Congratulations to the newly wed Orlando and Miranda and all the best to the happy couple. Here’s a note from Orlando’s mom Sonia, via Lori.

To all Orlando Bloom Fans July 2010

Dear OB Fans

This is Orlando’s mum just to tell you that our family are so delighted to welcome Miranda into it . I am delighted with my new daughter-in-law as she is a lovely person – beautiful to look at, but better still, lovely personality – kind, open, calm and laidback and a lovely laugh which seems absolutely right for my son. We are all smiling – especially me!

Being busy as I am, writing children’s books on the importance of insects and invertebrates in this world, I am wondering if all those of you who know young children or have children could possibly consider obtaining a copy of my new book Basil the Beetle’s Scary Adventures over the internet from tales@amentsoc.org – website www.amentsoc.org . It only costs £4.50 or $6 + postage/packing. The book is published by the UK’s AMATEUR ENTOMOLOGIST SOCIETY (AES) which is a charitable organisation for encouraging entomology (the study of insects) among young children and ALL PROCEEDS will go towards the valuable work they do among the young.

The book has had some very good reviews and has been applauded by most of the entomologist societies in the UK – but as the AES is not a mainstream publisher, we are doing a lot of the marketing ourselves. As many of you may have seen, my son Orlando and daughter Samantha were there at the Launch of the book, which took place at the end of April in Britain’s Natural History Museum – a great honour for me to have such a launch at such a prestigious place. One of the aim’s of the book is to encourage children NOT to automatically step on beetles and to appreciate them.

We are sure youngsters will love Basil to be read to them and parents will benefit from its encouragement to get children back into the countryside with them to go bug-hunting and appreciate the natural world.

If you could all help by contacting tales@amentsoc.org or the AES website on www.amentsoc.org it would be wonderful.

Thank you for reading this – and for your loyalty to my son and hopefully your help to get the word about Basil the Beetle around…it’s the first of five still in the pipeline!

Best wishes from Sonia Copeland Bloom

And here’s what British naturalist Steve Backshall has to say about the books

“Sonia’s marvelous books have hit on the essential truth of how we first come to the wild world around us. We learn in a tactile fashion, by feeling, tasting, touching and smelling, and that immediacy of experience is most keenly felt when delving into the secret worlds of invertebrates – the tiny creatures that rule the world.

All my sharpest childhood memories are of delving into the woods in search of living wonders, the heavy scent of turned earth and damp leaf litter, the tickle of a millipede or earwig across my hand, the excitement at discovering something unknown and unexplained wriggling beneath a mossy log.

Sonia’s books bring back all that magic for me, I sincerely hope they’ll provide the same inspiration for the next generation of budding naturalists.”

Steve Backshall,
Naturalist and explorer