A Kirkus Star
This 96-page large-trim-size book features gorgeous pictures by an illustrator for London's Natural History Museum to explore the hidden interactions and survival strategies of our planet's animals.
"If there’s an animal enthusiast on your holiday list, have a look at Ben Rothery’s books about the natural world. These are beautiful works of nonfiction, large in size—always nice in a gift—and rich with illustrations that are so finely executed that you may mistake them for photographs. In “Hidden Planet,” “Ocean Planet” and “Sensational Butterflies,” Mr. Rothery writes as engagingly as he draws. “Who would think, to look at them, that the elephant’s closest relatives are the manatee, the dugong, and the rock hyrax?” he asks. “Or that seals, sea lions and walruses are not related to whales, dolphins or manatees, but rather to bears and weasels?” Children ages 7-13 (and their parents) won’t merely enjoy themselves with these books; they’ll also learn something."
"Kirkus Starred Review --
A detail-obsessed illustrator’s “love letter” to Earth’s wild fauna. "
"Exploring hidden aspects of the animal kingdom, this oversized picture book brims with photo-realistic illustrations and descriptions of some of Earth’s most interesting creatures and their unique abilities. Most useful for fostering a budding interest in animals with older children, the book examines hidden elements of nature in both a literal sense—such as the camouflage of the chameleon—and the figurative, like the process of convergent evolution. Younger children will enjoy the illustrations, which bring them face-to-face with everything from toads to lions."
Ben Rothery is a detail-obsessed illustrator from Norwich, England, via Cape Town. He combines multiple processes to create intricate and delicate illustrations and repeating patterns, full of fine detail and vibrant color. Much of Ben’s work is inspired or informed by his love of nature—he grew up wanting variously to be a shark, a dinosaur or David Attenborough crossed with Indiana Jones, but settled on illustration as a way to bring those fantasies to life on paper. Ben works from a small studio in London, which he shares with an unnecessarily large collection of very sharp pencils.