AmAZed!

An orchid that grows underground, a fly disguised as a bee and the curious zombie worm all earn a place in Andrea Wild's alphabet of Australian life. Its 100 short entries grow from the specimens and stories held in CSIRO's National Research Collections Australia, so alongside the plants, animals and microbes you meet the scientists who study them, and learn how a new species gets its name. There is the Lost Shark, the phenomenon of sea sparkle and some very strange fish from the deep sea.

Photographs of real collection specimens sit beside quirky illustrations by Rachel Tribout, keeping every page lively. A lovely choice for curious primary school children who gather facts the way museums gather beetles, and for any young naturalist with a soft spot for Australia's odder creatures.