Introducing Lulu And Tee At Nest

At Nest, we believe every parent has the power to raise children who love to read, and we want to help do just that. That’s why we’re introducing our latest discovery to the Nest range – a wonderful collection of unforgettable children’s books about love, understanding and conservation. In these delightful tales with a strong message, children learn about precious creatures under threat and what makes them special. 

From the Author

My son was 5 and I was 45 when I quit work to be a full-time mum and as it turned out a part-time writer. It was time to take a break from the rat-race and make the most of this special time. I had worked in IT for over 20 years …. granted not as long and hard as the Queen, may she RIP, but it certainly felt like it!

As he grew and I read more and more children’s books, my favourites of course being Dr Seuss and Julia Donaldson, my trips to the library became a bit of a challenge as he didn’t really enjoy books that weren’t about real things. He never played much in a fantasy world. He wanted the children’s encyclopedias with information about whales and sharks etc. There wasn’t anything out there that was a combination of real and fantasy, with pictures he could relate to or places he could recognise.

I was a volunteer in the Treasure Oil Spill cleanup in year 2000 and had thought at the time it was a fabulous story for children. So I decided to put pen to paper. A true story with a happy ending. Something real!

Theresa, the illustrator, got the concept instantly and in days we were on this wonderful journey. I took zillions of photos and she sifted through them and magically brought them to life.

After I published The Big Spill, I heard the story about Eric the baboon and the coffeeshop owner. I live in Kommetjie and it was all happening on my doorstep.

After that Save Our Seas approached me and asked us to please do a book on the Great White Shark, to help educate and dispel the myth that they are man-eaters…. only a pleasure! The great thing about children’s books is the parents have to read them too so you get to teach both parent and child – win, win!

The rest is history….. with the plight of the rhino being headline news constantly, I was approached by rhino conservationists. It was tricky to find a story with a happy ending, but we got there in the end.

Then the wetlands drying up and one man taking it upon himself to dig a pond so his beloved Western Leopard Toads would return.

Somehow, the more books you do, the more people tell you incredible stories and one thing leads to another.

A good example is Owalla, the circus elephant, she was released into the wild in the Pilansberg National Park, became the matriarch of the herd and found herself in a sticky situation, when who came to her rescue, but her trainer from 16 years ago, and she remembers.

Lockdown Luke, my latest book, is about a circus lion that was rescued from the Ukraine, he was being kept in cruel and squalid conditions, until Lionel, the lion-hearted, heard about him and came to his rescue. Luke was rehabilitated to the wild in the Love Lions Alive reserve in South Africa where he is happy and free. I witnessed the release of 4 lions from the Ukraine, it was one of the best days of my life! Just to see these magnificent creatures see grass for the first time, lie under a tree for the first time and move without restriction …. pure joy!

My son is now 20 and not interested in my stories, but I still love to see kids reading my books and hear them say things like “Mummy, my lighthouse!” – they have engaged and that is what it was all about, that and them having conservation in their bones from day one…. to know no other way!

I hope you enjoy these stories filled with images of our beautiful county, our local conservation heroes and our furry and some not so furry friends!

“I love writing books for this age group [between three and seven tears old] because you get to educate both the parent and the child in one go,”  

Linda (Lulu) Fellowes

 “Children are sponges at this age and it is wonderful to be able to instil in them a love of conservation and wildlife.”

Linda (Lulu) Fellowes

Shop all 7 Lulu and Tee titles right here: https://www.nestdesigns.co.za/products/toys-gifts/books/

Conservation of endangered species has never been more pressing.

Each of us, no matter how small, can make a big difference.