Isabella Tree and Angela Harding produced something magical with Wilding. Our panel agreed that the book represents “legacy publishing”; “This will stand the test of time”, pronounced one judge. The interconnectedness between Tree’s account of rewilding the Knepp Estate, Harding’s “beautiful” illustrations and Charlie Burrell’s photography created a book that depicts the “glorious sense of transformation” of the estate.

Our panel admired the practical tips at the end of the book and praised Wilding’s standout individuality in the children’s non-fiction market. The “comprehensive” campaign by Macmillan Children’s Books impressed our judges, who particularly loved Harding’s dedication to the project; the artist spent three weeks at Knepp across the year to immerse herself in the landscape’s seasonal changes. Harding and Tree united for three public events while Harding designed three bookshop window displays. Our judges agreed that Wilding “offers a valuable escape” into the wonders of nature.