Description

WINNER OF THE PEOPLE’S BOOK PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION AND LONGLISTED FOR THE JAMES CROPPER WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION.

‘Enchanting… a joy to read.’ JOANNA LUMLEY
‘Vibrant and vital.’ CHRIS PACKHAM
‘Forget Me Not is a tonic.’ TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
‘Remarkable.’ NELL FRIZZELL
‘A fierce, passionate stand for the wild.’ MEGAN MCCUBBIN
‘Funny, full of interest and often poignant.’ ISABELLA TREE
‘Beautiful. Rare. Profound. Hopeful.’ CHARLOTTE PHILBY
‘Passionate, pragmatic and seriously funny.’ GILLIAN BURKE
‘Wonderfully refreshing.’ BENEDICT MACDONALD

Join Sophie Pavelle on a low-carbon journey around Britain in search of ten animals and habitats threatened by climate change in the 21st century.

Forget-me-not – a beautiful flower and a plea from our islands’ wildlife. When climate change has driven dozens of our most charismatic species to extinction, will they be forgotten?

Like many of her generation, Sophie Pavelle is determined to demand action on climate change. In her hilarious and thought-provoking first book, she describes the trips she took to see ten rare native species: species that could disappear by 2050 and be forgotten by the end of the century if their habitats continue to decline.

Sophie challenged herself to find them the low-carbon way, travelling the length of Britain on foot, by bicycle, in an electric car, by kayak, on ferries and in a lot of trains. From Bodmin Moor to the Orkney Islands, Sophie encountered species on the frontline of climate change in Britain. Which are going to be seriously affected, and why? Could some bounce back from the brink? Or are we too late to save them?

Forget Me Not is a clarion call: we all need to play a part in tackling this most existential of threats. Everyone can see wildlife in the British Isles without contributing to its destruction. With joyful irreverence, Sophie shows us we can dare to hope. Journey with her, and she may even inspire you to take action for nature and head out on your own low-carbon adventure.

