Sir David Attenborough: Early Reader Edition

Sir David Attenborough at the official opening of the Weston Library, Oxford, England, in March 2015. Ovenden awarded the Bodley Medal to Hawking and Attenborough as part of the ceremony.John Cairns via Wikimedia Commons

Sir David Attenborough once asked, “Kids understand the natural world and the fascination... So, the question is, how did you lose it?”[1] Now he is ninety-nine years old and he still loves animals and cares deeply about saving the planet. David has spent his life teaching others to love nature as much as he does. He is a famous TV presenter, scientist, and storyteller, and is loved by lots of people around the world.

Early Life  

David Attenborough was born in England on May 8, 1926. His father worked at a university, and taught David the importance of learning. As a child, David loved collecting rocks and fossils. One day, an archaeologist named Jacquetta Hawkes saw his collection and was very impressed which made David happy. David later went to Cambridge University to study animals and the Earth. After that, he joined the Royal Navy.[2]

David Joins the BBC

After the Navy, David worked on science textbooks for children. He became bored of the work and applied for a job with the BBC, a British television company. At first, they said no! But later, they asked him to help with some of the programs. Back then, most people in the UK didn’t even have TVs and David had only seen one TV show in his life before starting to work for the BBC!

David helped to create a show called Zoo Quest, where people filmed animals in the wild. It was very exciting, and it helped people see animals in their real homes, not just in zoos.[3]

Making TV Better

David worked hard to make the shows at the BBC more fun and interesting. When color television was made, he decided to put a game called snooker on the TV. Snooker uses lots of different colored balls, which made it perfect for the color televisions. He also added shows about nature.

David did so well in his job, that he was given a job as one of the bosses at the BBC. He liked the job, but it meant he became less involved with making the TV shows. After a while, he decided to go back to what he loved most—filming animals.

Saving Nature Through TV 

Throughout his life, David has made over one hundred nature documentaries. One of his most famous collections is called The Life Collection, which took thirty years to make! Lately, his shows have focused on how humans are hurting nature and how we can fix it. In shows like Our Planet and Climate Change—The Facts, Davis asks us to help protect the Earth. Even though the problems are serious, David always shares hope. In Planet Earth III, he showed real-life heroes who are working hard to save animals and the planet.

At a big meeting about climate change in 2021, he said:

If working apart we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet, surely working together we are powerful enough to save it. In my lifetime I've witnessed a terrible decline. In yours, you could and should witness a wonderful recovery.[4]

Ocean

On May 8, 2025, David turned ninety-nine years old! On that day, his new movie David Attenborough: Ocean came out in the UK. He says it’s one of his most important films to date. The movie shows how saving our oceans can help save all of us.

He said, “After almost 100 years on this planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.”[5]

Watch the trailer for David Attenborough: Ocean below.

Conclusion

Sir David Attenborough has spent more than sixty years teaching us about the beauty of nature. His shows help us see how amazing animals and the planet are—and why we must protect them. As he celebrates his ninety-ninth birthday, we celebrate him for being a true hero for the Earth.

[1] Bootstrap. David Attenborough: An Extraordinary Life. [Online] Available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX69fd14_w8. 2020.

[2] "Sir David Attenborough – Naturalist". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012.

[3] Bootstrap, 2020.

[4] BBC. COP26: David Attenborough says world is looking to leaders [Online] Available https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-59125138. 2021.

[5] Rowlatt, Justin. Attenborough at 99 delivers 'greatest message he's ever told' [Online] Available https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0wjxg0ex1o. 2025.