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DK Nature
Wildlife of the World
Wildlife of the World takes you on a journey through some of the most scenic and rich animal habitats - from the Amazon rain forests to the Himalayas, the Sahara to the South Pole - meeting the most important animals in each ecosystem along the way.
In Wildlife of the World truly spectacular portrait-style photography brings you "face-to-face" with individual animals in up-close and engrossing profiles on how the animals interact with their environments, mate, survive, and even play.
From the shaggy musk ox foraging in the Canadian high arctic to the angered Scottish wildcat prowling the Highlands to the rock-climbing gelada monkey of Ethiopia, each animal featured in Wildlife of the World plays a key role in its environment. An additional eighty-page illustrated reference section on the animal kingdom explains the animal groups and profiles additional species.
Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.
Reviews:
"[G]orgeous coffee table book of animal life across the planet...This book is a perfect reference guide, a delight to page through..." - Publishers Weekly
"If there's a must-have coffee-table book, this is it." - The Sacramento Bee
"Beautifully illustrated with handsome photographs." - Booklist (Starred Review)
"[A] big book filled with great photography." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Like a classic children's treasury book, this lavish work is an ideal option for researchers and browsers alike." - School Library Journal (Starred Review)
In Wildlife of the World truly spectacular portrait-style photography brings you "face-to-face" with individual animals in up-close and engrossing profiles on how the animals interact with their environments, mate, survive, and even play.
From the shaggy musk ox foraging in the Canadian high arctic to the angered Scottish wildcat prowling the Highlands to the rock-climbing gelada monkey of Ethiopia, each animal featured in Wildlife of the World plays a key role in its environment. An additional eighty-page illustrated reference section on the animal kingdom explains the animal groups and profiles additional species.
Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.
Reviews:
"[G]orgeous coffee table book of animal life across the planet...This book is a perfect reference guide, a delight to page through..." - Publishers Weekly
"If there's a must-have coffee-table book, this is it." - The Sacramento Bee
"Beautifully illustrated with handsome photographs." - Booklist (Starred Review)
"[A] big book filled with great photography." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Like a classic children's treasury book, this lavish work is an ideal option for researchers and browsers alike." - School Library Journal (Starred Review)
480 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2015
55 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 23, 2015
DK has done it again! They have produced another spectacular book (in cooperation with Smithsonian) ... this one on wildlife of the world.
The book is arranged by Continent and then areas within that Continent. Animals are showcased with a lot of pizzazz! There are large color photos, the common name of the animal, with its scientific name provided underneath. There is some basic info. written in 1-2 small paragraphs and then a box with info. such as size (height & weight), what it eats, where it lives, including a map of the area.
At the beginning of the book is a colorful section that discusses the various animal habitats. At the end of the book is a Glossary with some "See Also" references, and a comprehensive index.
The book is arranged by Continent and then areas within that Continent. Animals are showcased with a lot of pizzazz! There are large color photos, the common name of the animal, with its scientific name provided underneath. There is some basic info. written in 1-2 small paragraphs and then a box with info. such as size (height & weight), what it eats, where it lives, including a map of the area.
At the beginning of the book is a colorful section that discusses the various animal habitats. At the end of the book is a Glossary with some "See Also" references, and a comprehensive index.
May 26, 2025
Fun fact! I love the Eyewitness books and this is basically those but not part of that series an--- well you get the idea.
(Wildlife of the World takes you on a journey through some of the most scenic and rich animal habitats - from the Amazon rain forests to the Himalayas, the Sahara to the South Pole - meeting the most important animals in each ecosystem along the way.
In Wildlife of the World truly spectacular portrait-style photography brings you "face-to-face" with individual animals in up-close and engrossing profiles on how the animals interact with their environments, mate, survive, and even play.
From the shaggy musk ox foraging in the Canadian high arctic to the angered Scottish wildcat prowling the Highlands to the rock-climbing gelada monkey of Ethiopia, each animal featured in Wildlife of the World plays a key role in its environment. An additional eighty-page illustrated reference section on the animal kingdom explains the animal groups and profiles additional species.
Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.
