A book for my Grandmother - recommendations please.

How about something like “H is for Hawk”? Or there’s another one whose name escapes me about having a raven, training it. Or the “octopus teacher” all about animals

My Garden World The Natural World by Monty Don has good reviews and incorporates his love of wildlife and nature

Thank you both, you are definitely on the right track!
I think that H is for Hawk is a great suggestion, but I'm not sure because of the grief element.
I was just looking at Monty Don's book - that initially looks perfect, but a few of the reviewers mentioned that he writes enthusiastically about fox hunting, so that won't go down well.
Bruce Fogle's book about being a young vet in the 70s looked just the ticket, but it hasn't been released yet...

A book that stuck in my mind was the story about Hannah Hauxwell who farmed alone near the Yorkshire moors after her parents died. It's a wonderful true story and very uplifting.

Have you thought about reintroducing her to a Children's classic such as. ‘Wind in the Willows’ or ‘The Secret Garden’ ? You may be able to get an illustrated version.

What about The Secret Life of Trees - how they live and why they matter

www.waterstones.com/book/the-secret-life-of-trees/colin-tudge/9780141012933

Or The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony, a fascinating book:

www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lawrence-anthony/the-elephant-whisperer/

You and your Nan are lucky to have each other and best wishes to her for a speedy recovery.

A little bit different but there is The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse by Charlie Mackesy. It’s a very gentle book with beautiful sketch illustrations and the text is all hand written. It has a background message of kindness and looking after yourself and others. It’s been in the best sellers list for weeks. It was recommended to me by a friend and I bought myself and my granddaughters a copy. It’s a browse book to look at many time’s. I loved it.

I second Fevertree's recommendation of "The Elephant Whisperer, by Lawrence Anthony. I have just finished reading it, and I think she would love it. Did you see a news item a short while ago about how his herd of elephants appeared outside his house to mourn him, the day after his death? This is his own account of how he took the herd into his animal reserve when they were threatened with being shot after repeatedly breaking through "elephant-proof" barriers, and gradually won their trust.

How about this one: ‘Old Baggage’ by Lissa Evans
www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Baggage-Lissa-Evans/dp/1784161217/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&tag=gransnetforum-21&qid&sr

Ben Vogel’s dad has a new book coming out called “:call the vet” it’s quite uplifting the synopsis I’ve read and it’s set in the 70’s about his time as a vet in London. Also as Ella a in said the Hannah books were good too.

TwiceAsNice

A little bit different but there is The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse by Charlie Mackesy. It’s a very gentle book with beautiful sketch illustrations and the text is all hand written. It has a background message of kindness and looking after yourself and others. It’s been in the best sellers list for weeks. It was recommended to me by a friend and I bought myself and my granddaughters a copy. It’s a browse book to look at many time’s. I loved it.

I love this book - the illustrations are so beautiful and the words are simple but profound.

Thanks everyone.
The tree book and the elephant book are looking very promising.

I'm still umming and ahhing about Monty Don though as it's a lovely mix of prose and photos.

I'm pretty certain that she will have read the Hauxwell books.
Re Bruce Fogel, I've already looked at that as she loves Herriot, but it's not out until the end of the month.

Fun Fact- Bruce Fogel is the inventor of those bucket collars that you put on post-op cats and dogs.

All great ideas, thanks again x

The recommendation of The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse worked for me - I've just ordered it for my granddaughter! (or I might keep it for myself...)

Thanks TwiceAsNice!

Monty Don does not write enthusiastically about fox hunting

He did say he may be in favour of culling in certain circumstances and was subsequently trolled.

If you think your mother may enjoy his book then don't be put off by that. Don't forget, at 96 she is still entitled to her own opinions on whether she agrees with him or not.

Thank you Callistemon, that's helpful.
I was just going by the reviews on Amazon that said that about the fox hunting.
In fact it was the review that was at the top, so what you say makes sense.
(It's my grandmother, not my mother btw, and she is very opinionated!)

He posted a photo of dead wolves? and said it was sickening but intimated he wasn't against culling, I think.

It's my grandmother, not my mother btw, and she is very opinionated
I know, I don't know why I posted mother!!

Not to worry Callistemon- I think that I have settled on MD now, so I'm most grateful for your contribution!

How about one of these? About a school inspector in Yorkshire dales. "Uproarious and touching in turns"

Thank you, but she has almost certainly read all of Phinn's books.

Has she read "The Morville Hours" by Katherine Swift. This combines the story of the creation of a garden with history and all sorts of anecdotes. An easy read but very informative.

Elegran yes I did see that, amazingly the elephant herd walked for hours to stand in vigil at his house when he died. How on earth would they have sensed that? In some ways we know so little about animals.

I wondered - don't laugh - whether they could hear that his stomach was no longer rumbling. They hear the noises that other elephants make from far away, and Lawrence Antony himself said that if he listened carefully, he could hear rumblings when the herd was around but some distance off.

Love gervasse phinn really funny reading.