Celebrating Earthly Pleasures this Earth Day with DK Canada!

With Earth Day quickly approaching on April 22nd you might be starting to reflect a little more about our beautiful planet and those who call it home. 

DK Canada is ready with a great selection of books to help you and your family appreciate the world around us. 

They have everything from gardening books to sustainable living guides as well as a nice selection of children’s books that will teach them all about the natural world and how to make a difference.

 I was able to check out three really awesome books from DK Canada – Canadian Encyclopedia of Gardening, Smithsonian Animal and Animals Alive.

Canadian Encyclopedia of Gardening

A new edition of Canada’s finest and most authoritative source of horticultural advice. Written by a team of more than 50 experts from around the world and edited for Canada by Trevor Cole, this comprehensive gardening reference is packed with helpful advice. From the growing popularity of green roofs and crevice gardening to an expanded section on how to grow fruit and vegetables in containers, this fully revised encyclopedia includes new photography and step-by-step techniques to ensure gardening success for Canadian gardeners of all levels of expertise.

The Canadian Encyclopedia of Gardening provides comprehensive information on every gardening subject I could think of plus some.  I was surprised by how big this book was when I received it – a whopping 760 pages.

There are two parts to this book.  The first is is on “Creating the Garden” which covers garden planning, plant types, growing guides, detailed guides for creating garden features and so much more. 

The second section is on “Maintaining the Garden” in which we are given a whole lot of practical advice about gardening tools, soil types, plant propagation and even a “troubleshooting” guide that includes a really nice photo directory of plant problems to help with identification.

Whether you are an amateur gardener or a pro, this is a must have guide.  I know I will be going to this book over and over this coming gardening season.

Smithsonian Animal

Comprehensively revised and updated for this new edition, this unique guide sets out to illustrate, describe and explain the incredible range of creatures that make up the animal kingdom.

Starting with a clear introduction to the animal world, this authoritative volume examines the reasons for the apparently infinite variety of animal forms and the major evolutionary developments. Animal anatomy, life cycles and the principles of classification are also explored. This is followed by a survey of world habitats, showing how animals have adapted to each of their habitats and the various threats that face them each day.

The main part of the book, an up-to-date and comprehensive animal catalogue, looks at each major animal group and provides fascinating profiles of over 2000 individual species including more than 50 new species discovered since Animal was first published!

Unrivalled in its range, accuracy and coverage, this important reference makes use of breathtaking photography and expert information from prominent zoologists and naturalists from around the globe, this 10th anniversary edition of Animal is essential reading for wildlife enthusiasts of all ages!

I was once again surprised by the shear size of this book as well as by the beautiful colour photos on every page.   This is definitely a book for animal lovers and for those curious about the animal kingdom. 

This revised and updated version includes more than 50 new species.  It includes an introduction to animal anatomy, life cycles, and classification, conservation issues and much more. 

It is organised into three sections, the first of which is an introduction to animals and their anatomy, life cycle, evolution, behaviour, and conservation. 

The second section describes the world’s main Habitats – a description of the habitat itself as well as how the resident animals have adapted to its conditions. 

The third section is the main portion of the book and is divided into animal groups and species; mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.  The data fields for each species includes both their common name as well as their Latin name along with other information such as length, weight, conservation status and more.    A lot of the species also feature some pretty amazing photographs.

Animals Alive

Animals Alive is an exciting exploration of animal life through the ages. A host of amazing animals are illustrated and introduced—but why are some of them no longer alive? To explain this, the concept of extinction is laid out, with a look at the death of the dinosaurs and the world’s other major extinction events. Looking to the present, the book also celebrates the diversity of life on Earth today.

Animal profile spreads are packed with photos and include key facts, distribution data, and other awe-inspiring information. Using the classifications of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Animals Alive looks at the current threats facing animals on Earth and reveals how some species have brought back from the brink by conservation.

Animals Alive is geared towards children and is full of amazing photos and information.  It covers everything from how animals have evolved right up to setting up a nature reserve in your backyard with all the information your kids will want to know about an amazing selection of animal life. 

I love how well this book gets across the message about threatened and extinct animals without getting overwhelming with too much information.  This book would make a great tool for teaching children the importance of all life around us.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review.  All thoughts and opinions remain honest and my own.

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!