What wonderful (and not so wonderful) creatures live around us in urban and semi-urban landscapes? Immediately, I think of flies, mosquitos, and of course, birds of all kinds. In the most engaging way, Arefa Tehsin’s Wild Next Door introduces you to twenty-two of these creatures that share our habitat.
Just like The Great Indian Safari, what I particularly enjoyed about Wild Next Door is how light-hearted it is. Sprinkled with silly jokes and wordplay, facts are presented to us in perfect morsels. We can easily ignore what gets too much and stop and stare at things we find fascinating. Humour in nonfiction always works wonderfully for me!
The depth and breadth of research is impressive too. We’ve all seen toads, bees, silverfish and wasps. We’ve all heard the coucal and tried to avoid monkeys. Wild Next Door makes us pay attention to this “backyard brigade” as the tagline calls it. Quizzes, trivia and fun come together to make it an easy, breezy read.
| Title | Wild Next Door |
| Author | Arefa Tehsin |
| Tags | Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Wildlife |
| Ages | 9+ |
| Rating (out of 5) | 5 |
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