Australian Backyard Naturalist by Peter Macinnis

Anyone who knows Peter Macinnis, either personally or through his writing, knows that he is passionate about connecting young children with science and in this re-creation and complete update of this 2012 award winner he combines his skills in science, history and teaching to bring the reader's backyard beasties alive and accessible.

In his words, 'Here you will meet springtails, pseudoscorpions, onychophorans, leeches, ticks, engaging spiders, mummified lizards. giant worms, some curious plants and even a few rocks. You will learn new ways of catching animals, keeping strange pets that will frighten adults, different ways of looking at them and more. You don't need a microscope for this, but if you have one, you will have a great deal more fun from this book.'... 'The science you find here is stuff that young people can see and do in the class, and then take home and do again and again-and improve on. They can share the methods-and the wonder-with parents, grandparents and neighbours.'

While on the surface this appears to be a book for older readers, it is one for all children who have an interest in what is living and growing literally in their own backyard and Peter has regularly shared photos of his preschool grandchildren exploring their curiosity. While he can probably answer their questions on the spot or suggest activities that will lead them further, this book is a must-have for any adults with curious littlies but not Peter's expertise and knowledge. They ask a question and the adult can show them how to find the answer in a book!

And if you want to inspire their curiosity, start by marking a square metre of lawn, give them a magnifying glass and challenge them to count all the living things they can see!

Demonstrating that the backyard is more than a stretch of grass to play on, the following chapters are included showing the diversity of life at our fingertips: Mammals, Birds, Amphibians and reptiles, Spiders, Butterflies and moths, Flies and mosquitoes, Ants and ant lions, Other stingers, biters and nasties, Leaf litter animals, Snails slugs and their relatives, Earthworms and leeches, Other insects, Plants, Making your own equipment.

As well as being an historian, scientist and teacher, Peter is also a wordsmith and so his writing is entertaining and accessible and the multitude of photographs, diagrams and other illustrations this is a book for anyone who wants to explore and anyone who needs to explain. This is my review of the original which demonstrates in greater detail how Peter not only educates the reader but engages them so they want to know more and discover further.

If this is not in your collection, if you have a child with even a smidge of curiosity and interest, it should be.

Barbara Braxton