WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Home by Isabelle Simler, translated by Vineet Lal

 

HOME

written & illustrated by Isabelle Simler, translated by Vineet Lal

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024

ISBN: 978-0-8028-5620-3

Source: publisher for review (THANKS!)

Ages 6 and up

Picture book informational poetry

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A spectacular tour through the dwellings of twenty-seven different animals, from a hermit crab’s secondhand shell to a beaver’s lakeside dam to a comet moth’s silk cocoon. Acclaimed creator Isabelle Simler presents a poetic journey through amazing animal homes across the world. In Europe, alpine marmots stay safe in underground refuges. In southeast Asia, Sumatran orangutans doze off in treetop bedrooms. In Mexico and the southwestern US, elf owls nest in holes in saguaro cacti. On every continent but Antarctica, honeybees mold wax into palaces for their queens. No matter where you travel, some creature is making an extraordinary place to call home. With connections to life cycles, camouflage, and other biological concepts, Home is a spellbinding showcase of the wonders of the natural world. Enchanting poetry, fascinating back matter, and intricately detailed art invite young readers to be amazed by the creativity and diversity of our animal neighbors.

REVIEW

Gorgeous scratchboard illustrations jump off the page of this fascinating glimpse into some of the unusual ways animals construct shelters in which to live and raise young. Each animal is identified by name, both common and scientific, before a poem describes the home of that particular animal and how and/or why it was constructed. Each poem is written from the perspective of the animal. A variety of different animals are included: common octopus, European fan worm, weaver ant, foam-nest tree frog, cathedral termite, diving bell spider. Not only does the book provide fascinating information about the animal world but the book is a work of art. The beautiful art complements the poems perfectly, making this a great book for teachers to use in the classroom or for parents to read with their children.