Reviews:
"[G]orgeous coffee table book of animal life across the planet...This book is a perfect reference guide, a delight to page through..." - Publishers Weekly
"If there's a must-have coffee-table book, this is it." - The Sacramento Bee
"Beautifully illustrated with handsome photographs." - Booklist (Starred Review)
"[A] big book filled with great photography." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Like a classic children's treasury book, this lavish work is an ideal option for researchers and browsers alike." - School Library Journal (Starred Review)) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
Starting the book by talking about biomes was an interesting choice. At first, it seems like a random thing to start off a wildlife book with. But biomes do have a major influence over what kinds of wildlife can thrive in them, so in that regard, it's a rather clever idea.
The style was great. Like I mentioned before, it's very similar to the Eyewitness books. There's a lot of information presented in a clean, fun, and easy to digest way that doesn't rely on talking down to the reader. While it's not as over the top as those books, it's still quite engaging and easy to read. I think it really shines when it utilizes page space in a creative way, like having a tree pop out of the photo it's in or having a creature cross a branch that spans the length of two pages.
Also, I was genuinely impressed by how much information they were able to pack into less than five hundred pages. I know packing in a lot of information isn't unusual for D.K books like the Eyewitness series, but there is an excellent mix of well known animals and more obscure animals.
That being said, some of the information is questionable. For example, there's some weird phrasing in the Gray Wolf section on page thirty-seven, which goes, "An average wolf pack has seven to eight adults ruled by an alpha male and female. The alpha pair leads hunts, establishes territory, and chooses den sites, reinforcing the pack's bonds through vocalizations such as barks and howls. The alphas mate from January to March." The "alpha" thing can also be seen in the Ethiopian Wolf section on page one hundred and eighty two. I get that the part in the Gray Wolf section is supposed to communicate the idea that a single pair leads the pack, but I feel that describing them as "alpha" kind of unintentionally perpetuates the bogus idea of the "alpha wolf". So I feel like using terms such as "a single mother and father" or even "a single dominant breeding pair" would've gotten across the same idea without running into that issue. Also, on page one hundred and forty four, it says that the Peregrine Falcon can reach speeds of up to one hundred and fifty miles per hour. In reality, they can reach speeds of about two hundred miles per hour give or take. I'm not entirely sure how the people behind the book thought one hundred and fifty was its top speed. I want to say that they mixed up kilometers per hour and miles per hour, but in that case, I think an editor really needed to look it over one more time.
On the subject of editing, there were a surprising number of grammatical errors. Some highlights include "...killer whatle..." and "...1 miles...". Also, in the Tuatara section on page three hundred and fifty eight, I think they meant to put "...remaining active at 41 degrees F..." and "...showing stress heat at 77 degrees F..." but instead put "...41 degrees C..." for the former and "...77 degrees C..." for the latter. Needless to say, I think this book could've benefited from one or two more rounds of editing.
Overall, Wildlife of The World was a book that did not at all skimp on creativity and content.
Overall Grade: B
(Wildlife of the World takes you on a journey through some of the most scenic and rich animal habitats - from the Amazon rain forests to the Himalayas, the Sahara to the South Pole - meeting the most important animals in each ecosystem along the way.
In Wildlife of the World truly spectacular portrait-style photography brings you "face-to-face" with individual animals in up-close and engrossing profiles on how the animals interact with their environments, mate, survive, and even play.
From the shaggy musk ox foraging in the Canadian high arctic to the angered Scottish wildcat prowling the Highlands to the rock-climbing gelada monkey of Ethiopia, each animal featured in Wildlife of the World plays a key role in its environment. An additional eighty-page illustrated reference section on the animal kingdom explains the animal groups and profiles additional species.
Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.
Reviews:
"[G]orgeous coffee table book of animal life across the planet...This book is a perfect reference guide, a delight to page through..." - Publishers Weekly
"If there's a must-have coffee-table book, this is it." - The Sacramento Bee
"Beautifully illustrated with handsome photographs." - Booklist (Starred Review)
"[A] big book filled with great photography." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Like a classic children's treasury book, this lavish work is an ideal option for researchers and browsers alike." - School Library Journal (Starred Review)) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
Starting the book by talking about biomes was an interesting choice. At first, it seems like a random thing to start off a wildlife book with. But biomes do have a major influence over what kinds of wildlife can thrive in them, so in that regard, it's a rather clever idea.
