Wild Ones ebook review by Kids of the Wild

Wild Ones by Kate Wilde, illustrated by Kate Stuart

Hello wild readers and welcome to 2025; long time no writing from me.

In fact it’s been so long since my last post (bless me, Mother Nature), that my ‘little’ wildling is now taller than me and has been a veritable wild teen for a few years now!

Kids of the Wild has evolved in that time – in my head if not my actions – and as we get ourselves together again there are changes afoot. More on that another time…

Today I’m calling all nature lovers, families, home educators, forest school leaders, youth organisation leaders and anyone who loves to get outdoors and discover more about our amazing planet’s wildlife; here’s my review of Wild Ones, a delightful eBook guide to ‘family foraging, herbalism and connecting with nature through the seasons.’

By the way I’m not on a commission for this post. Wild Ones is a publication we love, that lots of you will love too.

This morning’s chilly snow day turned rapidly into a thoroughly soggy rain day. After clearing a patch of snow to feed the birds and navigating rail delays to get wild Daddy to work, there was nothing for it but to beat a retreat into the cosy warm for some colouring-in. Yes really. Never too old!

Brightly coloured illustration from Wild Ones eBook — One of Kate Stuart’s gorgeous illustrations from Wild Ones inspired this mindful colouring-in session!

Indoor nature connection

Being consigned to the indoors doesn’t mean we have to disconnect from nature. There are almost limitless nature-inspired activities to entertain families and children indoors from bird watching to TV shows, board games to nature journalling.

Wild Ones eBook is perfect for just that. It’s an inspiring collection of plant lore, herbal wisdom and beautiful illustrations. Wildlings (of any age) will have as much fun using it outside as they will on an indoor day, making a remedy or recipe from the book or colouring it in.

Introduction to foraging

Written by Kate Wilde, the book is designed as an introduction to foraging in nature for the whole family. It’s a fun and purposeful way to explore and learn about the magic of the natural world on our doorsteps and all around. It really is suitable for all ages.

For home educators it can even be used as a course or curriculum, for others it can be dipped into ad hoc throughout the year.

Wild Ones will help you discover some of the plants and herbs that thrive during each season as well as how to recognise, harvest and preserve them.

There are remedies, recipes and crafts, blank pages for your own notes, tips on how to connect with nature and of course the delightful illustrations which you can colour in or leave blank; beautiful either way. It is charming, simple to use, easy to understand and whether coloured-in or left as-illustrated it’s a nature keepsake to treasure.

A must for every wild family’s bookshelf.

*Double page spread with a notes page and Mugwort*

What your kids will love

Kids will love using Wild Ones to explore nature. They will learn to identify plants and understand their medicinal uses. They might even discover some of the plants in your own garden!

Younger children will enjoy making ‘potions’ from the book.

Older teens will enjoy more in-depth learning about the power of herbs as remedies and how to create gifts for family and friends.

Caroline says it’s really useful that Wild Ones is organised by season, and while there are other similar publications out there, she likes the personal notes pages and colourable illustrations. She also liked the reminder about poisonous plants and not touching plants unless we know they’re safe.

Wild Ones versatility

A4 sized when printed, the Wild Ones download is ideal for mobile phone use on days out and foraging adventures, while printing is great for hands-on learning (and colouring in of course!)

Pros

adaptable for all ages and experience levels
nature connection tips and advice
4 separate sections covering each season
simple and concise plant explanations
beautiful illustrations
colouring sheet for each main plant, plus extras
blank pages for personal notes and observations – print as many as you need
includes 9 medicinal herbs and plants
recipes, craft ideas and gift suggestions
use as a course, curriculum or ad hoc
seasonal foraging calendar to record plant locations and blooming dates for next year
120 pages

Cons

No page numbers
No contents page so you have to flick through to find a particular herb or plant (though it looks like the current eBook includes one – my copy was purchased as a hard copy, no longer available)

The Kates!

Kate Wilde, creator and author of Wild Ones, is a busy Mother of five on a mission to nurture the wise-ones of the future. She rediscovered her lost self through foraging and medicinal plants, all while her children were busy being true kids of the wild in the woods and country lanes around her house.

Kate Stuart is a good friend of mine, a wild Mama of two, an artist, writer and radical recycler of fabrics, transforming the everyday into stunning works of art, paintings, stories and fabulous gifts. Click to check out her website The Phoenix Green Store and her writing over on Substack.

Some of Kate’s drawings in Wild Ones

Grab a copy of Wild Ones with 20% discount

Download or print a copy from the Wild Ones Payhip store here.

It costs £7.99 but quote WILDKIDS20 at the checkout for an exclusive 20% discount on purchases across the site !

More printables from Wild Ones

As well as Wild Ones, the Kates have created several other beautiful products, ideal for nature inspired families. There is a card game, a Materia Medica, a nature journal and now a beautiful colouring book showcasing more beautiful botanical drawings! All available at the Payhip store here.
You won’t be disappointed. Don’t forget your discount!