There is a chance to see the stunning illustrations of local artist Jackie Morris up close this summer, in an exhibition of an award-winning book that has become a national phenomenon.

The Lost Word by St Davids based Jackie Morris and poet Robert Macfarlane is a book that brings nature and wildlife back to a generation of children.

It came about after both Jackie and Robert were asked to be among 25 signatories to a letter asking that certain nature words were re-introduced to the Oxford Junior Dictionary.

“Both myself and Robert would say that putting them back in the dictionary isn’t the answer,” said Jackie. “They need to be in people’s hearts and souls.

"They need to be looking at nature. Children who see a small brown bird need to know that’s a wren.”

With this in mind she had an idea to write a book consisting of the words that had been lost and their dictionary definitions, so that they had their own dictionary.

“I wrote to Robert who I had never met, and asked him to write the foreword,” said Jackie. “Out of that our book grew.”

The book is which uses stirring spell-songs and eye-catching illustrations to reintroduce the fading faces of nature to our vocabularies and in turn, inspire us to join the fight to reverse their plight is now a national treasure.

Jackie was awarded the prestigious CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration for it and it was shortlisted as one of the nations ten favourite nature books alongside Tarka the Otter and ind in the Willows.

The Lost Words has now been brought to life at Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St Davids.

The touring exhibition, which is organised by Compton Verney, with Hamish Hamilton and Penguin Books, will bring together, for the first time the original artwork by Jackie Morris alongside the English language poems by Robert Macfarlane and Welsh language poems written by Mererid Hopwood.

At Oriel y Parc, specimens from the natural history collections of Amgueddfa Cymru will also be used to highlight the level of biodiversity loss and explain the work being done to try and arrest this decline.

A series of special events and activities will be held at Oriel y Parc to encourage more people to discover more about Geiriau Diflanedig - The Lost Words and use the spell-songs to conjure their own magic memories in nature.

Geiriau Diflanedig - The Lost Words will be on display at Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St Davids until spring 2024.