The style was great. Like I mentioned before, it's very similar to the Eyewitness books. There's a lot of information presented in a clean, fun, and easy to digest way that doesn't rely on talking down to the reader. While it's not as over the top as those books, it's still quite engaging and easy to read. I think it really shines when it utilizes page space in a creative way, like having a tree pop out of the photo it's in or having a creature cross a branch that spans the length of two pages.
Also, I was genuinely impressed by how much information they were able to pack into less than five hundred pages. I know packing in a lot of information isn't unusual for D.K books like the Eyewitness series, but there is an excellent mix of well known animals and more obscure animals.
That being said, some of the information is questionable. For example, there's some weird phrasing in the Gray Wolf section on page thirty-seven, which goes, "An average wolf pack has seven to eight adults ruled by an alpha male and female. The alpha pair leads hunts, establishes territory, and chooses den sites, reinforcing the pack's bonds through vocalizations such as barks and howls. The alphas mate from January to March." The "alpha" thing can also be seen in the Ethiopian Wolf section on page one hundred and eighty two. I get that the part in the Gray Wolf section is supposed to communicate the idea that a single pair leads the pack, but I feel that describing them as "alpha" kind of unintentionally perpetuates the bogus idea of the "alpha wolf". So I feel like using terms such as "a single mother and father" or even "a single dominant breeding pair" would've gotten across the same idea without running into that issue. Also, on page one hundred and forty four, it says that the Peregrine Falcon can reach speeds of up to one hundred and fifty miles per hour. In reality, they can reach speeds of about two hundred miles per hour give or take. I'm not entirely sure how the people behind the book thought one hundred and fifty was its top speed. I want to say that they mixed up kilometers per hour and miles per hour, but in that case, I think an editor really needed to look it over one more time.
On the subject of editing, there were a surprising number of grammatical errors. Some highlights include "...killer whatle..." and "...1 miles...". Also, in the Tuatara section on page three hundred and fifty eight, I think they meant to put "...remaining active at 41 degrees F..." and "...showing stress heat at 77 degrees F..." but instead put "...41 degrees C..." for the former and "...77 degrees C..." for the latter. Needless to say, I think this book could've benefited from one or two more rounds of editing.
Overall, Wildlife of The World was a book that did not at all skimp on creativity and content.
Overall Grade: B
January 25, 2024
This book is the most voluminous of the DK series of animal books.
The sight of a Frilled lizard with its mouth open and its legs raised will make you laugh and take your stress away.
After reading this book, I thought that the basis for the happiest life for each animal is to live a Wild Life in the appropriate country or region.
We have pandas from China, elephants and giraffes from Africa, monkeys from South America, and many other kinds of animals in one zoo, where their zookeepers take care of them.
Zookeepers are people who love animals, so there is no problem.
However, considering the feelings of the wild animals in this book, it must be uncomfortable for them to spend time in cages with different climates and air quality.
Global warming has become a problem recently, but humans need to reconsider how animals can enjoy their Wild Life with peace of mind.
The sight of a Frilled lizard with its mouth open and its legs raised will make you laugh and take your stress away.
After reading this book, I thought that the basis for the happiest life for each animal is to live a Wild Life in the appropriate country or region.
We have pandas from China, elephants and giraffes from Africa, monkeys from South America, and many other kinds of animals in one zoo, where their zookeepers take care of them.
Zookeepers are people who love animals, so there is no problem.
However, considering the feelings of the wild animals in this book, it must be uncomfortable for them to spend time in cages with different climates and air quality.
Global warming has become a problem recently, but humans need to reconsider how animals can enjoy their Wild Life with peace of mind.
Read
April 17, 2025Fascinating!
My only complaint would be its not long enough. Very informative, but the subject is just so vast. This book is divided by continents, and several unique areas of each continent are highlighted with examples of the wildlife. Now that its finished, this is the kind of book I'll be continuously flipping back into
My only complaint would be its not long enough. Very informative, but the subject is just so vast. This book is divided by continents, and several unique areas of each continent are highlighted with examples of the wildlife. Now that its finished, this is the kind of book I'll be continuously flipping back into
September 17, 2019
An amazing book!
May 13, 2021
Beautiful book!
