• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 September #2
  This book is a treat from its gold-embossed cover and gilded pages to the stunning photographs detailing each "wonder" it contains. It's an edifying celebration of earthly objects and life, divided into four broad categories: Rocks and Minerals, Microscopic Life, Plants, and Animals. In a departure from DK's usual glossy, magazine-like layouts, this book is simple and spacious. Topical two-page spreads, printed on heavy matte paper, offer readers a full-page, magnified photo; a concise paragraph or two of interesting information; and an artistic rendering of the object, plant, or animal being discussed. Rocks and Minerals presents the Mohs scale of hardness, followed by a sampling of minerals, gemstones, rocks, and fossils. Microscopic Life zooms in on minuscule life-forms, from diatoms to water bears. Artistic photography captures the unexpected beauty of plants like the corpse flower and a vibrant pink tumbleweed. The Animals section presents simple invertebrates through complex mammals. This is a wonderful choice for browsers and those curious about nature. A concluding visual guide also serves as an index for the book's many wonders. Grades 3-6. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Ben Hoare is an editor and author of books on nature and natural history, including Eyewitness: Endangered Animals, Trees and Leaves, and Pond Life. A fellow of the Zoological Society of London, his work can also be seen published in BBC Wildlife and Birdlife magazines, and on several BBC websites.