The Kingfisher Illustrated Nature Encyclopedia [Hardcover]

David Burnie (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

The incredible diversity of life on Earth—from microscopic single-celled organisms to giant redwoods and blue whales—is studied in more than 1,000 stunning photographs and illustrations.

The introductory section, "A Planet Apart," guides the reader through the formation of the planet and the beginning of life, to evolution and animal and plant life today. The second section, "The Living World," introduces the kingdoms of life on the planet, from microscopic life, through plants to animals. The third and main section of the book, "Wildlife Habitats," takes a detailed look at the world's habitats, with "species features" that focus on animals and plants that are of particular interest, such as the vampire squid and the bristlecone pine.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9–Three major sections discuss the formation of the Earth, the biosphere, and climate change; focus on life from microscopic plants through the shapes, senses, and categories of animals, including habitats; and consider biomes. Highly detailed color photography, including many full-page, spectacular spreads, illuminates the concepts and discussions. Clear, colorful diagrams explain the unseen processes of nature, as reflected in the digestive system of the carnivorous climbing pitcher plant or the communication of fireflies. Most noticeably different from Burnie's The Kingfisher IllustratedAnimal Encyclopedia (2000) is the way in which information is presented; in Nature the treatment is more encyclopedic; in Animal, concise summaries are more typical. The volume concludes with an extensive index, a limited glossary of approximately 120 words, and a reference to 10 authoritative Web sites. Navigation of these sites will be easiest for students who have had solid instruction in search methods. The DK Nature Encyclopedia (1998) covers the same material, but for a slightly younger audience.–Tina Hudak, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Riverdale Park, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Children's Literature
A good source of information for reports and projects, although students may get caught up in reading this attractive book whether or not they are working on a school assignment.

School Library Journal
Highly detailed color photography, including many full-page, spectacular spreads, illuminates the concepts and discussions. Clear, colorful diagrams explain the unseen processes of nature, as reflected in the digestive system of the carnivorous climbing pitcher plant or the communication of fireflies.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher (April 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753455765
• ISBN-13: 978-0753455760
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lavishly illustrated and wide ranging, May 21, 2009

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Kingfisher Illustrated Nature Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

The book is divided into three sections. The first (A planet apart) occupies about fifty pages, starting with the formation of the Earth and giving brief introductions to early life forms, the biosphere, the basics of life on land and in water, climatic change, seasons, weather, volcanoes, evolution, genes, DNA and extinction. Many of these subjects need whole books to cover them properly but what's here serves as a good introduction.

The second section (A living world) occupies about 100 pages. It explores the many different forms of life, both plants and animals, that exist on Earth, in the sea or on land, explaining the interaction between different species. The section begins by explaining how life is classified. From a scientific perspective, the system works well, but what the scientists call a species is very often only a slight variation on another species. The remainder of the section is divided into chapters on microbes, fungi, plants and animals. You get a good idea, if you didn't know already, of how things work in nature. For example, plants don't just have flowers to look nice; those flowers serve an essential purpose.

The third section (Wildlife habitats) occupies about 150 pages. It looks at each type of habitat in turn and what you can find there. So here you will find descriptions of the polar regions, hot deserts, grasslands, shrub lands, forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, oceans, coral reefs, coasts, mountains, caves and not forgetting towns and cities - and not just in the green spaces. It is a sobering thought that the humble housefly may be the most common species of insect on our planet, thanks to us.

This book tries to cover all aspects of the natural world and manages to do a fair job in a little over 300 pages. Inevitably, it can`t cover anything in depth, but it`s the kind of book that might encourage some people to take a greater interest in the world around them. Those people can progress to other books that cover topics of most interest to them in greater detail.