Once, the only sounds to be heard were the buzzing of bees in the grass, the murmuring of moles in the earth, and the song of birds in the sky. These warmed the hearts of those who cared to listen - until the others came to fill the sky with a cacophony of noise. With dramatically lit artwork and a spare, intriguing text, Varmints tells of a pastoral world in need of protection and of the souls who love it enough to ensure its regeneration. AUTHOR: Helen Ward trained at the Brighton School of Art, winning the first Walker Prize for Children's Illustration in her final year. Having twice won the National Art Library Award, her books for Templar include 'Aesop's Animal Fables', 'King of the Birds', 'Varmints' and 'The Cockerel and the Fox', short-listed for the 2003 Kate Greenaway Medal.