Janet Brady’s inspiration for her new children’s book came from a visit to the Dream Cave near Wirksworth in Derbyshire. She was fortunate enough to descend into the cave with Woolly Rhino enthusiast, Professor Karim Vahed, who explained that it was here, in 1822, that lead miners discovered the skeleton of a Woolly Rhino. The animal had fallen into the cave at the end of the last Ice Age.

In her book, Janet imagines what it might be like if the rhino had emerged into the present day. It is, of course, a very different world from the cold steppe where hundreds of megabeasts such as rhinos and mammoths once roamed.

How would people react to such a terrifying creature? With his immense size, wild hair, and two horns—one of them strangely bent—he would hardly be welcomed with open arms.

“You don’t belong here.”

Yet, in the end, he finds belonging and acceptance, and we discover the book’s central message:it’s okay to be different.

Lovingly crafted with Janet’s own words and illustrations, the book is designed to intrigue as well as inform, encouraging children to interact with the story through a final craft activity. Janet also hopes that news of this remarkable discovery—now stored away in a cupboard at Oxford University—will inspire curiosity about the past, while reminding us how powerfully changes in climate and landscape can shape life.

A spellbinding blend of words and art, carrying a message that speaks powerfully to the world we live in today.

For more details about the book and associated workshops, contact here and register your interest.

Or alternatively you can follow and contact Janet on Insta

Janet at the launch of her book with Professor Karim Vahed.