Publisher Review

This enchanting book could not be more timely: it brings much to inspire our future thinking, and is a joy to read. * Joanna Lumley * Vibrant and vital. The trials of ten treasured species that we can’t afford to fail. A biological romp with a real mission. — Chris Packham * broadcaster and author of Fingers in the Sparkle Jar * This engaging romp in search of our most endangered species is a timely reminder of the magic we have in nature and what we are set to lose if we don’t wake up. Funny, full of interest and often poignant, travelling with Sophie Pavelle is a journey to remember. * Isabella Tree, author of Wilding * A fierce, passionate stand for the wild. * Megan McCubbin, zoologist, conservationist and broadcaster * Forget Me Not sings and rings with a distinctive combination of passion, humour and energy; Sophie Pavelle’s low-carbon journey round the overlooked, undersung species of our island group makes a heartfelt plea for the need to conserve, restore and replenish the wildlife we have left. — Robert Macfarlane * author of Underland * If the canon of British nature writing has a reputation for being male and overly earnest, then Sophie Pavelle’s Forget Me Not is a one-book rebalancing act. — India Bourke * New Statesman * This is such a beautiful book. Full of humour, adventure, poignancy. It will make you value the country around you and even hungrier to protect it. Remarkable. — Nell Frizzell * journalist and author of The Panic Years * Forget Me Not is a tonic… Pavelle’s writing is a delight, full of extended sartorial or food-related metaphors, puns and cheeky humour. — Rebecca Foster * Times Literary Supplement * The prose is as lyrical as it is sassy, as insightful as it is impassioned. — Amy-Jane Beer * Guardian Book of the Day * A clarion call for us all to do something to make a difference. — Ceri Levy * Caught by the River * Urgent and challenging, but also fun and beautifully written, Sophie documents her low-carbon journeys exposing the reality of climate change in Britain. — Simon Reeve * broadcast journalist, adventurer and author of Step by Step * Beautiful. Rare. Profound. Hopeful. — Charlotte Philby * author of A Double Life * Finding wonder in the familiar and celebrating the unknown in the everyday, this is a beautiful book – and so perfectly told. — Professor Ben Garrod * author, broadcaster, biologist * Sophie Pavelle writes with the urgency and voice of a generation. Her commitment is matched with a fierce knowledge of conservation biology and policymaking, whose murky corridors are expertly navigated. Passionate, pragmatic and seriously funny. — Gillian Burke * biologist, presenter and writer * From rare butterflies to bats and bumblebees, Sophie takes us on a breathless but strangely relaxing whistle-stop tour of Britain in search of some of our less familiar, fragile and fascinating wildlife. Charming, witty and moving. — Professor Dave Goulson * Professor of Biology and author of A Sting in the Tale * Pavelle is the best kind of science writer – who makes you feel almost as smart as she is, priming and signposting in such a way that you grasp the punchline in the moment before she delivers it. Make no mistake, this is serious stuff, requiring serious communication. But she balances love and irreverence, data and ditz. I loved the breezy humour, the sass and savviness. — Dr Amy-Jane Beer * naturalist, writer, campaigner and Guardian Country Diarist * A wonderfully refreshing look at the vanishing species around us, what they mean and why they matter. — Benedict Macdonald * naturalist, wildlife TV producer and author of Rebirding * Forget Me Not is that enchanting book that makes you want to put on your hiking boots and big coat, get outdoors and immerse yourself in nature. Sophie’s writing is funny and accessible whilst being a call to arms for us to protect Britain’s most vulnerable species. Perfect for old hats and newbies to wildlife. Highly recommended. — Dr Amir Khan * NHS doctor, broadcaster, author and Vice President of The Wildlife Trusts * Sophie has a warm tone of voice in this enjoyable and accessible read. * BBC Wildlife magazine * Pavelle has a lively mind and sense of humour … [she] explains the science well and has done a serious amount of research. — Simon Lester * Country Life magazine * Here is a vibrant and vital voice from the millennial generation that is fighting climate change and its devastating effect on the world around us. — Ceri Levy * Caught by the River * Like the captured sunshine she describes persisting in a seagrass meadow even on a cloudy day, she [Pavelle] has captured a different kind of light here, that of youth and love and hope. — Dr Amy-Jane Beer * Guardian Book of the Day * Pavelle pulls no punches, giving the facts as they are, but weaving them together with a poetic touch and some light-hearted relief. It felt counterintuitive to be chuckling out loud while reading a book about such a bleak topic, but that is the beauty of Forget Me Not. — Jeni Bell * British Wildlife * A lively introduction to the nature crisis in the British Isles. * New Statesman * Her style is lively, casual and autobiographical, and her book would suit young people new to nature writing and keen to learn more about the biodiversity on our doorstep. — Katie Burton * Geographical * This is perfection. — Ben Goldsmith * environmentalist * Gritty, amusing and wonderfully educational, a truly inspiring account of species at the forefront of climate change in Britain. — Jake Fiennes * author of Land Healer * A journey well worth joining. — David Brown * Best of Britain * Sophie Pavelle’s book properly stands out in the increasingly crowded nature writing field. She writes powerfully about vital issues, in a totally fresh, funny and accessible way that is distinctively her own. Loved it. — Lee Schofield * author of Wild Fell * An absolute triumph in science communication. — Leif Bersweden * author of The Orchid Hunter and Where the Wildflowers Grow * Passionate and thought-provoking. — Mark Whitley * Countryman * It’s full of wonder and joy. And crucially, it’s written in the voice of a friend […] while there’s wit and warmth flowing through each chapter, the message never stops being urgent. * Country Walking * Pavelle’s weapons in the face of these difficult truths are positivity and action. — Katie Burton * Geographical * This is a very thought-provoking read and hopefully will inspire us to do something about it [climate change] to prevent future losses. — John Miles * Bird Watching * …amusing and thought-provoking. — Kim Smith * Bury and West Suffolk magazine * A book about climate change with deep adoration for the natural world at its heart. — Francesca Donovan * The Great Outdoors * Low-carbon wandering propels Sophie Pavelle’s jauntier tour of climate-change Britain in Forget Me Not. * Country & Town House * …refreshingly new voice. — Stephen Moss At the heart of Sophie’s book is a fierce and merlin-like love of all that is wild. — Nick Acheson * author of The Meaning of Geese * This book aims to challenge and it succeeds with a quiet and constant hum of urgency. — Mannie Coe * author of brother.do.you.love.me * Before reading Forgot Me Not, I hadn’t thought it possible to write a book about the effect of climate change on different species that is buoyant, funny and hopeful – yet Sophie Pavelle has pulled it off superbly. This book is wonderful. — Claire Ratinon * author of Unearthed * Engaging, compelling and more important than ever. — Sarah Langford * author of In Your Defence and Rooted * Packed with facts from the experts she meets on her travels, we learn a lot about the underdog species that have missed our attention … This is Sophie’s first release, and like the species she discovers, it’s not to be forgotten. * Rewilding Britain * A remarkable and fascinating book that manages to convey a wealth of facts about the daunting future of these species… with humour and lightness of touch. — Tom Tivnan * The Bookseller * Seldom have I learned so much, while laughing out loud. A joyous but quietly angry book about the beauty of Britain’s wildlife, how we have failed it, how to save it, and how accessible it is by public transport. At the end I felt determined to see our most threatened species protected. — Louise Gray * author of Avocado Anxiety * A unique, brilliant and beautiful new way of writing and celebrating the good stuff, whilst reminding us of the precarity of it all […] Forget Me Not is fresh and funny, sharp and poignant; stop scrolling and read this book! — Nicola Chester * author of On Gallows Down * A lovely journey into our wildest places with the inspiring message: conservation works and we should let it. — Charles Clover * journalist, conservationist and author of Rewilding the Sea * A lightness of touch, given to a serious subject: that’s what makes this British journey urgent reading, for young and old. I loved this book – a moving story about what we’re losing, introduced to me by my son, who urged me to read it. * journalist and author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia * A beautiful, immersive read. — Clover Stroud * author of The Red of my Blood * Pavelle’s wit makes the book a joy to read. — Sam Taylor * The Times * If getting people to listen is key to highlighting today’s conservation issues, then [Pavelle], with her ability to communicate so passionately and knowledgeably, is unlocking all the doors. — Jeni Bell * British Wildlife *