Go Wild! A Book That Gently Nudges Us Back to Nature [Review]

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Title: Go Wild! Stories, Essays and Comics that Celebrate our Earth
Illustrator: Prabha Mallya
Authors: Anita Roy, Aparna Kapur, Bittu Sahgal, Harini Nagendra, Kartik Shanker, Lavanya Karthik, Meghaa Gupta, Nidhin Donald, Prabha Mallya, Prerna Singh Bindra, Priya Kuriyan, Rajiv Eipe, Ranjit Lal, Ravikant Kisana, Rohan Chakravarty, Salil Chaturvedi, Seema Mundoli, Shabnam Minwalla, Yuvan aves and Zai Whaitker
Editor: Bijal Vachharajani
Cover Design: Prabha Mallya and Samar Bansal
Type: Hardcover
Genre: Anthology
Publisher: Puffin Books (An imprint of Penguin Random House)
Length: 200 pages
Age group: 10 years+

In the past few hours, I’m sure you’ve done at least one of these: looked at your mobile phone, watched TV, felt the bus go by, or perhaps smelled the vehicle pollution. Maybe you made a to-do list, grabbed a plastic cover or box, or walked on a tar road with rubber as a barrier between you and the earth.

Now, take a moment to pause and think. How many of us, in the same past few hours, have done any of these:

• Watched a butterfly flutter around?
• Smelt the fragrance of wet soil?
• Had our feet touch the earth, feeling a pebble or the crunch of dried leaves under our feet?
• Had a silly chatter with a crow that sat by our window sill?
• Or perhaps pet an earthworm before releasing it back into the garden?
• Just sat silently, listening to the sound of crickets and cherishing the Tabebuia blooms as they gently fall to kiss the ground?
• Or simply looked up and felt the early morning sun kiss your cheeks?

We are moving so fast, chasing dreams far removed from the roots that anchor us, that we’ve almost forgotten what true luxury is—the gift of nature in all its raw, vivid beauty. And that’s exactly why Go Wild, edited by Bijal Vachharajani, is such a powerful book. It doesn’t scream solutions; it nudges us back to wonder. It rekindles what we’ve lost—the ability to be awed by the ordinary magic around us.

This book is a celebration of the Earth in all its glorious mess and marvel. It’s not just a book. It’s a curated medley of essays, stories, comics, and visual narratives by diverse voices. Each format flows as unpredictably and beautifully as nature itself. You flip a page and meet a witty mantis, wander with a wheelchair through the forest, or get pulled into a tale of ants politicking their way through colony life. The pieces are as varied as their creators, but bound together by a central idea—that nature is not a thing “out there.” It is here, everywhere, and we’re a part of it.

My 12 year old daughter captured it perfectly after reading the book:

“I liked that the stories are fun and informative. They made me care about ants, plants, rivers, and even dirt! I didn’t feel like I was reading about science or climate—it felt like I was reading real stories of creatures who have lives, worries, and dreams of their own. My favorite was the comic where the girl tries to save a creature but slowly understands that she’s not the heroine of nature. Nature doesn’t need heroes or villains. It just needs respect.”

She also couldn’t stop laughing at the hilarious depiction of the Praying Mantis—a character who morphs into the Spraying Mantis, Greying Mantis, Braying Mantis, and even a Betraying Mantis. The witty descriptions paired with the amazing sketches had her giggling every time she flipped back to those pages.

The beauty of Go Wild lies in its ability to speak to both children and adults. It’s laugh-out-loud funny in parts—like Rajiv Eipe’s clever comic full of mantis wordplay—and then suddenly thoughtful, like Lavanya Karthik’s reflection that “in rest stops like these, the wild world lets us in on its mysteries.” Each piece makes you feel something: joy, guilt, awe, maybe even anger. But more importantly, it makes you ask questions:
Do I really care?
If I say I do, does my life reflect it?
Do my actions say “I care”?

The stories aren’t all sugar and sunshine. They confront our indifference and question our speciesism—the belief that humans are more important than other species. The stories make us see how cities are reshaped at the cost of trees, lakes, and lives—both human and non-human. In the essay A Tale of Three Cities by Seema Mundoli and Harini Nagendra, we’re reminded how fast water is vanishing from our metros. In When Plants Made History by Meghaa Gupta, we discover how plants have long been silent witnesses to—and saviors of—human survival.

But this isn’t a book about doom. It’s about the wild wonders that still remain, if only we’d notice them. It’s about hope tucked into the laughter of kids saving a banyan tree, or ants dreaming big in Ranjit Lal’s For Queen and Colony. (There’s even an ant named Ms Hisaab Kitaab checking Aadhaar and ration cards at the colony gate—because bureaucracy spares none!)

And then there’s Places My Wheelchair Likes to Go, a stunning photo narrative by Salil Chaturvedi that tells an entire story without a single word, just pictures—and yet it speaks volumes. The wheelchair rolls through forests, under trees, beside the lake, showing us that nature is truly for everyone. That inclusion doesn’t need grand statements—sometimes, it just needs space.

This is a book that makes us relatable, that deepens empathy, and yes, even makes us laugh, cry, wonder, and pause. It doesn’t hand out answers, but it leaves you with seeds—questions that root into your conscience and grow slowly, asking you to act, to care, to reconnect.

Go Wild is a book every home should have. It’s a must for school libraries, a perfect gift for young readers, and a delightful reawakening for adults.

Because really, there is no Planet B.
And reconnecting with this one might just begin with the turn of a page.

A huge plus: it’s printed on recycled paper, and the illustrations are absolutely stunning—a treat for the eyes. The thoughtful selection of works only enhances its impact, making it a must-have addition to any bookshelf.

If you liked this review and all things nature all close to your heart, you’d might like to order the book from Amazon (kbc affiliate link),

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Disclaimer: We got this book as part of #kbcReviewerSquad from the publisher via kbc and we feel happy and privileged to be part of it as we are free to have our opinions and give an honest review of the book.