YVETTER FARMER’s Nature Knows is a lyrical picture book narrative about escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life and finding solace in nature.

Read on for a Q&A with the author.

MEET YVETTE FARMER

What inspired you to write Nature Knows?

We had just returned from a camping trip in the national park with a bunch of families. The kids ran wild for a few days, we cooked on a campfire, swam in the lagoon under the stars, dodged goannas trying to steal our food – it was magical. I wasn’t trying to write a children’s book; I just sat down when I got home for a few moments while my then one-year-old was napping, and this story just tumbled out onto a scrap piece of paper.

Was there a particular moment in your life that made you reflect on the healing power of nature?

When I was little, my dad would take my siblings and I for bush walks and get us to stand still, close our eyes and listen. It was such a simple act, but I could feel it instantly instil wonder as I started to hear and feel things I might not have noticed otherwise. It also felt like a moment of bowing to the immense beauty and power of nature. It has stayed with me, and it’s still something I do today, now with my own kids.

How did your involvement in research into nature-based interventions and children’s wellbeing shape the book?

The story didn’t originally have the ‘fact boxes’; however, after I wrote the story, I was thinking about the things I learnt while working as part of the research team – I got to read a lot of high-quality research papers related about nature and the different impact it has on children, and found it so interesting! I think most of us inherently know nature is good for kids/us, but it was so cool to see how some of this impact could be measured. I thought other parents/kids might find it interesting too.

What are some interesting things you learned through the research?

My favourite part was interviewing primary-aged school kids – they gave the most beautiful and uninhibited answers about what they loved about nature. I particularly found it interesting how kids talked about nature sparking their creativity!

What message do you hope readers take away about the importance of slowing down and reconnecting with the natural world?

I would hope that this story could be a gentle reminder that we are not separate from nature.

It’s hard to slow down in this busy world, and there is a lot of messaging telling us to do so, but how when our nervous systems are on overdrive? Nature is like a little shortcut to nervous system regulation. You don’t have to do anything – just be in nature and let the trees or the river or sunset work its magic.

It doesn’t have to be a camping trip or anything major – sometimes it’s actually bringing more nature into urban settings that can create calm. Maybe some more trees in a schoolyard, a shady verge, caring for nature in your local area.

What are some of your favourite things to do outside when you need to reset?

I love camping with my family, hiking, swimming in very cold rivers, and going for short bush walks at the beginning or end of a day. I view time in nature as an essential part of my wellbeing and need to schedule it into my week the way we might schedule exercise, social catch ups, therapy or meditation. Without some time in the trees I just go a bit meeeeeehhhh.

I also have deeply loved tending a school vegetable garden with students and watching the delight one strawberry can bring. Getting my hands grubby with some simple gardening is a great way to re-set, and I love seeing a bit of dirt under my nails later, when I’m working at the computer, to remind me this is what I’m made of.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yvette Farmer is a primary school teacher with an academic background in psychology and health science. She has worked with the University of Western Sydney on research exploring how nature-based interventions support children’s wellbeing. Yvette is passionate about the connection between nature, creativity, education, and wellbeing. She lives an hour south of Sydney between the escarpment and the sea, with her partner and two children.

Visit Yvette Farmer’s publisher website

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Chloe Jasmine Harris is a Sydney-based illustrator whose work bridges digital and traditional techniques. Drawing on her background in painting and printmaking, she incorporates handmade marks, painterly textures, and playful layering and collage into her illustrations, which she assembles digitally. Chloe has written and illustrated two picture books with Walker Books, Henry Turnip and Maple the Brave. Her other books include Art Search, published by Smith Street Books, and Find Vincent van Gogh, a collaboration with Hachette UK and the Van Gogh Museum.

Visit Chloe Jasmine Harris’s website