Looking for fun new books to share with your child? Look no further!

Exploring Soils

September 18, 2017

Exploring Soils: A Hidden World Underground

By Samantha Grover and Camille Heisler, CSIRO Publishing, 2017.

‘Have you ever wondered what happens in the earth underneath us?’

Cover of a book showing a child's hand picking up some soil, and the underground view of roots of a plant and insects

Journey with James as he learns that there is more to dirt than meets the eye. James wants to be a soil scientist, and he explores the ‘hidden world underground’. He learns about the differences between clay, silt and sand particles, and discovers what each soil type can be used for.

Exploring Soils: A Hidden World Underground takes children on a journey into and under the earth. A wonderful resource not only for parents and grandparents but also for pre-school and primary schools. Teacher’s notes are also available from the CSIRO.

The illustrations are drawn sensitively, and the level of detail in the insects is impressive.

Ideal for the budding gardener. As an adult, even I learned things from this book! For example, I had never heard of Clorpt before 🙂

Suitable for ages 6 to 9 years.

The book raises questions, such as:

  • What is soil?
  • How does it change?
  • Why is it important?
  • What can we do with soil?

Illustration of insects and the workings under the soil Illustration of a curled up millipede in a childs open palm

Awards

Children’s Book Council of Australia 2018 notable books under the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.

A Word from the Author

Wrap Up

Exploring Soils

  • 8.5/10
    Story
  • 8.2/10
    Illustrations
  • 9.7/10
    Educational content
  • 0.1/10
    Humour
  • 9/10
    Re-readability

Pros

  • Educational resource for kids.
  • Great to get kids outdoors and exploring.
  • Contains a glossary of terms.
  • Great science resource for children interested in insects and the geology, among other things.

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.