The third book in the 'Daddy and I Explore' series has been released.

'Daddy and I Explore Nonsuch Island, A Living Museum' takes readers on a tour of Nonsuch Island and the work that has been done by former conservation officer David Wingate and current conservation officer Andrew Madeiros.

Author David Chapman spoke to Lifestyle reporter René Hill from his London home about the project.

Bermudian author David Chapman has reached the halfway point in a planned six-book series focusing on the relationship between father and child.

"It feels great," he said. "This particular title has been a lot of hard work, as I have had to try to balance being off the Island with the production of the book.

"It also is an important title as I feel Dr. David Wingate is one of Bermuda's unsung heroes whose work and contribution in terms of the environment and conservation movement in Bermuda has been extremely important.

"It has also been an important opportunity to bring a person like Dr. Wingate to another younger generation of Bermudians, a generation that may not know his work and its impact, but no doubt will be affected by it in some shape or form.

"As you said, reaching the halfway mark has allowed the series to continue to be recognised as an ongoing and alive work and not just a short success story."

A former environmental science teacher at the Berkeley Institute, Mr. Chapman is currently conducting PhD research in renewable energy technology and energy security in London, England, where he also works as a renewable energy analyst at a global engineering consultancy.

However he intends to continue his series, and already anticipates shooting the topics in his books will be more difficult as he moves forward.

"I intend to shoot the cave habitat and an underwater habitat soon in the series, and if I can accomplish that, that will really be a landmark for me," he said.

"People keep asking me to develop digital medium products such as documentaries or online feature-ettes for the book, however my priority is to continue with the printed medium as a key factor is encouraging literacy through book reading."

Wanting to capture Dr. Wingate in his element and to present him as a national hero was the inspiration behind 'Daddy and I Explore Nonsuch Island, A Living Museum'.

"I also wanted to bridge the gap that is being portrayed by some in the environmental movement, that caring for the environment is a class or race-based thing," said the author.

"This is on both sides of the fence white and blacks are guilty of it. I wanted to show the interaction not only between fathers and children exploring and learning, but also of the non-labelled passion that Dr. Wingate represents for me and has represented for me in my journey in this field of the environmental sciences.

"The whole point of the series is to present the beauty and wonder of nature. I chose Nonsuch Island to continue on the thread that was established in the last two titles in the series and tried to bring plants, animals, habitats and a way of looking at them to the public that most have never seen before.

"Indeed, the topic of Nonsuch became even more important when I started to consider the anniversary of the 400th year since Bermuda's continuous habitation.

"Nonsuch Island, before it was a nature reserve, has had a very important and unique history in terms of Bermuda's overall heritage."

The photo on the book's cover features Mr. Chapman's daughter Asanté, with a Tropic Bird more familiarly known here as a Bermuda Longtail.

"I wish I could have gotten access to a cahow or cahow chick, however they were not breeding at that time and they are a heavily protected species.

"Jeremy Madeiros who has ultimate control over Nonsuch Island access was very gracious to us by allowing us to shoot on the island as well as giving us access to the unique fauna living there such as the Tropic Bird.

"Because of the presence of Dr. Wingate, Mr. Madeiros and myself, I was able to shoot a lot of Nonsuch Island's unique and rare flora and fauna.

"My particular favourite is finding and photographing animals and plants that most people do not even know exist, much less ever see in their life.

"In this book, the shots of the Bermuda Sand Dollar, the Tropic Bird chick and the extremely rare Leaf-Cutter Bee are my favourite shots. We tried so hard to get a shot of a Bermuda Skink. It eluded us this time, but I will definitely be back to get that one. That is a must."

The success of Nonsuch Island speaks to the work of Dr. Wingate and Jeremy Madeiros, he added.

"For those that do not know, Dr. Wingate was the former chief conservation officer and when he retired the post was taken over by Jeremy Madeiros," said Mr. Chapman.

"In that role, Jeremy is not only responsible for the maintenance of Nonsuch Island as well as the Cahow breeding programme, but also for other conservation areas around Bermuda.

"A lot of these green zones are taken for granted, but without civil servants like Jeremy and volunteers like Dr. Wingate, the quality of these green spaces would not be what they are today. Many would be totally infested by invasive species such as the Mexican (Brazil) Pepper.

