel quite the same way about elephants ever again.

Genre

Ok, I know most of the lyrics, I even know the ablum. What I don't know is the artist that did it. I am really hoping someone out there knows the songs on the cassette (yeah, it's from the late 80's to early 90's)

Nicola will be reading from her latest book, Choose Love. We have films to show and much to talk about. Five years ago The Lost Words was awarded Hay Festival Book of the Year. Much has happened since then. Come along, celebrate with us. You don’t have to be a crossword nut to see the various ways in which Wales appears in this book, written by a former presenter of ‘The Really Wild Show’ who now lives in Pembrokeshire. There’s a city called Fidrac, found somehwre near Porthmadog and a ghostly woman called the Boogam. There’s even a map of a country which bears more than a passing resemblance to Wales, albeit a version which shows how the edge of the ice seems to be in line with somewhere near Holyhead, and to the north of that extends the White Sea, where snow bears roam and mammoths mingle. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12...Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... I will say that it’s not a gentle book. The bad guys are bad, and their actions are grim. The Automators are greed and capitalism cranked up to eleven, or perhaps just more openly so. Not everyone makes it through the story, and when we do lose characters, it is swift and brutal – there are no long, drawn out descriptions, just simple facts that contrast with the empathy we have developed for them. The cavalier approach the Automators have to life echoes how easily living beings, especially animals, can be poorly treated in our own world. A very special book. Inspiring, important and innovative – full of action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Nicola Davies is a magnificent writer and this is a tour-de-force. It’s for fans of Mortal Engines as much as it is for those who love Watership Down’. – Simon Fisher Following the start of her writing career, Nicola became a senior lecturer in creative writing, at Bath Spa University but has been writing full time for over a decade. She now regularly runs workshops for children and adults to help them find their voices as writers and advocates for nature. In 2017, she was the first recipient of the SLA’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Non-fiction and in 2018 had four picture books longlisted for the Greenaway Award. The Song That Sings Us’ is the gorgeous novel written by the extraordinary Nicola Davies. It sings the deep and moving story of Harlon, who is set on a journey to protect her brother and sister from the nature hating tyrants known as the Automators. You might be thinking that this is a story about those who plunder nature, and yes, it does tell of these people, but I think that this story is more about the idea of hope, and how there is a great magic in nature. I believe that magic is truly what this book is about. It has an element of fantasy, through the gift of being a ‘listener’, where you are able to hear an animal’s thoughts, sense their feelings. I do not believe that that is where the magic ends, though. For there is hidden magic within the confinements of the book. I believe that that magic comes through a message, a message to protect nature, for it is of greatest importance. However, it also says that after all we have done it is not too late to save our beautiful world, as long as we all come together and show nature just how much we love it.

Forests full of signs also abounded in Amy Raphael’s debut novel, The Forest of Moon and Sword (Orion/Hachette), in which a resourceful young girl, Art, sets out to save her medicine woman mother, accused of witchcraft.

Synopsis

We lost ourselves forever seekingSearching pole to poleWhile the neelde and the threadStitches us whole Then there’s the ability to communicate with animals known as Siardw, just a vowel away from siarad, to speak. Then there more overt appearance of the language, such as the mighty Rhinoceros known as Cryf and other animals called Tarth and Blewog.