A CIRENCESTER mum of two has just published her third book. 

Dinah, who is a mum of two, introduced children to wildflowers and aquatic pond creatures with the first picture books in her nature-inspired series, and now she is sharing her love of rare insects with a third story for children aged 2 to 10.

In the Middle of Dudley's Log Pile tells the story of a very grumpy stage beetle who learns to share, and it was released on 30 November by Cirencester publisher Crumps Barn Studio.

She said: “When At the Bottom of Dudley's Garden was published back in 2021, people kept asking me what the sequel would be. I hadn't really considered a sequel at that stage so the idea just mulled around in the back of my mind.

"But earlier this year, the idea came to me of creating a series about wildlife habitats, all set in Dudley's beautiful garden.”

“I really wanted to have a focus on creepy crawlies in this new story.

"They are a source of fascination for a lot of children. Equally though they are a source of dread for others - so I wanted to present them in a beautiful, colourful, inviting way.

“I chose a stag beetle as the main character because they are such incredibly magnificent creatures, and yet they are endangered so I wanted readers to feel both in awe of them and also to have a sense of responsibility to protect them.”

Dinah and illustrator Anna Platts – who is a mum of two boys and based in Exeter – celebrated the launch of their new book at a special children’s event at Little Burford in the Burford Garden Co. on Friday. 

She said: “I was delighted when I heard over the summer that the series had been awarded The Golden Wizard Book Prize for being such a great tool for nature education. I was over the moon!

“Each of my stories has an educational message about wildlife habitats in the garden and also a moral message.

“Kindness is such an important concept for children to key into and live by – being kind is a great life-enhancer in every way.”

Lorna Brookes, editor at Crumps Barn Studio says, “One of the things I love about Dinah’s stories and Anna’s illustrations is that the finished books are gorgeous inside and out.

“It is such a fun story – and it also introduces children to some incredibly positive and uplifting information about how they can enjoy nature in the garden.