Australia and Antarctica
Australia and Antarctica
The Waipoua Forest lies in the warm northern part of New Zealand’s North Island, close to the Kauri Coast. It contains many ancient kauri trees, which are some of the oldest trees on Earth. These giant conifers tower above all the other trees in the forest.
The native Maori people considered the kauris to be kings of the forest. European settlers later used wood from the trees to make ships. Now, the forest is protected and is home to birds, amphibians, and a rich variety of orchids and other plants.
Penned by award-winning natural history author Tim Harris, the “Wildlife Worlds” series takes readers on a fascinating journey to all of the world’s continents where they will learn about the landforms, flora and fauna from various regions of each continent. Harris knows of what he speaks. After studying Norwegian glaciers at university, he became interested in the natural world. Among other places, his travels took him to the Namib Desert, the slopes of Popocatépetl (an active stratovolcano in Mexico), the Sumatran rainforest, and the frozen Sea of Okhotsk. The books have eye-catching covers and an attractive layout. Despite the information’s being a general overview of specific areas within each continent, Harris captures the reader’s attention with his engaging text and wonderful full-colour photographs, a winning combination that is bound to pique the reader’s interest and desire to learn more. All of the books begin with a general introduction to the featured continent, along with a map showing the various regions. The remaining chapters focus on each of 12 specific areas, with a double-page spread devoted to each one. A table of contents, a glossary, an index, and a list of books and websites for further study are included.
Australia and Antarctica feature fiords, glaciers, deserts, rain forests, the Australian outback, and the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest reef system. Of particular interest are Australia’s Lake Eyre where algae turns the water pink and the Bungle Bungles, unique orange and gray striped beehive-shaped rocks located in the Tanami Desert in the western part of the continent. There is also information about the Foja Mountains of New Guinea where there have been recent discoveries of previously unknown animals or ones that hadn’t been seen in several years, New Zealand’s kauri tree, the largest of which is thought to be over 2,300 years old, and the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, the largest body of floating ice in the world. Youngsters will enjoy some of the amusing names found in this title: puggles (baby spiny echidnas), mulla-mullas (purple shrubs) and the previously mentioned Bungle Bungles.
Educational, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable, the “Wildlife Worlds” series offers readers a glimpse into the diverse natural world of the Earth’s continents and an opportunity to marvel at Mother Nature’s handiwork.
Gail Hamilton is a former teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.