Book review: Illustrations in "Wilderness" make this picture book a visual feast

Happy Earth Day! Earth Day is all about taking care of our environment and being mindful of how we're treating the planet. So I thought this book would be the perfect one to highlight today.

First of all, this book is large. As in, it's 14 inches tall. But once I started going through its pages I wished it was even taller. The illustrations in "Wilderness: Earth's Amazing Habitats" are absolutely stunning. Several times, as I read this book, I had to remind myself to read the words instead of just staring at the colorful pictures.

Image from Prestel Publishing

So here's a hint: look at this book as teaching art, not geography/science. And here's why: there isn't a lot to learn from this tall book. In fact, there are very few words on the main pages. Here's a photo showing what I'm talking about:

Image from Prestel Publishing

See what I mean? Tons of really amazing art, very little words. And you know, that's okay. Because not every book needs to be full of words in order to help readers gain interest in the subject. And this book definitely perked my interest regarding the the wilds of the planet.

While I really only learned where the different wildernesses in the world were, thanks to this map at the beginning of the book, the stunning art work made my son intensely interested about many of the animals.

Image from Prestel Publishing

The above map was something I ended up keeping one of my fingers on, so I could quickly flip back to it. When reading each page, it's helpful to refer back to the map in order to figure out where each wilderness is located.

And, if you want to learn more about the actual animals, then do what I did and keep another finger bookmarking the back pages that actually contain facts about the animals:

Image from Prestel

I'm not sure why these fun facts are hidden in the back few pages of the book, but I'm guessing it's because all these words would have taken away from the beauty of the art. No one wants a bunch of words messing up such illustrations!

So guys, this awesome art (not science/biology/geography) book doesn't have anything offensive in it and is very fun to look at. My son said it's one of his favorite books I've received this month.

Author Mia Cassany lives near Barcelona, Spain and has written many books. She believes in the value of quality picture books for children. Illustrator Marcos Navarro lives in Spain; his art is influenced by his Spanish culture.

One more picture, because I love them so much!

Image from Prestel

Book breakdown:
48 pages
Full color illustrations
Best for ages: 10+
Educational factor: medium
Christian content: n/a
Parents could be concerned about: nothing