If you’ve seen the movie Finding Nemo you’ll probably remember the odd but very friendly relationship between the clownfish and the sea anemone. But what you mightn’t know is that we have our own Australian Clownfish and our own Bubble-tip Anemone. These two little animals form an incredible relationship, where the clownfish, by covering itself with a layer of mucus, can hide from enemies within the anemone’s tentacles without getting stung. And the clownfish, being very territorial, will chase away any other fish that would like to snack on the anemone’s tentacles.
This is just one of the 60 remarkable stories you’ll find in this fascinating book. There’s a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth with his friend, the Sloth Moth, living on the fur of the sloth’s 60-centimetre-long body, a very scary Pseudoscorpion and his best friend the Giant Harlequin Beetle, and a rather beautiful Trigger Plant and its best friend the Reed Bee with its dark shiny head.
Each page not only gives you a description of the animals or plants and how they help each other, but the author tells us about their diet, their habitat and lots of fun facts. This is not a book just for children but to be enjoyed by us all. Sami Bayly, the author, says, ‘I also hope this book gives you a greater understanding of the natural world and an appreciation for the incredible species within it.’
Don’t miss it.
Reviewed by Merle Morcom
Age Guide 7+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sami Bayly is a natural history illustrator based in Newcastle, NSW, who loves all things weird and wonderful. She finds the beauty and importance of all animals regardless of their appearance, and hopes to share her appreciation with others.
Sami’s first book, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals, won the Children’s Indie Book of the Year Award and the Australian Book Design Award for Younger Readers. It was a CBCA Honour Book and was shortlisted for an ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children and longlisted for the ABA Booksellers’ Choice 2020 Book of the Year Awards. Her second book, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals, was a CBCA Honour Book, an ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children, won an Australian Book Design Award for Younger Readers and was shortlisted for the Children’s Indie Book of the Year 2020. The final book in the series, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs, was shortlisted for the CBCA Eve Pownall Award and longlisted for Children’s Indie Book of the Year Award. Sami’s most recent book is How We Came to Be: Surprising Sea Creatures.
Sami is currently based in Newcastle, NSW.
0 Comments