BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations
Book Title: Fanatical about Frogs (available here)
Author/Illustrator: Owen Davey
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Publication Date: March 2019
Most Suitable for: KS2
Reviewed By: Nathan Wilcox ( @thenathwilcox), Primary School Teacher
Can an information book solely about frogs really be that good? Yes. It can and it is.
Although ‘Fanatical about Frogs’ is not the only book by Owen Davey on one particular type of animal (there are more in his series on sharks, monkeys, cats and beetles), it is the first I have read and it certainly won’t be the last. This fascinating book provides an excellent overview into everything you’d ever want to know about frogs in a child-friendly yet technical way.
Upon opening the book, the beautiful endpapers are striking and confirm the book is not just informative but also very artistic in style. The stylised illustrations throughout encourage the reader to look for the details more than a photograph of a frog might. My eyes were drawn all over the pages and I enjoyed looking for the nuggets of information scattered across the page.
As I made my way through the book I found myself looking up the various frogs and realised what a brilliant book this is in inspiring readers to look deeper. The information included within each section is just enough that the reader builds an understanding, yet not so much that readers won’t be inspired to go and discover more on their own. The book is not overloaded with content; the balance between the information and images is a good one and it is therefore a book that a whole range of reading abilities could access and enjoy equally.
This is a book that any nature-lover would likely enjoy and also a good choice for more reluctant non-fiction readers. The mix of thoughtful design and informative facts could provide young readers with a new way of seeing non-fiction books altogether.
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You can order Fanatical About Frogs online or from your local bookshop or library.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending us a review copy of this book and to Nathan for reviewing it.
