Footprints
Illustrated by Kalina Muhova
- Age Range: 7-11
- Publisher: Post Wave
- Format: Hardback
- Genre: narrative non-fiction
- ISBN: 978-1836270829
- Publication date: 17 September 2026
- Print length: 56 pages
- Dimensions: 24.5 x 0.9 x 28.5cm
- Curriculum Links: human origins, palaeontology, evolution and prehistory, science and discovery, Mary Leakey, women in STEM
Synopsis
Meet Lucy. She may look familiar, but her story began 3.6 million years ago. This beautifully illustrated book imagines her world as she roams ancient landscapes with knife-toothed cats and towering giraffes, while navigating raging volcanoes and fierce storms.
Author’s note
“My wonderful agent Julia Churchill gave me the idea for this book. She sent me a one-line email and a photo of the Laetoli footprints. The sight of those footprints was electrifying – here was evidence of early bipedal walking, literally set in stone!“
Reviews
What a lovely book! I was transported to another place in another time, awestruck by volcanoes and terrified by bloodthirsty predators. A beautifully presented and enlightening book, Footprints mixes poetry and mesmerising images in answering one of humankind’s most important questions – how we came to be.
I read Footprints with delight and admiration. I love that this fascinating story features fun facts, ancient animals and perfectly judged moments of humour.
Related links
- I chatted about Footprints with teacher and author Ian Eagleton over at The Reading Realm
- The Laetoli footprints were discovered as a direct result of a game of elephant dung dodgeball! I wrote about it in this piece for First News
- Narrative non-fiction is an excellent way to enthuse children about STEM subjects. I discussed this in a piece for Booktrust and recommended four narrative non-fiction titles that can be used in the science classroom
For Teachers
I offer Key Stage 2 workshops that use Footprints as the inspiration for children to write their own prehistoric chase scenes. In this session we have fun with words and smuggle in some tips on pace, tension, descriptive language and strong verbs.
See School Visits page for details.
Sample Pages
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