شهر زیر ذره‌بین

by Deborah Frenkel, لیلا حسین رشیدی (Translator)

Look closer, look with care
And you may find a forest…

Among the steel and stone canyons of the city, nature flourishes in tiny, tenacious ways. Follow the ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus) to discover the scraps of wilderness hiding in plain sight in this lyrical celebration of urban flora and fauna.

Naturopolis is a wonderful acknowledgement of the unseen, and the world that awaits the viewer, eager to connect with nature. You don’t have to go far to find what is waiting for us beneath our feet.

A title that will be popular with families, primary classrooms and anyone who loves to celebrate the myriad of life on our planet.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Nature, Science, Environment

36 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Teacher Librarian Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shortlisted for 2023 CBCA award for new illustrator, this book has amazingly detailed illustrations of nature popping up in urban environment. A great book to discuss habitats and to discover what children can find in their garden, local park, street and school.

[Agneza Huljev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good points: 1. detailed meaningful illustrations depicting natural sites a child/person might overlook when living in a grey city. 2. Realistic about how a city looks - pollution, concrete, detailed rubbish e.g. soy sauce fish from sushi shops. 3. Imaginative perspective, e.g. rainwater flowing in a gutter becomes a river with Zooplankton swimmers - gives the reader the idea to look more closely at little things. 4. Rhyming storyline which is easy to follow, but also with information tags about the plants and creatures big and microscopic spotlighted in the story e.g. possum, dandelion, Zooplankton.

The concept of the book is a Mother and child walking through a city and observing natural features which may be overlooked e.g. a dandelion in the pavement. I like the idea, however seeing it portrayed in chirpy picture book illustrations is BLEAK bleak. But, unfortunately, accurate. There are indeed many places in my city which are so desert-like that pointing out a beautiful garden to visitors would be pointing out a dandelion in pavement cracks, or vulnerable street tree seedlings which may not make it through the season. Wow. The book has two messages to me - one for the ever-optimistic child-mind seeing beauty in unexpected places, the other for the awakening adult observing the city environment as it is without the distractions of loud socialising, driving a car, phones, air pod filtered-music. Nicely done wake-up call Deborah Frenkel and Ingrid Bartkowiak. The reader can take from the book as much or as little as they can handle.

I prefer this picture book for pre-teen to adult readers because there is an uneasy quality to it and sensitive young children are apt to take on burdens that are not theirs to carry yet.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a focus on the small, often hidden, life that can be found in a city environment, Frenkel combines lyrical free verse to describe different plants and animals with accompanying scientific information on each double page spread. Detailed illustrations accurately present the subject matter, with both location and close up views to support and expand the text.

A great stimulus to encourage children to more closely examine the world around them and seek out the smaller flora and fauna that thrives amidst concrete and bitumen.

[Ree Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully poetic with stunning illustrations. I love that this book feels like a stroll through hidden worlds that are right in front of us all the time. Just like walking down the street with a toddler fascinated by every nook and cranny along the way. My go-to gift for toddlers growing up in the city.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an inviting walk through the city and it's microcosmos.
The small tags of fact dotted throughout the pages is the perfect amount of true detail that allow for greater understanding of what lives in the city spaces.
Simple and fascinating information for a less explored biome.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this exploration of the tiny wildlife we find in our cities, right under our noses. Including the scientific name and a little detail of each elements was good, and the journey of the ant on each page was also a nice touch.

[Nikki Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encourages little ones to look more closely while out in the big wide world and find the hidden beauty in the everyday things and the look for the little hidden gems in overlooked places - I also enjoyed the facts that were shared.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deservedly short-listed for Children's Book of the Year (Australia). Beautifully illustrated.

[Aryani Siti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book!