"The Cahow breeding program, which has seen its first Bermuda-born bird come back to nest and hatch a live young in the nest just this summer, is a labour of love for Jeremy Madeiros and his staff.

"It is extremely hard work and often no one is around to appreciate their accomplishments. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the development of Nonsuch Island as a 'living museum' nature reserve and the starting of the Cahow breeding programme by Dr. Wingate and his finding of the once-thought-of-as-extinct Cahow way back in the 1951."

The books are designed to highlight things fathers can do with their youngsters.

Said Mr. Chapman: "It is all about the youth. Of course, youth is a matter of attitude not age.

"I feel the books are a great inspiration to those young people out there who have an interest not only in the science of the environment, but the actual exploration of nature itself.

"This is the feeling I am trying to really create with these books and this is the experience that I try to share with them when I visit schools and classrooms or read at book festivals, etc.

"I am a personal mentor to a few younger individuals who I admire and who I feel have great potential when it comes to being able to make a difference in their work in the environmental sciences.

"I am trying to do what others have done for me."

Mr. Chapman worked with photographer Duvon Powell of Artistic Impressions on the project.

"He took the photos and did the graphics. Again the end product has been excellent.

"We have been a great team working together and Duvon is extremely talented. He is also a great father and husband and so the overall aim of the series was also important to him as well.

"This made for a great dynamic. The Bank of Bermuda has also been a great supporter of the project. They have made it possible to distribute a copy of the book to every primary four student across the Island, both private and public schools, so that teachers can use them for their science, environment, literacy or Bermuda history curriculum. The feedback from the educators has been excellent so far."

The author described his daughter, Asanté, as "a natural explorer" who also "loves the outdoors".

"She is not afraid of the 'creepy crawlies', although we all have our squeamishness, right? I know I do. She is growing so fast though that I might need another model for my next title. Luckily I have four children."

He said of the challenges of He said of the challenges of being a single father: "I do not honestly see myself as a single father, as my children have great mothers who are much more involved than I could ever dream to be.

"Without their role, it would be extremely challenging. However, I am a firm believer that fathers bring something to the table that mothers do not and for this I am grateful to be able to impact my children's lives, no matter how small, both directly and indirectly.

"Ultimately, the most important thing for fathers is to let their children know they are there for them and for them to know that they love them.

"Just saying those words and a little physical contact like hugs make the world of difference in the children's mental and social development. I also do not consider my role to be just a father to my blood children, but to as many young people out there who I can impact.

"This is critical in our society and it is a role that men of responsibility and ability should not shirk nor take lightly."

In a 2005 interview with The Royal Gazette, Mr. Chapman insisted it was possible for fathers to take kids exploring at little to no cost.

Reminded of that during this interview he said: "My views are definitely the same. However, it is becoming more important in Bermuda's society for responsible and able men to stand up and show they are ready to take a leadership role and to set an example as a role model.

"In saying this, I mean that the image of a father spending time with his children is important but also the ability for a father/man to accomplish a project and present it to the public on a high level is also an important example for both the young and old."

Asked whether he had noticed any particular behavioural problems in children with absent fathers, he said: "Just having a father in a child's life is not a guarantee to good behaviour or a progressive outlook on life by our young people.

"We need good quality male role models in general, inclusive of fathers, uncles, cousins, grandparents, teachers, etc. The biggest impact that males can have on their young people is the development of respect respect for others, themselves, their surroundings and their work.

"This respect translates into so much more in the long run. This is a big element that is missing from the society and those young troubled souls we are having so many challenges with today.

"A lack of respect, which ultimately mutates into a lack of value for the things the rest of society view as important. I encourage all fathers to do their best to play this sort of role in their children's lives and to those young people that they can impact.

"I also encourage all mothers to allow fathers to do this and try not to forgo this contribution for the sake of financial negotiatory constraints."

He lives in the UK with his eldest son, Judah.

"It is my belief that in this day and age, distance should be no barrier to productivity. However, it was quite a challenge to coordinate the final print production of the new title from an extended distance with the graphic illustrator and printers.

"Juggling the responsibilities of school, work, and of course fatherhood, with the book production was challenging. However, all in all, everything worked out great."

The book is available from Brown and Co., the Bermuda Book Store, True Reflections, It's Only Natural Health Centre and People's Pharmacy.