Another round of books I read during the Cybils readathon.. this time, it is books featuring our fantastic world!! I have always loved reading books about nature in general, as well as those cool living things that are around us. It always astounds me whenever I see or read about all the smartness and sneakiness of these deceptively inane plants and animals (even when I already know that they are smart!!)

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“We share such a beautiful world. If nothing else, may we always find commonality and conversation on that basis”
― Melanie Charlene

Our Fantastic World

Staying at home this past year means we have been binging on shows, more often and for much longer than I want to admit to! But it is the truth (maybe for many of us) despite the fact that yes, I have also spent more time in our backyard than in the previous decade!

So after a time of binging on those-sundry-shows, we somehow end up on a show like Wings of Life (have you seen it?); and we are wowed, bowled over, awed, and wowed all over again. Soon, we find ourselves on a whole new binging spree – watching all the wonders of our world through Disneynature documentaries and the National Geographic ones as well. The number of amazing productions guarantee we will be watching these for a while. TBH, we are watching other stuff in between; like I am watching the Gilmore Girls (all over again, and again) with my teens this time!

And watching these shows reminds me once again of our fantastic world, and simply how truly stupendously fabulous it is!

And today, I bring you a few books that will remind you of the same..

The Books About Our Fantastic World

Everything Awesome About Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures

Book Info

What It Is (Excerpted From Book Description)

Discover the ULTIMATE, 128-paged book about all things sharks and underwater creatures, from the creative brain of Mike Lowery! Featuring fun facts, jokes, comics, maps, and more. 

My Thoughts

A fun, fun read that is as educational as it is entertaining. Cartoonish illustrations lend appeal to its audience as does the subject matter. And there is so much information contained in easily digestible facts as well as easy to understand text.

I certainly learned lots of interesting facts, and will be sure to use them to impress little nephews and nieces! And then introduce them to the fascinating world of sharks and the wonders of reading by gifting them this book!

In Summary

A book that will delight its target audience effortlessly (and also older readers) with both its topic and presentation. A must-have and must-read!

Get It Here

Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

Nesting

Book Info

What It Is (Excerpted From Book Description)

Award-winning author-illustrator Henry Cole soars to new heights in this stunning picture book about robins: their homes, their lives, and their families.

My Thoughts

Henry Cole takes readers through the seasons using the lives of a robin family. We watch through narrative and stunningly detailed illustrations as the mother lays eggs in the nest, and the parents care for them from the time the eggs hatch and grow into young robins until they are ready to be on their own. Of course, there is more that lends to the drama of their lives (in addition to the changing seasons); and readers are drawn in easily as those are captured in full-page spreads as well as comic style multiple sketches on a single page.

The beautiful, detailed, and realistic sketches in black-and-white and the stark contrast provided by the blue eggs of the robin were the highlight of this book for me. The text while straightforward and simple was a bit prosaic when compared to the beauty of the sketches, but is easy to understand for young readers.

Overall, the book is a combination of frame-worthy inspiring art and informative narrative that is perfect to teach concepts of the seasons and about birds to young readers.

In Summary

A stunning work of art that can inspire young readers to learn more about nature, as well as inspire them to art itself.

Get It Here

Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

Pretty Tricky: The Sneaky Ways Plants Survive

Book Info

What It Is (Excerpted From Book Description)

Brought to life with eye-popping cut-paper collage illustrations, this book is a garden of knowledge that will leave kids with a better understanding of how living things adapt to their environments

My Thoughts

Another Cybils Awards non-fiction read, this book shows us that plants are pretty cool and smart (Pretty, cool, and smart too)!!

While I knew of a couple of the plants featured in this book and their sneaky ways to survive, the rest amazed me newly. The bright, colorful and detailed illustrations — actually amazing paper art (cut-paper collages) — as well as the easy to understand yet totally fun educational text make this book a great read for everyone (not just plant enthusiasts).

Backmatter includes additional information to further enhance and inspire curious readers, an index, a glossary, and a list of selected sources.

In Summary

A pretty cool book about pretty (literally pretty too) clever plants!

Get It Here

Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

Wild Style: Amazing Animal Adornments

Book Info

What It Is (Excerpted From Book Description)

Meet cool critters — including crabs in sponge hats, caddisfly larvae wearing suits of armor, lacewing larvae dressing up with jewelry to hide themselves from ladybug predators — in this fun and fascinating photo book!

My Thoughts

This book contains lots of wow facts and photos. I did not know most of these interesting animals and certainly had no idea of their clever adornments.

The book showed me just how amazing and wonderful our natural world is, and how clever animals are; from the California ground squirrel that confuses the rattlesnake oh-so-uniquely to the amazing assassin bug (yes, there is an insect by that name!)

Each two page spread includes a detailed photo of the featured animal and its amazing adornment; the hows and whys of that specific adornment as well. Backmatter includes more notes on the featured animals, a glossary, and additional reading resources.

In Summary

A book that should adorn your bookshelves (when you are not actively reading it, that is)

Get It Here

Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

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Related Reads

While there are tons of books I have loved and reviewed here on my blog, here are a few that I recently read

• What a Wonderful World of Books and Words

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you read any of these books about our fantastic world? If not, which ones intrigue you the most? As always, recommendations, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.