Explore the natural world with the Peek-Through Nature series

About Author

The Peek-Through Nature series by author Patricia Hegarty and Britta Teckentrup gives young children an early introduction to the natural world.

Patricia Hegarty (author) is currently the Editorial Director of Caterpillar Books and has written about all kinds of things from trees and bees to ABCs (and she loves to rhyme).

Britta Teckentrup (illustrator) is an award-winning illustrator and author, having written and illustrated over 80 children's picture books that have been published in over 20 different countries. Britta now lives and works in Berlin.

Enter this month's Peek-Through Nature series giveaway

Interview

Instill a love of nature with the Peek-Through Nature series (Little Tiger)

The Peek-Through Nature series by author Patricia Hegarty gives young children an early introduction to the natural world. Each book is gorgeously illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, with 'peek-through' elements that draw young readers through the pages.

In the latest book, Family, children will discover how animal families protect and support each other in the wild, from elephant families on the savannah to dolphins diving in the ocean. Earlier titles have included Tree, Home, Sea, Moon, Bugs and Bee.

Q&A with Patricia Hegarty and Britta Teckentrup, introducing the Peek-Through Nature series

"I hope that, first and foremost, the books will inspire a love of nature in young children and pique their interest
so that they will want to find out more about the natural world." Patricia Hegarty

1. What inspired this series, which gives an early introduction to nature?

Patricia: We wanted to create a gently informative series that was beautiful to look at and fun to read. Britta was the obvious choice for the illustrations with her gorgeous collage style. The peek-through pages give the books an added dimension, leading the child from one spread to the next. A lyrical rhyming text with some simple and child-friendly facts about nature just felt like the right fit for these books.

2. What aspects of nature do you cover through the series? What is at the heart of each book, and what do children learn about through the series? Why are the titles mostly singular?

Patricia: So far, the books have covered lots of aspects of the natural world and we have plans for more! We began with a book about the seasons - Tree - which focuses on one tree and the way in which it and the wildlife around it changes throughout the year. Then, in terms of nature's wonders, the bee was an obvious choice for a follow-up. The series has continued with books following the moon's cycle, amazing ocean creatures, a close-up look at bugs, animal homes, and how creatures in the animal kingdom protect their families.

The singular titles really follow on from the first book in the series, where the focus was on just one tree. I like the simplicity and immediacy of the singular title, which reflects the focus of each book.

3. Your latest book is Family; why did you want this to form part of the series, and what will children learn about?

Patricia: I am fascinated by the many ways in which animals care for and protect each other, even those that are natural predators, like lions and wolves. And I'm sure we've all watched those wildlife documentaries where male penguins balance their eggs on their feet to protect them and the way in which the entire flock huddles together to shelter from the cold. There are so many heartwarming stories from the animal kingdom which I think children will enjoy.

4. The text for each book is simple but warm and enduringly joyful. What do you hope young readers will take from the books?

Patricia: I hope that, first and foremost, the books will inspire a love of nature in young children and pique their interest so that they will want to find out more about the natural world. For each creature, there are usually lots of amazing facts to choose from, but I do try to keep the books simple, so that they are an enjoyable reading experience and serve as an introduction to nature. In a world where the natural environment is increasingly under threat, I think it's important that children learn to appreciate its beauty.

5. Are these designed for one-to-one reading experiences, or can they be read aloud to groups? How do you suggest getting the most from the books?

Patricia: I hope that the books can be used in both settings. I cuddle up with my granddaughter to read the books one to one, and she loves pointing to all the creatures on the pages. I also know that teachers use them quite widely in the classroom and often base topics around them. (I know this because my daughter is a teacher!). There are teachers' notes available on our website offering ideas for how the books can be used in lessons. Some of the books have even been used as the basis for dramatic performances!

6. Britta, how did you become involved in illustrating the Peek-Through Nature books? Why do you enjoy working on these books about nature and the environment?

Britta: The first book in the series was ‘Tree' (published in 2015). The idea for this book came from Little Tiger Books; they knew that I love to illustrate anything to do with animals and nature and they created the book series around my/our deep fascination with nature. Nature never ceases to amaze and surprise me and my curiosity in animals and plants is endless. The seed was planted in childhood. I lived opposite a forest and spent a lot of time outside exploring.

7. The illustrations for this series are layered and luminous - how do you achieve this? Do you enjoy illustrating the wildlife readers discover in the series?

Britta: I work with hand-printed textures that I scan into Photoshop. The layered effects are created by overlaying these textures. I absolutely love illustrating animals. I have illustrated so many animals over the last 35 years, that there aren't many left that I haven't illustrated. Well, not quite … :)

8. The peek-through elements - we have a rainbow arch in Family - are integral to each story. What do you feel they bring to the books, and how complex are they to create?

Patricia: We want to make sure that the peek-through elements serve a purpose in each book - for example, in Tree, they increase as the book progresses and more and more wildlife is revealed in and around the tree. In Moon, the shape of the moon alters throughout the lunar cycle and in Bee we used hexagonal peek-through shapes like honeycomb.

Britta: I think that the peek-through elements add interest for the reader and they also create a sense of connection between all of the animals in each book. I get help from Little Tiger with the die-cuts - they are geniuses. It can be quite tricky and challenging to make the illustrations and colours work on every page. I think that the die-cuts in 'Moon' are working particularly well as they show the waxing and waning moon.

9. Do you have further peek-through nature books planned? What are you working on currently?

Patricia: We do have further books planned in this series and we are currently narrowing down a shortlist of ideas. The wonderful thing about the world of nature is that we are never short of inspiration!

Britta: I am not working on a new book in this series at the moment - but I am sure that there will be another one. My latest book for Little Tiger is called ‘We Are All One'. It is about how we are all connected to nature and to each other. I seem to stay true to my themes :)

10. What are your own favourite places in nature? Do you draw inspiration from the natural world in creating your books?

Patricia: I live in the countryside in the southeast of England, with some beautiful woodland very close to my house, so there is plenty of inspiration there. We are also very close to the South Downs National Park and only 20 minutes from the sea, so we are very lucky. I definitely draw inspiration from these places, as well as from wildlife documentaries from around the world.

Britta: My favourite places are forests and the sea - and yes - I do draw a lot of inspiration from the natural world. I have written books about eggs, feathers, crows, fruit and the weather. Whenever something fascinates me, my curiosity kicks in and I end up writing a book about it . . .

About Author

Interview

Author's Titles