Why 'The Shrew With The Flu' Is Important: Teaching Real-Life Lessons in Sustainability and Self-Awareness

"The Shrew With The Flu" is a charming picture book that tells the story of a shrew who learns important lessons about self-awareness and sustainability. The book is not only an entertaining read, but it also provides a great opportunity for parents, teachers, and children to learn more about real-life shrews, sustainability, and self-awareness.

Real-Life Shrews: Exploring the Fascinating World of These Tiny Mammals

Shrews are tiny mammals that are found all over the world. They are often mistaken for mice, but they are actually a separate species altogether. Shrews are fascinating creatures that play an important role in their ecosystems. They are known for their incredible sense of smell, which they use to locate their prey. They are also incredibly active and have a high metabolism, which means they need to eat constantly to survive. By learning more about shrews, children can gain a deeper appreciation for the natural world and the important role that every animal plays in it.

Sustainability: Teaching Children to Care for the Environment

One of the main themes of "The Shrew With The Flu" is sustainability. The book teaches children about the importance of caring for the environment and the impact that our actions can have on the natural world. By teaching children about sustainability from a young age, we can help them to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of protecting the planet. This can lead to a more environmentally conscious generation that is better equipped to make responsible decisions about the future of our planet.

The Ministry of Eco Education is an organization dedicated to promoting sustainability and environmental education in schools. Their mission is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to become responsible stewards of the planet. They achieve this through various programs and initiatives, including teacher training, student workshops, and school-based projects.

"The Shrew With The Flu" is a fantastic tool for schools looking to embrace the Ministry of Eco Education's mission. By teaching children about the importance of sustainability and caring for the environment, the book encourages young readers to take an active role in protecting our planet. The story shows the negative impact that careless actions can have on the environment and the consequences that follow. It also demonstrates how small changes in our behavior can make a big difference in the long run. By using "The Shrew With The Flu" in the classroom, teachers can help students understand the importance of sustainability and inspire them to take action to protect our planet.

Self-Awareness: Encouraging Children to Reflect on Their Own Actions

Another important lesson that "The Shrew With The Flu" teaches is self-awareness. The shrew in the story learns the hard way about the consequences of his own greed and lack of self-awareness. By reflecting on his actions and taking steps to correct them, the shrew is able to make positive changes in his life and in his environment. This is an important lesson for children, as it teaches them to think about their own actions and the impact that they can have on the world around them. By encouraging self-awareness in children, we can help them to become more responsible and thoughtful individuals.

Conclusion

"The Shrew With The Flu" is an important book that teaches children about the natural world, sustainability, and self-awareness. By reading and discussing the book with children, parents and teachers can help them to develop a deeper appreciation for the environment and the role that they can play in protecting it. The book is a great resource for primary schools and educational institutions that want to promote environmental awareness and sustainability.

“The Shrew With The Flu” - Buy Now

A rhyming children’s picture book about a greedy shrew that learns to respect and revive Mother Nature after gobbling up a forest.

Buy the book: amazon

The Wiggliest Worms, The Buzziest Bees

The past few months have been jam-packed with author visits. With the help of schoolchildren up and down the country, I’ve been wiggling, buzzing, and doodling my way into 2023. Was it something I expected to be doing in my twenties? No sirree. Would I go back and cancel the sessions if I had the last six months again? Not for the world.

“We were lucky enough to have Will visit our school to share his beautiful and thought-provoking book, 'The Shrew With The Flu!' Our pupils were absolutely enraptured by Will's animated story retelling and thoroughly enjoyed joining in with the appropriate sound effects and actions which brought the story to life. Will engaged our pupils with impressive illustrations and taught them how to create their own illustrated woodland creatures. Will's passion and enthusiasm for inspiring our pupils was evident throughout. Thank you, Will, for a most memorable afternoon!”

- Assistant Head (English), Kirkham Grammar School

---

“Will visited reception, year 1 and year 2 at Badminton Junior School and brought a warmth and humour to the activities he conducted with the class. The girls thoroughly enjoyed designing their own versions of the whimsical characters from Will's book 'The Shrew with the Flu'. Will encouraged the girls to look after the world around them and even inspired a few from the class to pursue story book writing of their own. Thank you Will for the gift of your storytelling and we hope to see you again soon!”

- Junior School Teacher, Badminton School

To the girl that told me my drawing was “lovely!” when I jokingly retorted that “this [was] the worst snake I [had] ever drawn”: thank you for taking it upon yourself to build other people up.

To the mum that, some months ago, messaged me explaining how I gave your daughter the confidence to continue writing stories: I will never forget your message. It’s why I do what I do. It made me smile.

And to the teachers that jointly shouted “BE A TEACHER!” at the end of one of my workshops: let’s not overestimate my abilities. I am forever mind-boggled by the work that you guys do, and me, waltzing in, disrupting the class with structured chaos, and then handing you back a clew of hyped-up wiggly worms is nothing compared to the countless hours you put into making your classrooms safe spaces for me to host my sessions.

Oh, and to the parents of the boy that told me he recently saved a wiggly worm by digging it out the ground and lifting it onto a stick, please ensure Mr Wiggles goes back to where he came from.

Stay Safe; Stay Smiley.

Will :)

The Sustainability Show 2022

On the Frida before The Sustainability Show, in London, I left an event in Bourne End and headed for a school visit in Bristol. We drew wiggly worms, danced along to "The Shrew With The Flu" and shared stories all about nature.

Did I plan to spend the whole of that Friday evening, all the way up until Sunday at 20:00, evangelising about shrews, writing, and nature?

No, but Darren Wilson, CEO at Kabloom (an eco-friendly guerrilla gardening company), twisted an ankle so I was forced to evolve into the dual personality of both “Shrew Boy” and “Kabloom Kid”. 😂

Did I expect to have somewhere to stay, outside of an overpriced City Centre hotel?

Absolutely not, but Jane Langley, Founder of Blue Patch (an online directory for sustainable brands), let me crash at her place for the entire event, and ramble on about writing and readings and art.

There were a bunch of other awesome people that I met during the event - too many to mention in one post. A highlight was meeting the Playpress Toys founder, Matt, alongside his brother, Kingsley. Matt lives and breathes product design, and his relentless enthusiasm for toys and business was unlike anything I'd come across before. Legend!

Anyways, thank-you to everyone that came along, bought Seedboms and Shrew books and generally made the weekend epic. It was a blast, and it meant the world to me that so many of you took an interest in my work.

Will :) x