A treasure trove, ideal for 8-year-olds and older who are interested in natural history and fascinating creatures.
Is the Australian tiger beetle faster or slower than a basset hound?
Whether you like to take things fast or slow, you will lose yourself in this stunning encyclopaedia filled with incredible detailed illustrations and fun facts about some of the most fascinating fast and slow animals in the natural world.
Featuring facts and astonishing illustrations about sixty amazing fast and slow animals, including the super speedy black marlin, the cheetah and the gentoo penguin, and the oh-so-slow dwarf seahorse, the gila monster and the immortal jellyfish.
Children and adults alike will wonder at these speedy and not-so-speedy animals.
Sami Bayly is a natural history illustrator based in Newcastle, NSW, who celebrates the beauty and importance of all creatures, no matter how unusual. Her debut, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals, won the Children’s Indie Book of the Year Award and the Australian Book Design Award for Younger Readers. She followed it with The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals, a CBCA Honour Book and ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children.
Her latest book, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Fast and Slow Animals, is a captivating journey through creatures at every speed. One moment you’re racing across the savannah with a cheetah, the next you’re drifting beside a jellyfish that might live forever. The mix of fast and slow is great fun – from the stealthy Margay to the charming Little Penguin – and Bayly presents each animal with the same sense of wonder.
Every creature is given a double-page spread, complete with fun facts about where they live, what they eat, their speed factor, and more. You’ll encounter familiar favourites as well as animals you may never have heard of, such as the Australian Tiger Beetle, each brought to life with colour and character. Bayly’s illustrations are so detailed and full of personality; the animals feel as if they might leap, crawl, or swim right off the page.
Time flies while reading — every page feels like a new adventure, full of discoveries and tiny details to pore over. Yet there is also thoughtfulness. Many of the animals are endangered, and Bayly shines a light on the challenges they face, encouraging readers to see the importance of protecting them.
Buy a copy of The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Fast and Slow Animals here.
Leave a Reply