João Tiago Tavares grew up in Lisbon and spent a good part of his life thinking «that he had to go to the Amazon or to the other side of the world to see nature», but he ended up discovering that there are «fantastic» natural values in all locations, even in the middle of cities. It is «the fascination» of this discovery that this biologist wants to share with the youngest, in the children's book “Pompoms with legs and curious children”, which was released on Friday, April 12th.
This work was inspired by “the Bio-Islands project, in the salt marshes and in the birds of the salt marshes between Faro and Olhão, which are the same as the birds from the salt flats all over the country».
«I wanted to share this fascination that I had in the past, in the hope of being able to leave a seed, that children will also gain this taste for nature and the care to be taken with nature, and that something more will be born from that», he revealed to Sul Informação the author, at the entrance to the book launch session, which took place at the Municipal Library of Olhão.
This first presentation was made before an audience full of those to whom the book is aimed: the youngest.
Three dozen children had the opportunity to listen, through the voice of João Tiago Tavares, to the story told in the book, but also to ask questions about what they were hearing – starting with what a biologist is and what they do.
The book, as the name suggests, tells the story of a boy who has an immediate encounter with “pompoms with legs”, that is, «with little chicks of broken-collared plovers, which are the species focused on in the book».
«I wanted to leave an image that was aesthetically appealing to children, but at the same time, was also a connection to the fact that the natural world around us is truly spectacular, even though we don't always pay attention to it, even when we live in the middle of it», he illustrated.
For now, it is not yet certain how the “limited number” will be distributed.
«We still don't know exactly what we're going to do. But we know that, today, here, children who come to see the reading will receive a copy », she concluded.
“Pompoms with legs and curious children” was created within the scope of the Bio-Ilhas project, which promoted the nesting of chirps, avocets, ringed plovers and sea partridges on artificial islands that were installed in salt pans between Faro and Olhão.
Bio-Ilhas was funded by the Viridia Association – Conservation in Action, whose partners were ICNF – Regional Directorate for the Conservation of Nature and Forests of the Algarve, Águas do Algarve, Necton – Companhia Portuguesa de Culturas Marinhas, and the Salinas do Grelha – Secrets of the Ria.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
Comments