The Wind in the Rushes

Background

I am currently writing a children's story called The Wind in the Rushes.  The inspiration for this book came partly from 'The Wind in the Willows' written by Kenneth Grahame, and partly from years of fishing and observing wildlife on the beautiful river Windrush.  While primarily aimed at a younger audience the book carries a strong environmental theme through it's pages and highlights the need for the protection of wildlife and of our increasingly jeopardised environment.

Plot outline

Tucked away in the depths of the Windrush Valley a community of animals go about their day to day life until one day something terrible happens.  Roman the Vole is busy inspecting his whiskers when... thud, thud, thud.... the earth starts to tremble and Roman's burrow collapses.  Up above, a giant digger tears at the land and men in bright yellow jackets probe from gravel.  Donald, the old farmer, has sold the land to be developed into a gravel pit and the impending development threatens to wipe out the all the animals in the valley.  Something must be done and done fast.  Can the animals hatch a plan in time or will the gravel pit destroy everything?

Illustrations

All the illustrations for 'The Wind in the Rushes' were created by local artist, Emmie Van Biervliet.