Dara McAnulty receives British Empire Medal

The author, naturalist and conservationist Dara McAnulty has received the honour for his environmental work and his work with people with autism.

Author, naturalist and conservationist Dara McAnulty has received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his environmental work and his work with people with autism in King Charles's first New Year Honours list.

Macmillan Children's Books are very proud to publish Dara McAnulty, and to be home to his beautiful and inspiring children's books Wild Child and A Wild Child's Book of Birdswhich are illustrated by Barry Falls. Dara has worked tirelessly to enthuse young people and children in the natural world around them, firmly believing that once we all realise how wonderful our planet is we'll want to do all we can to protect it. We could not be more delighted that he has received this recognition. 

Dara and his books have received many awards and shortlistings. Wild Child was shortlisted for the 2022 Wainwright Prize in their new award for Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation and was selected as Indie Book of the Month (Booksellers Association). Dara was shortlisted in the 2022 Bookshop.org Indie Champions Award (children's category), for the Books are My Bag Readers Awards (Breakthrough Author category) with Wild Child and for The Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award. Previously with Diary of a Young Naturalist he won the Booksellers Association Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Non-fiction, the An Post Irish Book Awards Newcomer of the Year, the British Book Awards Narrative Non-fiction Book of the Year, and was the youngest ever winner of the Wainwright Prize.


Books by Dara McAnulty

Wild Child

by Dara McAnulty

Join brilliant young naturalist Dara McAnulty on a nature walk and experience the joy of connecting with the natural world on your multi sensory journey.

This beautiful gift book is divided into five sections: looking out of the window, venturing out into the garden, walking in the woods, investigating heathland and wandering on the river bank. Each introduces young readers to the habitat and fantastic facts about the native wildlife there, and also contains a discovery section which takes a closer look natural phenomenon such as metamorphoses and migration.

A Wild Child's Book of Birds

by Dara McAnulty

Book cover for A Wild Child's Book of Birds

This beautiful, informative book takes you through a year in the life of the birds you will find in Britain and Ireland and is divided into four sensational seasonal sections. Find out what birds do in each season, learn about birdsong, beaks, nests and eggs, the science of flight, migration, what to grow to attract different birds to your garden and what foods to put out on your bird table. Learn about different ways of recording what you see and about birds in literature. There are sections on birds of prey and corvids too.