CREATURES

This handbook spotlights wildlife in our world, people who study and protect it, and ways to safeguard habitats and the creatures who live there.

Debbink—who featured habitats around the world in the previous series entry, 2021's Habitats—explores the creatures who share our world. The book’s scope is wide-ranging: Chapters are devoted to insects, birds, reptiles and amphibians, land animals, ocean creatures, freshwater life, and city wildlife. Within each chapter there’s an introduction; a page of facts; biographical information for people who have observed and described those creatures; a profile of an animal; a “natural wonder” (such as the remarkable marine journeys of ocean creatures); an example of people helping animals; two do-it-yourself activities; and stewardship suggestions on individual, local, and global levels. From Maria Merian observing insects in the 1600s to modern-day Tomas Diagne protecting turtles in Africa to filmmaker Dora Nightingale filming foxes in the U.K., the biographies are widely diverse. Hands-on activities are similarly varied. Reliable web references for further information are included, though some recommended apps aren’t available in the U.S. The author writes in a clear and engaging style, often addressing the reader directly, though there are some inaccuracies in the text. With such a broad scope, it is not surprising that some of the exposition seems oversimplified. Pleasing illustrations depict children of varying racial representations exploring outdoors.

A valuable resource that deserves more careful editing.