'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Review: Natural World

Our natural world is indeed a wonder, and this stunning book will have both kids and adults wide-eyed at the depth of it all ... from the living world and its classifications, through to the curiosities of both flora and fauna at vast extremes... from the ocean bed to the mountain peak.

Amanda Wood and Mike Jolly have provided a fascinating and carefully-honed peek into our living creations. Spreads feature such topics as What is a Bird?, The Fight for Survival, Food Chains and Webs, Warning Colours, The Art of Disguise, All About Feathers, and much more.

Presented with an almost archival, museum feel, the pages are nevertheless highly accessible and attractive to even very young children, with beautifully-placed text and boxes that make learning fascinating as well as fun.

Owen Davey has excelled himself in this latest production from Wide Eyed Editions. His illustrations are exquisite, timeless and an absolute heart-thump to wander through. Their details, texture and colour palette is superb, and his ability to take a densely-researched thatch of informative and fascinating text and make it visually resplendent, is masterful.

A must-own, in my humble opinion.

Title: Natural World--A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature
Author: Amanda Wood and Mike Jolley
Illustrator: Owen Davey
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions, $35, 112 pages
Publication Date: 22 June 2016
Format: Hard cover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9781847807519
For ages: 7+
Type: Information Book, Picture Book