Review: Naturopolis

Explorers, adventure seekers, curious questioners, have I got the picture book for you!

Explore the hidden wilderness of the city in Naturopolis. Get down low, seek out the cracks in the pavement and spot the green amongst the grey.

Here is a meadow in the footpath.

Bold bobbing heads in the sun,

Leaves like the teeth of a lion,

Seeds spun away with the wind.

Naturopolis is a stunning picture book, taking readers on a quest through a sprawling city to find the hidden natural landscapes waiting for discovery. Each page explores a new place — fern fronds growing in gutters, mushrooms glowing in the underpass — with a gorgeous melody like the one above, followed by some fascinating facts to feed the curiosity bound to be brewing in little (and big) minds.

I had no idea there was something called the ‘social huntsman spider’ which prefers to live in colonies. They live with up to 150 spiders, led by a female chief. I also didn’t know that ferns are found across every continent except Antarctica. I love that all creature and plant life is included with both a common name and its scientific name — a lovely addition that just adds to the fact power of this amazing book.

And to lead you on this joyful adventure through the city landscape (because who wants to go exploring by themselves!) you’ll find a lovely little gravel ant who appears on every page. He takes you all through the book, from the outskirts of the human city, into its depths and out the other side.

Sometimes he’s hiding on the pages, so you’ll need to look closely to find him. hidden quite cleverly so you may need to look hard to find him, but that’s okay, because every illustration in Naturopolis is a stunner and you’ll love taking your time to explore them. They are that perfect combination of life like (so you can see what things really look like) and funky picture book art that fuels your soul.

At the back of the book, you’ll also find a lovely list of all the creatures and plants featured, with even MORE cool facts about them.

If you love lyrical stories that create beauty with words and pictures, if you like non-fiction picture books, if you like learning about creatures and plant, Naturopolis is for you. Highly recommended for teachers and classroom too because not only is this picture book packed with facts, but its also really engaging.

Brought to us by Deborah Frenkel (the stunning words), Ingrid Bartkowiak (the beautiful illustrations) and Storytorch Press (bringing it all together), Naturopolis is a picture book winner.

Title: Naturopolis
Author: Deborah Frenkel
Illustrator: Ingrid Bartkowiak
Publisher: Storytorch Press, $26.95
Publication Date: September 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780 645191530
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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