The Promise

Nicola Davies, a zoologist whose studied bats and whales and worked for the BBC's natural history unit, has written several children's  books about bringing humans and nature back together. The Promise is very much in that vein, telling the story of a young thief at the end of her wits and a promise which changes everything. Laura Carlin's beautiful illustrations slowly bring the child's bleak urban environment to life and you can almost hear the bird song in her art. Made me want to go out and plant acorns.