The incredible diversity of life on Earth--from microscopic single-celled organisms to giant redwoods and blue whales-is studied in more than 1,000 stunning photographs and illustrations. The introductory section, "A Planet Apart," guides the reader through the formation of the planet and the beginning of life, to evolution and animal and plant life today. The second section, "The Living World," introduces the kingdoms of life on the planet, from microscopic life, through plants to animals. The third and main section of the book, "Wildlife Habitats," takes a detailed look at the world's habitats, with "species features" that focus on animals and plants that are of particular interest, such as the vampire squid and the bristlecone pine.
David Andrew Burnie is an accomplished zoologist who was a nature reserve ranger before becoming a natural history author and editor. A prolific writer of many books, including several on dinosaurs, he has seen many of his titles win educational awards and science prizes. His titles for Kingfisher include Kingfisher Knowledge: Endangered Planet and The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia, which was nominated for the Aventis Prize for Science Books in 2002.
Wonderful layout. Each topic consists of 2 pages with clear writing, pictures, and examples. This book gives great overview and context of most of the science taught up through early high school.
Burnie, D. (2010). The Kingfisher nature encyclopedia. New York, NY: Kingfisher.
Citation by: Stacie Alexander
Type of reference: Encyclopedia
Call Number: Ref 508
Content/Scope: This revised encyclopedia includes sections titled, “A Planet Apart,” “The Living World,” and “Wildlife Habitats.” The book includes a table of contents and an index to help students use the resource.
Accuracy/Authority/Bias: The author studied zoology and worked as a biologist before becoming a writer. He has published books with many publishers over the years and is a trusted source of science information. The publishers of his books are known for their quality materials.
Arrangement/Presentation: Text size in this book makes it appealing to students. Most topics are spread over two pages and provide many color photos to enhance the information. The table of contents helps users navigate the book.
Relation to other works: This revised encyclopedia will provide additional science resources that are more up to date than current library holdings.
Accessibility/Diversity: Topics are discussed in an introductory manner that is relatable to elementary and middle school students making it appropriate for a wide range of students. The pictures with captions provide visual guides for younger readers.
Cost: $27.99
Professional review of the item: Yusko, S. (2010). The Kingfisher nature encyclopedia. Booklist, 107(7), 70.
Burnie, David. (2010). The kingfisher nature encyclopedia. Kingfisher.
Alissa Trammel Type of Reference: Encyclopedia Call Number: Ref 508
Content/Scope: This encyclopedia contains 320 pages of information and beautiful illustrations about things that live in nature.
Accuracy/ Authority/Bias: The Kingfisher is one in a series of encyclopedias about various topics such as animals, history, and science.
Arrangement/Presentation: This encyclopedia contains three sections: Our planet's origin and the evolution of life, The five bionic kingdoms, and Biomes. Each section contains information and illustrations to support the narrative text.
Accessibility/Diversity: This encyclopedia is a great resource of information about the great diversities of life on earth.
Relation: This is an updated version of this book and it contains a plethora of information and illustrations for readers to gain information from. The updated version also includes a short list of recommended websites. The previous version was released in 2004, and needed updating.