Lottie Loves Nature by Jane Clarke is a new eco-adventure series for young readers and nature-lovers aged 5+.

Lottie loves wildlife and dreams of becoming a nature show presenter like Samira, host of her favourite program Every Little Thing. Together with her techy neighbor Noah, Lottie embarks on a series of fun outdoor adventures, and creates a nature scrapbook filled with tips on how to help local wildlife.

The funny and action-packed stories, written by Jane Clarke and illustrated by James Brown, are perfect for inspiring young readers to help save local wildlife and look after planet Earth.

Toppsta reviewer Sophie, aged 5, had the chance to ask Jane some questions about the Lottie books, read on to find out more and for a sneak peek of some of the inside spreads too!

1. I love Bindi Irwin, is Samira based on a real wildlife TV presenter and who is your favourite? 

Samira is a mixture of the inspirational wildlife presenters I've watched over the years, including Michaela Strachan, Chris Packham, and of course David Attenborough. I remember Bindi as a two year old on her dad, Steve Irvin's, show! My favourite wildlife presenter right now is Liz Bonnin.

2. What other adventures does Lottie have planned?

Lottie's new adventures involve bees, birds and hedgehogs- and lots more fun and havoc!

3. The ending was funny, what gives you ideas for the funny parts?

I think "what if?.." and exaggerate things. Often I start with something that my sons did when they were young, or my granddaughters - or all the much-loved pets we've ever had. I've cleaned up an awful lot of mess and chaos over the years!

4. Did Lottie win the competition? 

Lottie's still filling up her nature notebook, so she hasn't sent it off yet. She's really excited about it and is making it as interesting as possible, so she has the best chance of winning. Even if she doesn't win, the notebook will be returned to her and Lottie will have made something she can treasure her whole life. Maybe you could start a nature notebook, too?

5. Was Mr Parfitt's garden ok? I'm glad Lottie saved the ants. They are cute and good for the planet. 

Mr Parfitt had a lot of cleaning up to do, but his garden is back to how he likes it. Well, until next time... I'm glad you like ants. I like watching them when they communicate with their antennae. When my sons were young, we used to put our hands on our heads and waggle our fingers like feelers and 'talk ant' to one another!

6. I want to be a vet or a teacher when I grow up, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Gosh, that's great that you know already, Sophie. I didn't know I wanted to be a writer until I was 40 years old. When I was at primary school, I loved stories and poems, but hated writing things down. I wanted to be a circus acrobat and spent a lot of time hanging upside down from a trapeze my Dad had fixed to a tree in the garden. Later, I decided I wanted to be an archaeologist, and I was one for a bit, and also a history teacher.

7. How did you become a writer? 

We were living in Holland and I got a job in the school library of an international school. Part of my job was to read stories to the children, and I thought 'wouldn't it be wonderful if I could write a book that would be put on a shelf in this library?' I found making up and writing stories quite easy, but it was still hard to write things down, and it took me 7 years to get published. 

8. What makes you like writing about nature? 

Loving nature has been a big part of my life and it plays a part in almost all of the books I've written. I like writing about it because it fascinates me, and makes me fizz with enthusiasm. I want to pass that feeling on to my readers.

9. I love that it is full of facts on nature, where do you find these out? 

I watch loads of wildlife programmes and read lots of fact books (often borrowed from the library) and I love wildlife magazines, but I also do a lot of research on the internet.

10. How many books have you written?

Lottie Loves Nature, Frog Frenzy is my 98th published book, and I have books in the pipeline that will take me up to, I think, around 120. But not every book I write gets published. I've probably written more like 300!

Thanks for all your great questions, Sophie, It's wonderful to hear that you love Lottie and nature, too!