The Lost Words

Rediscover our natural world with this spellbinding book

By: Robert Macfarlane, Jackie Morris

Narrated by: Guy Garvey, Edith Bowman, Benjamin Zephaniah, Cerys Matthews

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, read by Edith Bowman, Guy Garvey, Cerys Matthews and Benjamin Zephaniah.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE BEAUTIFUL BOOK AWARD
BRITISH BOOK AWARDS CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018

The book that has taken root in schools across Britain, inspired creative thinkers, young and old, and restored the vanishing poetry of nature.


All over the country, there are words disappearing from children's lives. These are the words of the natural world; Dandelion, Otter, Bramble and Acorn, all gone. A wild landscape of imagination and play is rapidly fading from our children's minds.

The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration - in art and word - of nearby nature and its wonders. With acrostic spell-poems by award-winning writer Robert Macfarlane and illustrations by Jackie Morris, this enchanting book evokes the irreplaceable magic of language and nature for all ages.

Across a rich and vivid natural soundscape, Edith Bowman, Guy Garvey, Cerys Matthews and Benjamin Zephaniah, iconic voices of modern Britain, bring the magic of nature and language to listeners. Through captivating readings, wonderful natural recordings and more, the audio edition of The Lost Words is a stunning celebration of the nature and the power of language.

Includes listening notes by Chris Watson, wildlife and natural phenomena recordist, as a downloadable PDF.

Praise for The Lost Words:

'The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I've read this year' Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Observer

'Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris have made a thing of astonishing beauty' Alex Preston, Observer

'My top book of the year' Susan Hill, Spectator

'Gorgeous to look at and to read. Give it to a child to bring back the magic of language - and its scope' Jeanette Winterson, Guardian

Critic reviews

Sumptuous...a book combining meticulous wordcraft with exquisite illustrations deftly restores language describing the natural world to the children's lexicon... The Lost Words is a beautiful book and an important one

One of the publishing sensations of recent times is The Lost Words

My top book of the year... It is one of those children's books for ages up to 99 years. The lost words are those my generation and earlier ones used every day and which are fast disappearing, and Macfarlane's aim is to resurrect the everyday glories of our language. May he succeed

Gilded and glorious, Jackie Morris's paintings illustrate Robert Macfarlane's acrostic poems in The Lost Words, one of the years loveliest books for all ages over 10

Rapturously received celebration of nature

Deeply reflective and gorgeously illustrated...Morris's paintings of wildlife echo the complexity and vibrancy of Macfarlane's poetry

A wonderful companion to the book

The giant hardcover picture book is an experience of its own. If you haven’t got your hands on it, do as it is a separate experience from the audiobook. Its immersive pictures tell its own story that won’t be forgotten.

The loss of the pictures ought to make this audiobook a sorry excuse. Ingeniously, the creators include soundscapes that perfectly compliment the spell poems. I was entranced, searching for details that I later learned the accompanying PDF provides. Since the book’s purpose is to help us see what is hidden in nature, this worked perfectly. And the narrators were wonderful.

It’s expensive for a 45 minute program, hence my 4 stars. But I’m glad I enjoyed it and do recommend it.