Nicola Davies (author)


Nicola Davies, earlier known as Nick Davies, is a Welsh zoologist and writer and is the Children’s Laureate for Wales 2025-2027. She is the author of more than 80 books for children and young people, picture books, non fiction poetry and fiction. Her work focuses mainly on biological science, nature and human relationships with the natural world but she has also written about refugees, war, grief and disability. Her work has been published in multiple languages around the world and adapted for the stage and animation. She was one of the original presenters of the BBC children's wildlife programme The Really Wild Show. Her books include Home, which was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, and Poo, which was illustrated by Neal Layton, and was shortlisted for a Blue Peter Book Award in 2006; in the United States, the book is published as Poop: A Natural History of the Unmentionable. Her children's picture book The Promise illustrated by Laura Carlin won the Green Book Award in 2015 and was cited as one of the New York Times picture books of the year. It was made into an animated short film for the BBC
TINY illustrated by Emily Sutton won the Subaru AAAS prize for best science book in its age category. https://www.sbfprize.org/tiny-creatures
The YA eco fantasy ‘Skrimsli’
won the children and young people’s category of Wales Book of the Year in 2024 https://fireflypress.co.uk/blog/tiger-sea-captain-skrimsli-wins-wales-book-of-the-year-in-a-night-to-remember/
Choose Love a poetry collection highlighting the refugee experience was shortlisted for the YOTO Carniege Medal for writing in 2024 https://carnegies.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Choose_Love_Shortlist_Pack1.pdf
Gaia Warriors, written in association with James Lovelock, explains the science of climate change and answers commonly-asked questions.
Davies is married to Daniel Jones: she has two children from her first marriage.

Works

  • Big Blue Whale illustrated by Nick Maland
  • Bat Loves the Night illustrated by Sarah Fox Davies
  • One Tiny Turtle illustrated by Jane Chapman
  • Wild About Dolphins
  • Surprising Sharks illustrated by James Croft
  • Birds
  • Poo: A Natural History of the Unmentionable illustrated by Neal Layton
  • Oceans and Seas
  • Home
  • Ice Bear illustrated by Gary Blythe
  • Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures illustrated by Neil Layton
  • What's Eating you? Parasites: The Inside Story illustrated by Neil Layton
  • White Owl, Barn Owl illustrated by Michael Foreman
  • Up on the Hill with design by Terry Milne
  • Gaia Warriors by James Lovelock and Nicola Davies
  • Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals Are Big and Little Animals Are Little illustrated by Neil Layton - awarded 2021 Mathical Honors
  • Grow Your Own Monsters by Nicola Davies and Simon Hickmott
  • Everything You Need to Know About Animals
  • A Girl Called Dog
  • Monsters of the Deep
  • Talk, Talk, Squawk!: How and Why Animals Communicate illustrated by Neil Layton
  • Welcome to Silver Street Farm illustrated by Katharine McEwen
  • Escape from Silver Street Farm illustrated by Katharine McEwen
  • Spring Fever at Silver Street Farm illustrated by Katharine McEwen
  • All Aboard at Silver Street Farm illustrated by Katharine McEwen
  • A First Book of Nature illustrated by Mark Hearld - winner of the Independent Booksellers Best Picture Book
  • Deadly!: The Truth About the Most Dangerous Creatures on Earth illustrated by Neal Layton
  • Dolphin Baby illustrated by Brita Granstrom
  • Frozen Solid at Silver Street Farm illustrated by Katharine McEwen
  • Just Ducks! illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino - shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal 2013
  • Rubbish Town Hero
  • What Will I Be? illustrated by Marc Boutavant
  • Who's Like Me? illustrated by Marc Boutavant
  • Deserts
  • What Happens Next? illustrated by Marc Boutavant
  • Crowded Out at Silver Street Farm illustrated by Katharine McEwen
  • Manatee Baby
  • The Elephant Road illustrated by Annabel Wright
  • The Lion Who Stole My Arm Winner of The Portsmouth Book Award 2014
  • The Promise illustrated by Laura Carlin - winner of the 2014 English Association Picture Book award for best fiction
  • Walking the Bear
  • Whale Boy - shortlisted for the "Best Story" category of the 2014 Blue Peter Book Awards
  • Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes illustrated by Emily Sutton
  • The Leopard's Tail illustrated by Annabel Wright
  • The Whale Who Saved Us illustrated by Annabel Wright
  • I Like Snakes illustrated by Luciano Lozano
  • A First Book of Animals illustrated by Petr Horácek
  • Survivors: The Toughest Creatures on Earth illustrated by Neal Layton
  • Animal Surprises illustrated by Abbie Cameron
  • Into the Blue illustrated by Abbie Cameron
  • The Word Bird illustrated by Abbie Cameron
  • The White Hare illustrated by Anastasia Izlesou
  • Mother Cary's Butter Knife illustrated by Anja Uhren
  • Perfect illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • Lots: The Diversity of Life on Earth illustrated by Emily Sutton
  • Animals Behaving Badly illustrated by Adam Stower
  • Dolphin Baby illustrated by Brita Granstrom
  • The Variety of Life illustrated by Lorna Scobie
  • King of the Sky illustrated by Laura Carlin - shortlisted for the Tir na n-Og Award
  • The Pond illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • Elias Martin illustrated by Fran Shum
  • A First Book of the Sea illustrated by Emily Sutton
  • The Day the War Came illustrated by Rebecca Cobb - shortlisted for The Kate Greenaway Medal
  • The Little Mistake illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • Flying Free illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • Ariki and the Giant Shark illustrated by Nicola Kinnear
  • The Secret of the Egg illustrations by Abbie Cameron
  • The Eel Question illustrated by Beth Holland
  • Bee Boy and the Moonflowers illustrated by Max Low
  • Brave and the Fox illustrated by Sebastien Braun
  • The Dog That Saved Christmas illustrated by Mike Byrne
  • The Mountain Lamb illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • A Boy's Best Friend illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • Ariki and the Island of Wonders illustrated by Nicola Kinnear
  • Hummingbird illustrated by Jane Ray
  • Every Child a Song: A Celebration of Children's Rights illustrated by Marc Martin
  • The Wonder of Trees illustrated by Lorna Scobie
  • Butterflies for Grandpa Joe illustrated by Mike Byrne - shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year 2020
  • My Butterfly Bouquet illustrated by Hannah Peck
  • Grow: Secrets of Our DNA illustrated by Emily Sutton
  • Ride the Wind illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino
  • Pretend Cows illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • Last written and illustrated by Nicola Davies
  • The New Girl illustrated by Cathy Fisher
  • This is How the Change Begins
  • The Song That Sings Us - nominated for the Carnegie Prize 2022
  • One World: 24 Hours on Planet Earth illustrated by Jenni Desmond - shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2022
  • Protecting the Planet: The Season of Giraffes illustrated by Emily Sutton
  • Invertebrates are Cool! illustrated by Abbie Cameron
  • The Magic of Flight illustrated by Lorna Scobie
  • Choose Love illustrated by Petr Horácek - Highly Commended in the CLiPPA Poetry Awards 2023
  • Protecting the Planet: Emperor of the Ice illustrated by Catherine Rayner
  • The Versatile Reptile illustrated by Abbie Cameron
  • The Star Whale illustrated by Petr Horácek
  • Out There in the Wild: Poems on Nature poems by Nicola Davies, James Carter and Dom Conlon, illustrated by Diana Catchpole
  • Skrimsli illustrated by Jackie Morris