Deadly Detectives: Top Tips to Track Wildlife by Steve Backshall
| Deadly Detectives: Top Tips to Track Wildlife by Steve Backshall | |
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| Category: Children's Non-Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Margaret Young
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| Summary: Everything from how to find animals to basic survival techniques in a fun and highly educational book sure to tempt even the most reluctant reader. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 210 | Date: November 2013 |
| Publisher: Orion Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1444006438 | |
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Steve Backshall is best known for his Deadly 60 series, which focuses on deadly predators. This book has plenty of predators from all around the world, but it also includes many less dangerous creatures, including a fair amount on animals in the UK. Tracking a fox may not sound as exciting as tracking a leopard, but it something many children may find a chance to do in the UK, and Steve very helpfully shows the reader how to differentiate between a fox print and that of a dog. The book has several other footprint illustrations, teaching children subtle differences between may types of prints. It even had crab and bird prints to look for at the seaside. But this is about so much more than tracking and footprints.
This book goes into detail on animal habits and behaviour, and all sorts of evidence that can be collected to learn more about their lives. There is a section on reading the clouds to determine good weather patterns for exploring to how to make a snow cave. This book covers several habitats ranging for UK type woodlands and sea sides to the extremes of artic circle, to the Australian Outback and the oceans. There are temperate and rain forests, mountains, rivers and savannahs as well. The book is very rich in illustration, the majority of which are beautiful full colour photos which really bring each region to life.
My sons really enjoyed this book. They loved everything from the photos to Steve Backshall's advice to wash you hands after handling poo, and not to poo into your source of drinking water when camping. (What can I say - boys like poo). They loved the idea of trying to track and photograph any wild animal, not that we have many, but at least they will know what to look for. But surprisingly, their favourite thing about the book was finding ways it could tie into palaeontology. Surprisingly, there is more than you might imagine. Of course fossils are often trampled about, but if an intact nest were found, then the information on how to tell if an egg hatched or was eaten would be quite helpful. The basic section on using the teeth to determine an animals diet is obvious, but a section on the skull proved very interesting as well, and could easily apply to extinct animals.
I really can't fault this book on anything. Children will learn something about how Steve Backshall locates the animals for his television programmes, and how to find wildlife close to home. They will also learn about habitats and behaviour, but most of all, they can really enjoy reading this book. It has just enough adventure and deadly predators, mixed in with plenty of facts about wildlife closer to home. One can only hope it will encourage children to take more of an interest in nature and in reading as well.
If this book appeals then you might like to have a look at:
Bones Rock by Peter L Larson and Kristin Donnan
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You can read more book reviews or buy Deadly Detectives: Top Tips to Track Wildlife by Steve Backshall at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Deadly Detectives: Top Tips to Track Wildlife by Steve Backshall at Amazon.com.
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