The Incredible Ecosystems of Planet Earth
With her famous blend of interesting facts supported by intricate illustrations, Rachel Ignotofsky returns with another glorious work of art. This time she tackles planet Earth, its ecosystems and what we can do to protect it. Learning about how our ecosystems interact is essential in order to understand how humans are destroying it, intentionally or otherwise.
Like with her previous books, Women in Sport and Women in Science, Ignotofsky makes learning about science and ecosystems engaging and fun. That’s not to say the book shies away from complex ideas; for example, she explains the different levels of ecological organisation, but it’s supplemented with a comparison to Russian nesting dolls which is a handy way to visualise it.
As always there are wonderful nuggets of info to share with your friends, because they probably don’t know that when a sand dune collapses in the Sahara Desert, it creates a humming noise that can be heard 10km away. And if you know any nocturnal flower-sniffers, you should probably let them know that on the Cape of Africa, Monkey Beetles sleep inside flowers to keep cool at night. Nobody wants that surprise!
Beautiful hand-drawn illustrations coupled with a friendly narrative, provides an intimate read, with a sense of a kind and funny teacher guiding you through. Colour palettes of cool greens, beige and purple make it easy on the eye too, although some may find the more colourful pages harder to read. This book is a love letter our beautiful world and every single atom it contains.
