Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a huge thank you to Leslie Bains, Amplify Publishing, Mascot Kids, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

This book is such a great aid for children who love the outdoors and their families. It covers the basics from what to take out with you, to what to look out for. As a teaching aid, it goes to great lengths to provide text and complimentary images of wildlife. What I would say is that the artistic coloring as opposed to natural photographs makes it aesthetically accessible to younger children.

I would have likes if the author and editor had worked with the publishers better to ensure that white text did not appear on a white background making some text difficult to read. I also didn’t appreciate the black text on a dark teal /green background. As a wearer of glasses, I found myself squinting at the text and found it quite uncomfortable. Thankfully, having a digital copy meant that I could zoom in on the book, although it was inconvenient as it meant a lot more use of the mouse than should have been necessary. I was faced with a case of eye strain versus RSI. Whilst on the subject of vision, it would have been great to see a more balanced book. Section 1 was lengthy whereas the final two sections were a mere few pages each. I thought the illustrator might have provided pictures of the various butterfly species that the author could have then shared facts about.


The first section on birdwatching illustrates birds that can be found at the beach, around the home, and places further afield. I liked the fact that it advised on what feeders to use, or how to watch without disturbing the birds. Most importantly, I loved how the book shared facts about the different species, highlighted how to tell different breeds of the same bird apart, and educated the reader about the times of day/night and year to see them.

The second, and shortest, section is dedicated to butterflies. There’s not much to say in this section. It is a case of blink, and you’ll miss it.

The final section on hikes is probably my favorite section. Although I was expecting to see maps, I wasn’t too disappointed when they did not surface. The description of the walks, combined with the author’s own local knowledge and recommendations gave this section a personal touch that was not present earlier in the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and feel it would be an asset if every town was to have a book like this that helped fans identify the creatures they are looking at. If the book was on UK areas, I would have ordered myself a hard copy ready to start exploring over the weekends.

I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars with my main complaint being the accessibility of certain text. Otherwise, it was a good read, and I recommend it to families in, and travelers to, the Santa Barbara region.