“McAnulty, 17, is fast becoming one of Britain and Ireland’s most acclaimed nature writers for work that is brimming with his passion as well as open about his autism . . . [Diary of a Young Naturalist is] uplifting.”

“For such a young author, McAnulty displays an astounding ability to capture and articulate his feelings and the nuances of the natural world, and his sincere compassion and lyrical prose captivate . . . A heartfelt, uplifting, hopeful memoir from a talented new voice in nature writing.”

“At once a lush and moving mediation and an electric clarion call to action, Diary of a Young Naturalist is a kaleidoscope of sensory delights. McAnulty’s year of observing barn owls, cowslips, bracket fungus, springtails, corncrakes, and the exquisite rendering of summer’s first blackberries (just to name a few)—make for a superbly rendered peek into a most extraordinary life. Each page vibrates with a hum of tenderness and bright possibilities for readers to take stock and joyful note of the world around them. This book will change your life if you let it. Go on, let it.”

“A combination of nature book and memoir, a warm portrait of a close-knit family and a coming-of-age story . . . Simple, gorgeous sentences unfurl, one after another.”

“In this stunning debut . . . McAnulty delivers a galvanizing love letter to nature . . . The author’s lush prose enchants as he chronicles a year of campaigning for climate justice and exploring the vastness of Northern Ireland’s outdoors . . . This should be required reading.”

“Dara McAnulty was just 14 years old when he began Diary of a Young Naturalist, one of 2021’s most notable nature-writing books . . . Its tender observations draw on a wealth of knowledge about various topics, including science, natural history, and Celtic mythology, while documenting McAnulty’s work as a burgeoning climate activist.”

“Dara McAnulty’s book fully transforms you into his life as a curious kid who is fascinated with the world around him. His beautifully written story reiterates our immense connection with nature and its need to protect it for future generations.”

“Intimate, sensitive, deeply felt . . . [McAnulty’s] prose is both spirited and spiritual, performing an intensive phenomenological survey of the wildlife around his home, bringing the reader into deep, occasionally uncomfortably close communion with the insects, plants and, above all, the birds of Northern Ireland. . . . The depth of his feeling illuminates every page of this miraculous memoir. It’s a book that succeeds in describing the deep and complex pleasure of immersion in nature.”

“If planet earth has any chance of surviving the depredations of global capitalism, it rests in the intensity and commitment of the younger generations, teenage climate activists like Greta Thunberg and Dara McAnulty . . . In Diary of a Young Naturalist McAnulty gets at some of the reasons why they’re able to maintain faith in the possibility of change as he records his life-giving daily connections to the natural world over the course of a year in Northern Ireland.”

“[McAnulty’s] lyrical descriptions of birds, insects, landscape, and seascapes are beyond his years, yet he also candidly relates the teenage angst of dealing with bullying and trying to find a place in the world.”

“A beautifully written, profoundly important classic of nature writing that will ignite a passion for the wild in every reader. A stunning achievement. I adored it.”