The Fantastical Safari

‘The Fantastical Safari’ is a stunning book which takes readers on an incredible journey to five of the most remote habitats in the world. The illustrations are stunning, making this a book to treasure for adults and children alike.

The safari travels to the depths of the Marina Trench, along the Greenland Ice Sheet to the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, the Galapagos Islands and then finally to the Tenere region of the Sahara Desert. Each location is carefully introduced with its terrain and climate described before exploring the creatures which live there and how they have adapted to survive in those conditions.

Perfect for enriching and adding interest to the science curriculum, the book supports many of the things which children should be taught in the Living Things and their Habitats and Evolution and Inheritance strands. Beautiful books like this one enhance the subject, encouraging children to value them. The Galapagos Islands are often chosen as a focus for learning in geography- location, physical features, mapping skills etc- and this book encourages them to look both at and beyond this to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world.

Both beautiful and fascinating, this is a book to treasure!

The Fantastical Safari

Kristjana S Williams, written by Lucy Brownridge

Wide Eyed ISBN: 978-0711296725

Small, Sparkling Raindrop

‘Small, Sparkling Raindrop’ is the latest in the ‘Start Small, Think Big’ series. These lovely books thoughtfully present information by starting with things children are familiar with and connecting these to the bigger picture of the world.

In this book, children follow the path of a raindrop from the moment it falls from a cloud. Through its journey, they learn about the water cycle, the vital role water plays for all living things, how water shapes the land and the importance of clean water to the environment.

The text is beautifully presented, supported by attractive, eye-catching illustrations. The raindrop tells its own story at each stage, clearly and concisely explaining what is happening whilst additional information is also offered, written in italics to be easily differentiated from the raindrop’s narrative.

An excellent classroom resource, the book links with many curriculum areas and, although geared at a KS1 audience, would be very useful in KS2, supporting understanding of topics such as the water cycle or rivers. Technical vocabulary associated with these subjects is carefully used and explained, for example, children learn why a river delta has this name. The book focuses on the Mekong river, offering a chance to enrich the curriculum by drawing attention to a river which might not be a ‘typical’ classroom choice and offering potential for further research and discovery.

As with all the titles in this series, the book concludes with a fold-out which pulls together all the information covered through the book, plus offers an I-Spy game which encourages readers to re-explore the book, hunting for the animals.

A great addition to the series!

Start Small, Think Big: Small, Sparkling River

Mary Auld, illustrated by Lou Baker Smith

Mama Makes Books ISBN: 978-1916780101

You can read my review of ‘Flying, Fluffy Seed’ here and ‘Small, Speckled Egg’/ ‘Little, Brown Nut’ here.

NNFN2024: Bird, Bee and Bug Houses

Not only does ‘Bird, Bee and Bug Houses’ share lots of fascinating facts about the wonderful array of wildlife on our doorsteps, it inspires children to make and do, taking a practical approach to caring for nature. Perfect for NNFN2024, it is full of fun activities and interesting ideas.

Having explained what habitats and ecosystems are and the reasons they are being lost, the book starts with a focus on birds and the different types of nest they build. It then offers step-by-step, illustrated instructions on how to build a bird box which incudes measurements and suggestions for some entrance hole sizes for different species. Information about owls and the differing types of nest box they might choose is followed by instructions for how to build a bird bath and make a no-bake bird cake.

Butterflies, bats, bees, bugs, beetle, frogs… there is so much information included here about wildlife and so many practical activities to interest and engage children, getting them out and about, encouraging them to take an interest in, and show care for, the creatures in their locality. Sure to inspire, the clear, attractive illustrations which accompany each activity make the book an appealing treat!

Bird, Bee and Bug Houses: Homes and Habitats for Garden Wildlife

Susie Behar, illustrated by Esther Coombs

Button Books ISBN: 978-1787081444