Atlas of Animal Adventures – Book Review
A collection of nature’s most Unmissable Events, Epic Migrations and Extraordinary Behaviours
Written By Rachel Williams and Emily Hawkins
Illustrated By Lucy Letherland
Published by Wide Eyed Editions ISBN 978-1-84780-792-2
Reviewed by Andy Robert Davies
This substantial book (in size and content), follows a tried and tested atlas format. Areas of the world are introduced to the reader with a double-page spread of a drawn map, covered with various native species, each acting out their own dramatic story.
A couple of these creatures are then explained in further detail within a complex composition that shows them excelling in their natural habitat. Letherland’s illustrations combine both controlled line work with textured ink washes, and she uses anthropomorphism selectively to provide humour and hidden detail that should entertain the reader. Lovesick bees, sledging penguins and sea lions making sandcastles can all be found in this atlas!
The text flows around the composition in short paragraphs, delivering intriguing facts and figures about the featured animal. Cut-away sections give further explanation and add to the intricate page design. It will probably take a child several sittings to read this suitably large book, as it introduces a wide range of animals, and countries. Children are shown that the humpback whales off the coast of Chile and the British honeybee are both magnificent creatures in their own way, and hopefully this book will help to encourage an appreciation of the world’s wildlife and lead to further investigation.
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