Unreal: Can you tell fact from fake?

by Kate Simpson, Leila Rudge

Guess which of the weird and wonderful exhibits are real and which are fake in this sumptuous collection of extraordinary animals and plants.

There's been a mix-up at the Museum - some of the displays from the Myths and Legends exhibit have snuck into the Natural History wing. 
We have to sort it out, but how can we tell fact from fiction? Animal from apparition? Megafauna from monster? 

Kids will have fun guessing which animals and plants are real and which are fake in this extraordinary exhibition of the strange and wonderful animals and plants that inhabit our world ... and our imaginations. And a brilliant guide to help us know what to look for when tracking down truths.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens

70 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 2024

Reviews

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader is taken through a range of exhibits in a museum where mythical creatures have been mixed in with the wildlife exhibits. Told in a narrative style we are fist introduced to the concepts of real and 'UNreal' and provided with some skills in sorting fact from fiction with 5 tips on sorting fact from fiction. These provide a solid framework for use in real life, however, they do not necessarily assist in solving the puzzles on the forthcoming pages as there is not a lot of information provided on each exhibit. A colour coded map aligns with a contents page where similar animals are grouped by similar qualities. - e.g. predators, cryptids, bioluminesence, extreme habitats - creative and interesting groupings add to the fun. Each 'room' presents five creatures as if on display in the museum with brief notations. The following double page provides more detailed information along with labels for those that are real and those that are not.

This large sized picture book is gloriously illustrated in pen and watercolour with a cohesive design that makes it easy to navigate and fun to read and examine. An original and clever approach to building young children's deductive reasoning.

CBCA 2025 Eve Pownall Notable title.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tries to tach kids how to tell if something is real or not, but I though the examples weren't super great. I even had a hard time telling what was fake a few times, so maybe it was too hard? I also thought the tips they gave for deciding if it's real were great1 BUT I didn't see how using those tips in the book helped you find the fake thing.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it, but I wish the book put sources on the page before the reveal so that you could more easily implement the 6 question method she lays out at the start of the book. I also wish there was a little more room for whimsy with the cryptids pages, but I understand why there wasn't.

[Fabee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic way to engage kids and teach them about the importance of reliable information sources - but in a fun way!
My son really enjoyed this one

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and jam-packed with incredible information.
I was excited to see my beloved komodo dragons included.
Although, how do we know that some of the unreal animals aren't real?

[Crissi Brandhuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me guessing trying to figure out whether some of the creatures were real or fake. Beautiful illustrations