This was an incredibly cute book! We know that they are adorable, but until reading this book I wasn't completely educated on just how much they contribute to life. With a keen way of describing and writing, I felt able to understand the scientific facts that were being written, something that's really important to me as I enjoy science but often get lost in scientific terminology. The cover of this book is beautiful as well and it was a quick, enjoyable reading experience!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read and a very cool book! The author has a nice perspective since she is a scientist herself, and in the book she was able to speak with so many other scientists about their work studying baby animals, which was a delight. Many different types of baby animals were covered in this book, and quite a lot of information was related to larvae of sea animals especially. I learned so much about how much animals can change during development stages, and about how little we know about this process for many animals in the first place. Recommended if you like animals at all :)

My first impression was that this was a well researched manuscript and the writing was well done. The negative was nothing concerning the book. The ARC was not formatted for Kindle. Because of the formatting, I chose to listen to the novel as an audiobook. However, I was not sure of the age of the projected reader. For example, the book focuses on babies, hence the title. The cover looks like a kids book,perhaps the book would be better suited for an older reader.I feel like this book would be useful as a research source for an older student.
Deanna staaf, The experiment llc, and NetGalley the privilege of reading the novel.

First, I love the cover!!!! The colour combination and illustration are soooo gooood👌
I love the story telling. It keeps the book informative and scientific. But the first person point of view make it more interesting ✨

I love the animal world and I feel like the baby animal aspect is definitely overlooked in adult literature. So it was nice to see a book specifically about baby animals. Starting from their birth and following them as they are raised, “leave the nest” and some of their juvenile life on their own I found this book to be quite interesting.

An interesting and informative read about baby animals and the environment. It’s easy to assume that this book is a children’s book when it’s actually a science adult read. Very interesting subject matter that will keep you engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Experiment for an EARC copy of Nursery Earth by Danna Staaf.

This was a beautifully written book about babies of the earth and a reminder that earth is a mother to all, no matter the difficulties. Dr. Danna Staaf's writing is personable, educational, and easy to understand which makes the book accessible for all. The illustrations were a plus, it helped to understand what she was talking about when I couldn't picture what she was describing. It is certainly a book for those who are interested in biology and animals.

Well written but very scientific. Personally I find it hard to engage with the research-styled writing. Thank you for the review copy.

I enjoyed this book. Dr. Danna Staaf has created a fun read that has a great conversational tone. All the science is well-explained and Staaf writes with a good sense of humor. There is some witty wording in the book and some very good personal anecdotes. I feel that these anecdotes create a closer bond between writer and reader. The photos and illustrations are excellent. I recommend it for anyone interested in biology. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the digital review copy.

This was not what I was expecting based on the title and cover. It definitely is much more scientific, and less kid friendly than expected. I would say teenagers could read this, but younger than that might struggle with the wording (and understanding some of the concepts).

When I chose to read this book in a brief overview of new books I most definitely thought it was for children. Strangely enough the author does understand that her book as such has been misconstrued by so many others as a children's book in her <i>Epilogue</i> even before it has been published, which makes me wonder as to the marketing of this book in general since it is most definitely an adult read rather than one for younger readers.

This particular copy of the book is still in editing as such the page number both mentioned in the Table of Contents and also in notes further in other sections is missing, there is a small comment on the bottom of each page about the text file, one colored photograph in the center is missing its caption and each page has a copyright sticker to remind ARC readers that it is still a work in progress. Even as such for the most part it didn't take away from the total read of the book although I wish I knew what the caption was going to be for that one photograph.

Meanwhile the actual book is put into three sections with the first two sections each having four chapters and the last one three unless you also include in the <i>Epilogue</i>. The first section is basically about how babies are born, the second explores different techniques that babies use to disperse and find new homes as well as adaptations to help them survive. And the last is basically a brief guide to the reader from the "childhood" phase to "juvenile" as well as what it signifies.

The first section to me was probably the most interesting with the author definitely making the book not only easy to read but also to understand. Some technical terms have been included but most are provided with easy definitions or at least explanations to help the reader who may struggle a bit with it. Furthermore Danna pretty much uses the same players so they become more familiar with the animals that they are reading about.

Secondly the book is illustration occasionally with black-and-white photographs with captions that clearly define what the reader is looking at. To add further views for the reader is a colored photograph insert included in the center of the book along with captions except the previous mentioned one.

Although the author does have a few Woke/political concepts included it doesn't really take much away from the book at least in my opinion since it is just the normal talking points but without being shoved down your throat as many others do. Instead it seemed most of her thoughts on this although mentioned briefly in the full text was included in the end in the hopes of bringing her research full circle in both how to relate to children in the world, how to help heal the world from the destruction and the suggestion of sustainability of eating insects as a protein source instead of the livestock that so many of propose. And some of these ideas I can most definitely say I standing with such as making the world a better place for all offspring and putting in measures to defend animals in any stage of their life.

All in all it was a fascinating read and one that I really hadn't known was a book that I really had wanted to read until I cracked it open for this review.

**I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a well researched book and you really can feel the author’s passion about her field of research.
It does go pretty in depth in the description of many studies. As such, it isn’t a book I would recommend to people who just want to learn quick fun facts. The book could get boring to someone who isn’t interested in the methodology of scientific research.
If you pick this book, you will learn many amazing facts about animal reproduction of all kind and how truly impressive many life forms are.
The chapters build on each other as the author references concepts explained earlier to help describe newly presented concepts.

A really engaging and accessible text about baby animals. Whilst there is quite a lot of scientific terminology and concepts, it is written in a way that is easy to follow. Some great photographs as well.

I would say that this is the perfect addition to the book collection of anyone who enjoys babies, animals and wants to learn more about the topic!
It's really cientifically accurate, but in a way that everyone can understand.
I really enjoyed the little interesting facts and images throught the book, which makes it accessible for both scientists and people with totally diferent backgrounds.

As a Biologist myself, althought not in the invertebrate area, I really enjoyed this book, learned a few new things, and wish I had access to it while I was in university (it would have been a big help in severall of my classes!).

Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

So often, the beginning of an animal’s life is overlooked for the exciting adulthood or the sobering end. The only usual attention given baby animals is how adorable they are or into what they will grow. Nursery Earth by Danna Staaf provides a fascinating look into the foundational moments of some of nature’s most interesting creatures. I love how Staaf’s mind works. The significance of “babies being a link across time in space” was expertly laid out and curated to the point where I gobbled up all of it. Glass frogs pee on their eggs. Every single one of us is a holobiont. A pin-tail whydah is the new cuckoo. Condors are terrific adoptive parents. I could go on and on. Would be wonderful for homeschool or supplemental upper grade science reading or for anyone with a passion for animals or babies or both.

Pros: This book caught my eye because I have vivid memories of reading the Zoobooks magazine and loving the issue on baby animals. I did not realize when I saw the cover that this was not going to be a children’s book, but that was a pleasant surprise as I am now an adult and Zookbooks was 30 years ago. I do think a (mature) child who loves animals could read this book with the guidance of an adult.

The author points out that most animals on earth are babies, which is something I never realized and made this book all the more relevant. I appreciated the author’s note on the importance of ecosystems, climate change, pollution, etc. This book, although scientific, is not dry but instead is full of interesting facts and humor (e.g., examining the attractiveness of mallards). I enjoyed the visual parts of the books, including charts, photos, and even comics.

Cons: I am not sure if this is unique to the ARC or if it will be different when published, but I would have liked to see all photographs in color, not just the ones in the center of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Experiment for the opportunity to read this book.