Wild City: Meet the animals who share our city spaces

Wild City: Meet the Animals who Share our City Spaces takes the reader on a wonderful journey through various urban environments from around the world. From Foxes to Flamingos and mice to monkeys this book provides a plethora of information in an unintimidating and easily accessible way. The book looks and the natural world that is hidden in almost every part of every city and opens our eyes to the fact that our urbanised way of living is shared with some amazing wildlife.

The book is written by Ben Hoare and illustrated by Lucy Rose. It seeks to show just how animals and humans have learned to (almost naturally) co-exist. The reader is taken through cities such as New York, London, Beijing, Sydney and many more. The illustrations are outstanding and the animals are beautifully drawn with a high degree of likeness. The creatures are positioned in the book where most stand out but some require more of a keen eye to find.

The text on each page sits in small snippets near the animals but also, on every page there is text that is naturally interwoven into the illustration and often snakes around the scenery in a way that adds an element of fun to the writing.

The book lends itself perfectly to schools and can be easily incorporated into science schemes when looking at living things and their habitats. We have just explored this book as a class after a local walk looking at natural habitats. It offered us an alternative perspective with which to see the natural world. It will then link to a lesson regarding how we can support our local environment and the living things that inhabit it whilst considering both urban and rural areas.

Wild City is so jam-packed with information and incredible illustrations that you will find something new with every look and would recommend it for children aged 6yrs+.

64 pages / Ages 6+ / Reviewed by James Hewish, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+