July 16, 2016
DK Publishing and the Smithsonian are a match made in nonfiction heaven. I feel I should start with what is largely the most impressive aspect that will catch most people's attention; the photographs. They are all high definition and in stunning color. I appreciated the pages with multiple pictures of the animals showing them in different circumstances such as sparring, child rearing and mating.
The information is nicely arranged and very user friendly. The book is divided by continent and further divided into subsections showcasing the different ecological systems and landscapes of each area. They provided you not only with animal facts but information about the land such as average rainfall, human impact and significant places special to that area such as caves. The animal pages include paragraphs on each animal from habitat, mating, growth, feeding habits, predators and what has impacted their population levels. If one didn't have the time to read all of them, they also include small rectangles of quick facts that includes their size, weight, population danger levels, what they eat and their habitat with a map included.
While there is certainly more that could be covered and more depth to be had, for a basic starter book, you truly cannot get any better. Beware if you're an arachnophobe; those high def pictures of them are terrifying! (The same can be said for other animal phobias as well, though I mean this quite light heartedly)
The information is nicely arranged and very user friendly. The book is divided by continent and further divided into subsections showcasing the different ecological systems and landscapes of each area. They provided you not only with animal facts but information about the land such as average rainfall, human impact and significant places special to that area such as caves. The animal pages include paragraphs on each animal from habitat, mating, growth, feeding habits, predators and what has impacted their population levels. If one didn't have the time to read all of them, they also include small rectangles of quick facts that includes their size, weight, population danger levels, what they eat and their habitat with a map included.
While there is certainly more that could be covered and more depth to be had, for a basic starter book, you truly cannot get any better. Beware if you're an arachnophobe; those high def pictures of them are terrifying! (The same can be said for other animal phobias as well, though I mean this quite light heartedly)
November 7, 2016
This book. Don't get me started. Too late, this is my third sentence. Boy, mammalians are not a form of arichiatic life. Your entire basis for claiming that feline mammals are some variety of evotation from cheraticlas is completely without basis. Nay, worse, there is a basis, a basis consisting solely of BLATANT FALSEHOOD. Mary S. Torellian, you are human scum. Please, please, stop writing everything and anything. Never speak to someone younger than you, and never have children. You are one of the main reasons that I am physically incapable of reading literature regarding biological science aimed at minors without borderline herniating my amygdala. You opitimize my rage with every single goddamned page-turn. I hope your loved ones contract the Zeka virus.
Needs proofreading, excellent book for kids.
Needs proofreading, excellent book for kids.
December 22, 2015
I suppose a fairer representation of all wildlife as the book's title suggests would consist overwhelmingly of invertebrates and micro-organisms, but obviously this would not entice the mass market audience. Rather, the more colorful and charismatic species of large bodied animals are featured - mainly mammals and birds, with some reptiles, fish and the odd insect or three thrown in for good measure. I do prefer the more traditional old school hand illustrated reference books, so pages full of vibrant photographs do not do it for me as well, hence the 3 star rating. Otherwise as an up to date basic reference for kids this would work pretty well, not the least in inspiring the next generation to save our fellow Earth dwellers, if it's not already too late by then that is.
June 10, 2023
Very expansive and large book featuring beautiful photos and brief information about a large amount of animals throughout the world. It is divided into chapters and sub-sections by continent and environment, which is then again sub-divided into small sections about each animal. Each animal is given a photo and a short (or sometimes longer) snippet of text with some basic information about the species. Some animals are given more attention than others, which does feel a bit uneven at times. While I love this book, it's also not a very easy one to hold because of how huge and thick it is especially once folded open.
Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
April 10, 2016
This book is a lovely example of DK's great work to catalogue the world in which we live. It relies heavily on the mammal part of the animal kingdom, so if you are hoping for insects and other invertebrates, you will be disappointed. However, this is a fine book to add to a natural history collection. Recommended.
February 22, 2016
My 5th and 6th graders LOVE this book. Great pictures, great variety, great organization, FANTASTIC information. So many times they'll call me over to share something they learned from reading. And they'll compare the animals too! Definitely one to add to your library.
January 21, 2016
Though not a completely comprehensive guide to wildlife, it is a fairly detailed book with lots of interesting animal biographies.
December 15, 2016
DK does it again with this comprehensive and beautifully photographed tome.
February 6, 2017
awesome encyclopedia! Best ever!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews