AGE 3 AND UP

We Travel So Far By Laura Knowles & Chris Madden Words & Pictures £12.99

An utterly beautiful hardback introducing 25 migratory species from across the globe, from classic charismatics (zebras; polar bears) to the less familiar (garter snake; Arctic tern). The accounts are short and simply written, yet pervaded with a real sense of wonder, accentuated by the delightful illustrations. Kids will love the river of red crabs and the Galápagos land iguanas – ‘dust-digging dragons’ – laying eggs in volcanic ash.

My Encyclopaedia of Very Important Animals By Various DK £14.99

A colourful, busy and lively new book offering more than 200 pages of dip-in-and-out wildlife facts for younger children. It’s packed with information on behaviour, habitats, a host of different species and adaptations to fire up young minds (and old minds – did you know that pom-pom crabs pick up stingy anemones to use as weapons?), though offers little on the current problems facing wildlife.

10 Reasons to Love an Elephant By Catherine Barr & Hanako Clulow Natural History Museum £9.99

Among all the busy, multispecies tomes crowding the shelves, something focusing on one animal feels like a breath of fresh air. This hardback gives children a real sense of why they should care about our largest land mammal (because it can talk with its feet and knows granny is in charge) while gently raising issues around poaching and conflict with humans.