When I started writing books for children I wanted to produce something that was fun but also carried a message. It wasn’t about being preachy or scary but came from a real passion and drive to tackle some of the more serious in our natural world.

Children have so much natural empathy for animals that I really believe if nurtured at a young age this can become a lifelong love and understanding of the world around them. As a young boy I was never allowed pets and my parents weren’t ‘animal people’, whatever that means.

I was always fascinated though by everything from insects to elephants. I can remember collecting snails all day when I was about six and leaving my new friends overnight in a bucket in my grandads garage. Little did I know that during the night they would wander all over his brand new Vauxhall Viva. It didn’t go down too well when he opened the garage door in the morning to find snail trails totally crisscrossing his pride and joy.

Of course his displeasure was short-lived and once I’d collected all of the escapees and returned them to the wild I helped him to wash the car and all was forgiven. In fact it was he and my grandmother, who unwittingly ignited my passion for the creatures who share our planet, when they took me to the local zoo.

As I grew up in Devon the local zoo happened to be Paignton and it was there that I fell in love with a lioness. But this was not just any lioness this was a movie star. Elsa had starred in the hit film Born Free starring the wonderful Bill Travers and Virginia Mckenna, but I had no idea of the movie or it’s story before reading the plaque on the enclosure.

My poor grandmother was then nagged incessantly to take her smitten grandson to the cinema. This was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen even though I sobbed through most of it. That was it though I was hooked. Being around, and wanting to understand animals would be a lifelong love. I went back to Paignton zoo many times until we moved the midlands and Born Free is still my favourite movie. I only have to hear Matt Monroe singing the theme tune and I’m sobbing again like that young boy all those years ago.

My first job after leaving school was as a zookeeper which is probably no surprise. It was working on the the inside of this business though that made me develop a displeasure for most zoos. While I feel there is a place for some kind of ethical establishments to aid the conservation of species most are little more than animal prisons with little or no educational purposes.

I was extremely lucky several years ago to realise a dream and travel to Kenya. Visiting the David Sheldrick Elephant orphanage was a real highlight and it was there that we saw first hand some of the issues faced by these amazing creatures and may other species.

When I wrote the African Adventure I really wanted to included some of these issues such as the sale of captive elephants to zoos and other establishments. Obviously poaching is a massive problem as is snaring, and it was a challenge to try and keep the story light enough to be enjoyable, whilst also highlighting these real life issues.

I was very happy with the end product and the feedback has been wonderful from parents, schools and most importantly the children themselves.

The book is very much a nod to my love of Born Free, a film that truly inspired me. Now of course Born Free are an organisation that is doing lots of amazing work to protect our natural world and I have put their link below.

I don’t think I can sum up the way I feel better than the lyrics of that song…the one which started it all off for me.

Born free

And life is worth living

But only worth living

Cos you're born free

Songwriters: John Barry, Don Black

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