If you happen to live in a part of the country that experiences four seasons, especially here in the northern hemisphere with spring peeking around the corner with more sunshine and enticing bright afternoons, these two nonfiction picture books will be especially welcome on wish lists and library holds. Both invite fresh and awe-inspiring looks at the plants and animals of our world that deserve to be showcased and studied.
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| PHAIDON, 2025 |
In this case the plants featured reside in habitats around the world, and are distinctly super-powered in multiple ways. The result is a collection of double-page spreads that are similarly organized but produce some jaw-dropping content through a blend of well-written text and symbols/icons that reveal particular adaptive patterns to support long-term survival.
The "super" elements of each plant, in various combinations, range from specialization of the bark, to longevity, to super-flower traits, to sensitivity/reactivity, and more. The compact and readable text explains how such advantages serve the particular plant species and combine with the other super qualities to make the plants exceptional. It's intriguing and exciting to read about, some examples being familiar to a degree and others being new introductions to various readers. Allowing for surviving (and thriving) across the globe and in wide-ranging biomes (deserts to rain forests to water homes), these highly specialized plant lead readers on a virtual tour of the world and invite them to find and learn more about extra special, super-powered plants!
Illustrator Pulido has a crisp, colorful style that lends appeal and draws attention to each element of a plant, making the complex content accessible and easily comparable to other plants.
End papers provide an array of the symbolic circles used throughout to tag the traits (each of which is explained on an opening spread) The graphic design of the overall presentation invites reading about one after the next, but also makes this an effective research source. It encourages readers to use the patterns of resource texts (table of contents, tagged details, scientific analysis insertions in smaller print) and the vivid, accurately depicted aspects of each plant in scientific illustrations worthy of framing.
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| Interior/endpapers, array of icons. Phaeton, 2025 |
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| Nature's Tiny Champions, Phaidon, 2025 |
NATURE'S TINY CHAMPIONS: The Big Book of Little Creatures Doing Mighty Things is written by Ben Lerwill and illustrated by Nic Jones. This nonfiction celebration and revelation of some of Earth's tiniest creatures is super-sized to allow for shared experiences with the exciting content. Each creature presented is showcased at actual size (with measurements, such as the 0.04 inch waterbear, about as small as the period at the end of sentence), with an expanded and detailed view of the critter beneath that "actual size" image, when needed. The images provide clear understanding of each animal and its interaction with nature, as well as a side-border offering circular illustration insets and brief text to learn even more.
In selecting the creatures to celebrate, the choices showcase familiar animals like honeybees, but layer in facts that are likely new to the reader. Other choices are creatures that young and old are less likely to have heard of before. All in all, this oversized, well-organized compendium of small creatures with big impacts on the earth provides vibrant and informative visuals with intriguing and beguiling information. They make a delightful pair of titles for gifting, and will enhance any classroom, library, or home collection.
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