Habitats: A journey in nature by Hannah Pang, illustrated by Isobel Lundie

 This is an interesting concept for a book and I think, for the most part, it works well. The first page introduces the different habitats that readers will visit throughout the book, from rain forests to wetlands.

There's only one spread per habitat, but within that spread are multiple cut pages. The first habitat, the rain forest, has the most pages to lift. On the far left of the spread is a general overview, then there's a narrow column on the right of the left page which matches the illustrations on the far left of the right. That sounds weird and confusing, but hopefully this picture will make it clearer. As you flip each cut page over, it opens up a new part of the picture and new accompanying text. The rainforest section covers the emergent layer, canopy, understory, and forest floor. The collage-style illustrations are pretty, but especially in the crowded jungle it can be a little difficult to pick out the details of what the text is referring to.

The Namib desert has just a half page, shifting from "shifting dunes" to "barren plains." Oddly, although they are not native to the area and there are less than 150, a large portion of the illustrations are focused on the "Namib-Desert horses." The "Pacific Ocean" is shown in the general area of eastern Australia, from the surface, down through coral reefs, to the deep sea. Germany's black forest represents a deciduous forest, with a large section of the page showing a cut-away view of burrows under and around a tree trunk. The Andes are represented by bright colors with flocks of flamingos and other birds around Lake Pehoe and the wildlife and flowers of the moorlands. The final spread depicts the natural springs of Florida, with manatees, raccoons, and cypress trees.

Verdict: This is an interesting and attractive book; I wouldn't use it as a basis for a report or for nonfiction facts, but it's fun to browse and a great introduction to some unique habitats.

ISBN: 9781944530419; Published February 2024 by 360 Degrees/Penguin-Random House; Review copy provided by publisher