Conservation for Kids: Jenny Bailey and Phoebe the Bee Discuss Conservation for Kids.

Sir David Attenborough said to us that the Garden of Eden was no more, and I listened to that and I just thought, whoa, you know, not that it was in decline, not that it was deteriorating, not that it's hanging on. Beautiful letter from him just saying, you know, thank you for all you're doing, and I just think that is so precious.

Hello and welcome to Rethink What Matters. The podcast dedicated to aligning the economy with the ecology and everyone for improved business performance, stronger families, and a greener, cooler planet. And today I'm joined by Jenny Bailey, co-founder and author at Tales from Mother Earth.

Hello, Paul. Lovely to be here. Thank you.

Great, great. So, so, um, yeah, so the Rethink What Matters podcasts are all about aligning the economy with the ecology, with everybody, so that we can create more profitable businesses, create stronger families, and a greener planet. So, um, you know, I think that family decline is probably one of those much overlooked global challenges at the heart of all of our woes. So I was really drawn to your books, Jenny, that connect the the planet, conservation, children, and family. You know, so we're collecting climate challenges, biodiversity loss with families and children, which is just fantastic and is really sort of dead center to what these podcasts are all about. And the other part of this I really like is I've recently spoken with Gary Grant and Dusty Gedge, who I know you know, and they're all about green roofs and biodiversity and greening the urban landscape, you know, improving urban biodiversity. And this is just fantastic because actually this, you know, our podcast today really sort of closes that circle, if you like.

There's a lot to cover there, isn't there, really?

There is, it's huge. Yeah, so really looking forward to this podcast. Well, should we just start with what was your journey to, you know, that led you to writing these books?

It was kind of what you've been saying, really. I The idea kind of sprang forth in 2019 whilst I was talking to a colleague. I don't know if you remember 2019, but unfortunately it's quite similar to what's happening and occurring now across the world. The wildfires are out of control again. America is looking decidedly bad in that respect on the East Coast. Australia is now looking bad again with the central wildfires that they've got there. Added to that David Attenborough, Sir David Attenborough, said to us that the Garden of Eden was no more. And I listened to that and I just thought, whoa, you know, not that it was in decline, not that it was deteriorating, not that it's hanging on, but Paul, the fact that it was no more. Coupled with all of that, two other things really. There was a big report that came out about the pollinators across the world being in major decline. And also I think overriding all of this, Paul, is the fact that I'm a parent. Um, and Being a parent, you look at your children and you think about their generation. You think about what world they're going to be coming into, what world they're going to be looking after. Um, you can call it the blue planet effect if you like. I've spoken to other people in the industry and they say the same. Lots of businesses and ventures started around that time because it was almost like people received a calling. It was like, we need to do something. We need to rise up. We need to do something that can make ourselves feel better. And I think by the very action of me doing something, I felt better. And I thought, if I can encapsulate that into our storybooks and give children that element of empowerment, you know, through a story that's touched their hearts, then I've done something really worthwhile. And so I wrote to David Attenborough to tell him what we'd actually achieved and the plan that we had in place after Phoebe the Bee was published. And he actually wrote back to me saying thank you, because, well, that just blew me away, actually.

That's amazing.

Yeah, thank me. And I can't get— still can't quite get my head around that at all. But I wanted him to know from my heart, really, what— because I'd heard his call, I wanted him to know I was doing something. Yeah, I wasn't just sitting there doing nothing. Yes, it's really important to me that he knew that I what we were planning and what we were doing. And so I told him in the letter about some of our other characters, for instance, that weren't even published at that time, but I told him about the idea. And yes, he came back and he was— it was a beautiful letter from him just saying, you know, thank you for all you're doing. And I just think that is so precious. I'll never show anybody the letter in the respect of putting it out there in social media or anything like that because it means so much to me.

Yes.

But every now and then I do inform people that yes, I've received a letter from him and how special it was.

And it must mean a lot to him, you know, he goes on TV and he doesn't want people just to, you know, be watching it drinking a cup of tea. He wants people to do stuff like you said, so that must mean a lot to him too.

So for those reasons, yes, we started Tales from Other Ends.

Brilliant, fantastic. So let's talk now about this series of books, Tales from the Countryside.

Yes, Tales from the Countryside is the series of Tales from Mother Earth. And in Tales from the Countryside, I wrote— I have written 7 stories so far, and there's loads more. Let's face it, there's loads of animals that need our help right now. And the whole element, I think, of our stories is the fact that if you can write a story that touches a child's heart and they connect with the, the aspects within the story and they want to help that animal, if they— if you then provide provide the information of how you can help that animal, you're going to be doing something great because that child's going to not only connect with nature, but they're going to connect with the animal in the real world as they've got the steps to actually help it. And I think that's really important. And by the very nature of me getting engaged and writing these books and forging this whole venture, it made me feel better. It made— it allowed me to look my children in the eyes and go, I'm doing all I can.

What age range are these books targeted at?

Well, they're for really a 3-year-old through to a 10-year-old.

Okay.

Yes, because what we've done is, because they're audio picture storybooks, we've included just a simple story really in the content of the book, and then at the back of the book we've got the most important element I think in the book, which is the conservation message of what you need to do to look after that animal.

I see.

Then we've got a colouring-in picture and a fun facts page that children just literally love, and they consume all those facts and they can share those with their friends. And then we've got a puzzle, like a crossword puzzle, at the end of the book. And I kind of think that once a child's gone from like a 3-year-old through to a 10-year-old and this book has been with them on that journey of discovery and their understanding has grown and their development has grown along those years, then once they've got to the puzzle and they can complete the puzzle, then they've got the essence of the book.

They've got everything they need. It's a real education tool for parents and for teachers then to use in helping to get this message across rather than just a nighttime story.

It really is an education tool. Yes. Well, also on the audio element, you've got the full narrated story by Mother Earth. Mother Earth's narrating the whole story. Story to the children.

Okay.

And you've got the read-along version as well, so the little ones can actually learn to read with our storybooks. So it's not just something to look at and absorb, it's something to engage with. And that's right, that's what I thought was really important from the start as well.

Yeah. So have you had to collaborate with others then to sort of get everything fact-checked and, uh, you know, with the i's dotted and the t's crossed?

Yes, all our books are fact-checked. Yeah, absolutely. Because I, I I couldn't put any information out there that wasn't correct in terms of the conservation message or anything. No, you've got creative license, I think, when you're writing a story a little bit, but no, I make sure that everything is correct. Absolutely. We had a great beekeeper in Kent called Mr. Bumble. Check out Phoebe the Bee. And we had Spike the Hedgehog was checked out by Hugh Warwick.

Is Mr. Bumble Sorry, is Mr. Bumble really called Mr. Bumble? Well, he is actually.

Yeah, to your point, it's really important to get every book and all the words checked to make sure what we're saying is correct, to make sure the information we're portraying and we've got in the book is correct as well. Very much so. But going back to the audio, you've got those two elements. You've got the full narrated story and and the read-along. And then you've also got our own music as well. So you've got the animals' theme music that will back the story, and then we've also added a piece of music called Mother Earth's Theme, where I asked our brilliant composer Chris to write a piece of music that evokes nature. And it's the most beautiful piece of music, it really is. It falls and crescendos, and it's almost like a canon. It repeats itself yourself a lot. And it's like a lullaby, really, because when we tested it in nurseries, we had children doing that, the complete, the utter flat-out having a relaxation time in the afternoon after they'd been quite madly dancing like bees at one point. And then they were all still and relaxed and just resting on the floor. And the difference was incredible. Brilliant.

Brilliant. Can you tell us anything a little bit more about the characters? So there's Phoebe the bee, and can you reveal who the other characters are? Yes, of course.

There's Phoebe the— do you want me to show you the books as well?

Brilliant, yes, yeah, that'd be superb, thanks.

So we have Phoebe the bee.

Right, okay.

She's a worker bee, she's a honeybee, and she really stands there for all the pollinators that are having a hard time right now. So more flowers, please, for the pollinators. There's Spike the hedgehog.

Spike the hedgehog, hello Spike.

Nation's favorite mammal, and we need to help him most definitely because they're on the red list to extinction. So we need to be more hedgehog aware, definitely. Okay. And then there's Stanley the water vole.

Hello, Stanley. Stanley the water vole.

Stanley the water vole. His story is all about the issue of plastic in our waterways and what we need to do to stop— well, what the implications really of putting plastic in our waterways and the hardships that Stanley and his friends suffer as a consequence of our careless actions. That's creating many litter champions out there.

I'm really seeing the trepidation in the stories, you know, with all the dangers that exist for these animals and how it all comes good in the end, hopefully, obviously within your stories.

It does all come good at the end. Small actions from us can make a real difference to the wildlife. Not only will it make us feel good because we're helping the wildlife, so therefore we're connecting with nature, but it really does make a big, big difference to nature. So if we're planting bee-friendly flowers, for instance, we're going to be making a difference to the bees in our area. If we're putting up a hedgehog highway and giving access to hedgehogs so they can roam more freely in our green spaces, spaces and gardens and urban areas, then that's going to be a benefit to, to the hedgehogs in our area, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

Again, the small things we can do make a big, big difference.

Yeah.

And in Stanley's case, if we are picking up litter and not allowing it to go into our streams and rivers and into our waterways, then that's going to be doing great things.

Yes.

If it's cumulative, obviously, but everyone can make a difference. It is. Doing things for our waterways.

Yeah, and to learn all this at such a young age as well, it's brilliant, isn't it? So it's right up there with them going to school and learning about, I don't know, English and maths and all the rest of it.

I think so, because we also teach children obviously that, you know, one person can make a difference, and I believe that absolutely wholeheartedly. I think it's really important to let children know that there's a power within them almost, isn't there?

Yes.

Power within them to make a difference.

Yes, and it's actually connecting the dots for them. I think that's the real, one of the real values, isn't it? It's connecting plastic and pollution and animals and the dangers and the consequences which they just otherwise wouldn't get. Sometimes parents are too busy to remember to teach these things, and maybe it doesn't get included in the curriculum at school. Yeah, I know, I think it's such a valuable, a valuable thing for us to be thinking about and having the opportunity to teach our children and have as part of our family's consolation.

But also, Paul, the very nature of children being connected with nature. There's so many benefits for children in nature that maybe many parents don't realize. Just time spent outside, looking at flowers or looking at the ground or looking at ants or looking at whatever you find that's alive out there, because you know there is a lot that's alive out there, and once you open your eyes to it, you can't stop but see more.

Yes.

You know, it improves a child's connectedness where they feel in the world. It improves a child's creativity. It improves a child's confidence. It even improves their social skills.

Right.

There's so many benefits out there for children that people maybe don't realize. And when I looked into it, I mean, I kind of knew them, but the list is endless. It goes on. It really does.

Yeah.

It's all outside.

I think there's a lot of lot we can do in seeing ourselves as a part of nature, you know, not separate to it, not above it, you know, but actually we're a part of it. So whether that's the trees, the plants, the insects, the bugs, the animals, you know, whatever it might be, you know, we're a part of it. And if we were to get ourselves a bit more connected with nature— this is like going back thousands of years or wherever it is, you know, we used to be connected with nature, didn't we? And then we've got disconnected from it. And then obviously with the Industrial Revolution we started turning everything into things we could buy and sell, commodifying everything. So there's definitely a bit of a reset that needs to happen.

And that's the other thinking behind the whole venture, that if our books are for a child from the ages of 3 to 10, you, you'd want along that journey of period of time, yeah, adults to be sitting there with their children actually going through those books at the same time and bringing that family unit together and then maybe experiencing using, you know, those elements of those action points that you can do together again as a family and making the difference for the wildlife outside as well as making a difference for your family and feeling more connected.

Obviously there's a lot of anxiety out there, there's a lot of mental health issues, a lot of people worried about the future, younger generations. You mentioned the anxiety on the kids' faces when they're only little and there's, you know, and the little animals are in peril. So what, are you seeing that, you know, as you do your events? Are people coming up to you and going, well, you know, I am anxious, I am worried, I am, you know, fearful of the future and what we're doing to the planet? And this is what parents are saying to you? Is that sort of a message that's coming through as well?

Working with a lot of primary schools, yes, absolutely. There is a lot of climate anxiety out there in children's minds because they've heard that that sort of, those statements, if you like, and they've taken them on board. And children are so on board with the solutions. They really are. They are buzzing to help Phoebe and wanting to help Spike and going out on litter projects, you know, so they're not dropping their litter. They're very, very aware of it. And so much so also when we did a, recently we did a Phoebe the Bee session, the children saw the groundskeeper keeper literally that afternoon after the session and went, don't you cut the grass, do not cut the grass.

Okay.

And their teacher said, you know, they've really taken on the messages. And I was like, well, that's wonderful.

That's really wonderful.

Really trying with our stories to keep to the simple message, right, of that improving children's mental health, um, improving the wildlife in our area. And, and I see that it's very simple things that we what we can do to make a difference.

Right.

Without getting into— you're never going to find a Tales from Mother Earth book that's talking about carbon capture, I don't think, because, you know, a child from 3 to 10 wouldn't really understand that. Although our most recent one is all about green roofs, but I see that as a very easy discussion to have with a child.

Yeah, they're sort of nature-based solutions. Yeah, nature-based solutions to these things, aren't they? You know, so Yeah, so there are trees, you know, nature's already doing everything we're trying to do.

Yes, and I could maybe write a story one day about the importance of soil and putting a worm into the story or something like that. That would work, and children then to understand that, would they take that on and register that? It's those messages that I think are fundamental to children to grasp and then to action. With all of our books, there needs to be an action from a child or an understanding that will imprint on them. Yes, with them, like you say, it's an education process in the most positive way we can make it for a child to enable them to take on those messages, feel better about their future, and ultimately obviously help the wildlife that's in trouble.

And it's helping parents to understand these, these issues as well. I mean, not a lot of people understand soil erosion, I don't think.

No, no.

And the implications of that and how it all works. No, it is a mad thing. The other day I was eating a banana, as you do, and I threw in a busy public space. I won't say where. And I threw the banana skin on the floor underneath a bush. I was literally berated, you know, for doing this thing. I should have put it in the bin, you know. So I thought that was quite funny. But that's how far off everybody is, right?

They do take a while to sink down, don't they, into the earth. But I mean, bananas are great.

But it's still biodegradable, and it's still, you know, and we do need to be putting this banana peels and our apple cores and our orange peel back into nature because that's where it belongs. And if you go putting it in the bin, then somebody's going to have to pick it up, put it in a truck, transport it, which takes energy, you know, which is CO2 generating. There's a long way to go, isn't there? Well, just for all of us. I'm not perfect, I'm not saying, but we've definitely got a journey here to be more conservationist. So are you working with other charities, other organizations?

There is a new book out where I've been working with the Green Roof Organization, which is a fabulous not-for-profit member organization looking after all the organizations that are putting in green roofs and bi-solar roofs across the country. And over the last couple of years, I've been working with them to produce a children's storybook, again connecting children with nature, but getting children to understand the benefits really of these green structures and the green roof. I mean, how it gives back to biodiversity, for instance, what you can do on a green roof. And what we actually did was created two characters. So we've got Freya, a hairy-footed flower bee, Great, hairy-footed flower bee. Hairy-footed flower bee, yeah, I had to do some research on hairy-footed flower bees, which was brilliant.

That's a real bee, is it?

Yeah, it's a solitary bee, it really is.

Right, it exists, it's not just a name you've given it?

Okay, no, no, no, that's not her name, Freya's her name, but it's a hairy-footed flower bee. And Sarah is a 7-spot European ladybird, and it's their journey to Green Roof, and this is our, this is our story.

Okay, Journey to the Green Roof, brilliant.

And it's again, it's the same treatment as the Tales from the Countryside series, but this one hasn't got a CD in it, for instance, it's just got the QR code, and it's got a few extra bits in it as well because I was working with the Green Roof organization and they had some ideas of what they wanted in their story, so what they wanted in the content of their book even. So it's got a few extra bits in it, but it's going out to lots of schools. We only launched it on World Green Roof Day last week, which was the 6th of June, so it's very, very new. It's gone out to about, I think, 600 copies have gone out to schools already, and there was an incredible amount of sponsorship. So they're all the sponsors' names in the back of the book that all came on board, and all the sponsors actually have copies, and they were doing their own launch activities as well.

Okay.

So it was really, really quite exciting. And the first feedback we're getting back from schools and children that are reading it is they just love it. They love the story, they love the music, they love the pictures, and it's going down a storm. And it's just informing children of the benefits of green roofs, because the Green Roof Organisation, when I first met them, what, a couple a couple of— 2 or 3 years ago now. I mean, their motto is "Every roof should be green." Right. You know what? I think I agree with them. I really do. And so we became members after a very kind invitation from their chair to become members with them. And they saw the bigger picture of us joining them right from the start. And I'm incredibly grateful for them doing that because it kind of opened my eyes to kind of think about this story a little bit more detail and bring it to fruition, which was brilliant. Obviously all the expert knowledge in here has all come from GROW, the Green Roof Organisation. They're the experts when it comes to green roofs.

I mean, probably Dusty.

So it's been a fantastic collaboration.

Actually, Dusty was probably involved in that as well.

Dusty was very much involved in it. In all honesty, Dusty, bless his heart, right from the start wanted a hairy-footed flower bee.

Did he?

He did. He did, he loves hairy-footed flower bees. Because when I was first talking to him about the story, he said, "We have to have a hairy-footed flower bee in it," and I clocked that and wrote that down. I was like, "Right, hairy-footed flower bee it is." So there she is, that's Freya, our hairy-footed flower bee.

Hello, Freya the hairy-footed flower bee.

Yeah, that's right, you'll have to do some study now on hairy-footed flower bees. They're incredible, they're solitary bees and they're incredible. They look for holes in like soft cob walls walls and things like that to nest. And oh, they're just amazing. So there we go, look, soft cob walls.

All right, yeah, okay.

Yeah, so it's just lovely hearing feedback from all of our stories actually, when people read them, when schools engage with them, to hear how they're getting on. And it just, it's just a joy, it really is. I mean, it's just wonderful to work in this environment whereby, you know, we set out to try and make a difference and people have come back to me and saying, "You are making a difference. My children are loving this story." And they take it to bed and they listen and they engage and they've coloured in the pictures and they've sent them back and just so much engagement because, yeah, it's just a joy. It really is. We can do so much more together than what we can apart. And why should we be doing our own individual things when we can make much more of an impact together? It just makes sense to me. It really does.

So if schools want to reach you or businesses want to reach you for events or readings, what's the best way for them to get a hold of you?

Probably the best way would be just to send me an email at jenny@talesfrommotherearth.co.uk. If they want more information, we've got loads of information on our website. So that's talesfrommotherearth.co.uk. We're also on social media, so Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and I'm also on LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn as me, Jenny Bailey, and also we're there as Tales from Mother Earth as well. The other thing I've done recently is also upload a lot of our workshop material, our knowledge information, our workshop agendas all the audio, everything like that, onto our website. And what schools have been doing is reaching out to us, and for a very small fee, we've been giving them a yearly allowance to use our material as they see fit, really. So if I can't actually reach them to run workshops and to run reading sessions, because like I said, I'm based in Kent, this allows us to reach reach a much wider audience where they can engage with all our material. It's all on there for them— lesson plans and workshop agendas and samples and all that sort of thing. And they can just tap into whatever they need to at whatever stage of curriculum the children are actually investigating, whether it's mini beasts or bugs and grubs, or if they're looking at bees and pollinators, for instance. So much information there with all all of our storybooks. And as I add more storybooks, that will be an access that I'll be able to allow everybody to share as well.

Great. Thank you so much, Jenny, for your time on this podcast. It's been really educational, really insightful, and I think inspirational as well for anybody watching this podcast, to give them the ideas, you know, and to help for them to see the importance of conservation and starting early as well, you know, with kids and helping it and how it can help to build stronger families really as well, you know, because it's all about spending time with kids, isn't it, over something which is really meaningful.

Thank you, Paul, I really appreciate it. Thank you for, um, yeah, sharing this journey with us.