This educational and interactive picture book immerses the reader in the strange and interwoven lifecycles of the rainforest. The beautifully illustrated pages follow the journey of a fig seedling making its own roots and leaves, growing strong, and eventually replacing the giant tree that was its host.

Something Wonderful is a beautifully illustrated books that explores mutualism and the life cycle of a fig tree. Along the way we are exposed to the fauna for which the fig tree is part of their habitat. I loved the section at the end which has a little more about certain things we see in the book. The tree frog hiding on each page to spot was certainly a crowd pleaser for my daughter. A 'wonderful' book!

Thanks #NetGalley for the eARC,

It is wonderful children's book. It teaches how rainforest works. It is beautifully written and illustrated. A easy and informative read. Perfect gift for little kids.

Something Wonderful by Matt Ritter is a beautiful book exploring the life cycle of a fig tree in the rainforest. The illustrations are wonderful and show life changing in a rainforest. The accompanying text describes what is happening in each illustration, from a seed that fell onto the branch of a tree, right up until a Toucan bird pooped out another seed and started the whole process all over again.

The reader has an opportunity to learn a lot from this book, about so many things, including wasp, pollination, interdependence of life in the rainforest and so much more! I loved that at the end of each page the sentence "and then something wonderful happened" was used as it kept up the consistency but also showed how nature really is a wonderful thing.

At the end of the book there is a short section with the scientific names of the species and a short text relating the most important facts. I can see a lot of children finding this extra section of the book really interesting! There is also a hidden game throughout where children have to find a small frog hidden on each page of the book! This adds an additional fun and interactive element to a book that is quite information heavy and I can see children going back to find it on each page, thus reading the book again. This is a great book for schools and parents to teach children all about ecosystems and would be a good resource for any library.

Another aspect I loved was the initial quote from Sir. Richard Attenborough, "An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is the source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment." .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my own, honest opinion.

The artwork in this children book is wonderful . The concept very good and I would recommend for any parent who has a young children who is interested in animals.

There is so much going on here, but it comes together so well! We have an interesting and informative text about the life of a strangling fig tree, from the moment a seed is dropped into the jungle canopy and it lands on a tree branch, to the moment a fig is eaten by a toucan to have new seeds pooped out to grow elsewhere. The beautiful artwork is lush and inviting, and combined with the text, it feels like a documentary in book form- I swear I heard it narrated by David Attenborough (to whom the book is dedicated) in my head! Along the way we learn about the unusual way the tree grows, wrapping its host tree in a cage of roots, and the life cycle of the wasps that pollinate the fruit. At the end of the book, there is more information about the creatures shown, including the red-eyed tree frog that can be found hiding on each page of the story- seriously, find the hidden object/s is always fun! Great book for kids interested in nature and ecosystems.

#SomethingWonderful #NetGalley

Lovely illustrations with a sweet message but, in my opinion, limited appeal although I'm sure the animals will catch the imagination of younger children.

This is a great book to teach children about the cycle of life in nature. The story features the life cycle of fig trees which rely on fig wasps and toucans to spread its seeds and pollen whilst animals use the fig tree to survive. I like the find a frog on each page and the simple writing that tells the story. A great way to see the bigger picture in nature whilst enjoying the beautiful drawings.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Pacific Street Publishing for my complimentary eARC copy.

Great illustrations. Beautiful book. Ideal for English, art and science - this book covers the life cycles living things within the rain forest including toucans, wasps and a fig tree. Would absolutely use this book in the classroom and at home. The story is engaging and thought provoking with beautiful illustrations.

Very informative rain-forest book. A great book for kids who love birds and nature- along with an entertaining way to talk about bird poop.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE this book. I have read it multiple times with my 4 year old. The first time we focused on the story- which she thought was hilarious because it began and ended with poop- even though that wasn't the focus! She found the idea of wasps living in fruit on the gross side- but that's because she's terrified from flying insects. The illustrations were a tiny bit busy for her 4 year old brain when we were focusing on the story being told- but she loved them all the same. Especially the 2nd time through when we hunted for the frog on every page.

The story was told in a straight forward way and engaged my preschooler in the idea of a life cycle and how different life-forms rely on each other to survive- while at the same time death happens so that other organisms can live.

All in all this is a truly wonderful book.

This book is a window to the world of nature and biology for children. The colourful illustrations along with the short informations are enjoyable. I loved it. I would recommend it to children and anyone who is interested in nature.

Something Wonderful is fantastic. I’m a sucker for wildlife-based children’s books.

The illustrations are simple but beautiful and the information is interesting without being overly complicated (while still using some scientific language). I enjoyed that there was more information on the central flora and fauna after the story was done. There’s really not anything I could fault the book on. It had the right amount of detail within the story, with more included if the children were interested. The use of specific common names will help readers look up the species they’re interested in.
Overall, I think this is a great book for parents or teachers to introduce ecology to children.

I was given a copy of Something Wonderful by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It starts with a fig seeds that lands on a big tree in the rainforest. It grows into a tree of its own, part of the eco-system.

Something Wonderful - written by Matt Ritter, illustrated by Nayl Gonzalez - features a tiny sparkle of daily life in the rainforest. Through colourful images and simple words, it makes everything clear, from children to curious adults trying to catch up with some bits of information. However, the book requires attention and observation, when it comes to recognizing all the elements - to read, inhabitants - of the eco-system.

Although it is a very fast read, Something Wonderful is good enough to make you think and encourages further interest into the topic. The most important, in my opinion, is that it challenges the reader, regardless his or her age, to reckon to the wonderful - yet cruel sometimes - laws of nature. It might be the first step towards rising awareness towards changing the attitude of nature in general, by understanding that every single thing we do in and to our environment matters. And, unfortunatelly, it is not always something wonderful.

The illustrations are catching up, appropriate for both the topic featured and the aimed audience.

This book is a recommended read for nature-related classes but also as individual bedtime and activity stories because no matter the reason, it is never too late or too early to learn about nature, particularly the rainforest eco-system.

What a beautiful book! The illustrations are gorgeous, accentuating the lushness of the rainforest. The narrative of the fig tree's lifecycle is fascinating, with so many elements needed for it to grow. The perfect placement of the seed on a tree's canopy where it might germinate, the discovery of a mother wasp's new home, the flight path of a toucan. The red-eyed tree frog hiding in each page is an added bonus that kids will love! Sure to be a favorite!

Thanks to Pacific Street Publishing and Netgalley for this digital ARC.

I thought this was a lovely book detailing the life of a fig tree and how its life cycle is unique in its rain forest environment. I enjoyed how the author decided to explain the life cycle of the wasps which allow the tree's fruit to prosper and the introduction of how a fig seed would even get onto a mossy branch to begin with. I liked the pages devoted at the end of the book to detailing each of the animals depicted in the book and I thought the artwork was very well done.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion. The first thing myself and my small kids loved was all of the bright colors on the pages and the illustrations. Bugs are never a favorite subject of mine but my 6 year old loved it. Anytime I can introduce my kids to nature and different parts of the world. This story was really full of Something Wonderful!

Wonderfully illustrated. Unique lifecycle theme. Loved the fact pages at the back and the frog hunt.

I loved this book. I can see many uses in many different classrooms. It talks about how plants grow, life cycles and animal classification.

Something Wonderful - Matt Ritter
Pub Date: 22 Mar 2021
Published by Pacific Street Publishing

This picture book would fit in well with a topic on: life cycles, rainforests, habitats, plants, eco-systems, bugs, fruit - all kinds of things! It’s ingenious because it covers so many bases! The story revolves around the life cycle of a fig tree and wasps. The pictures are cleverly put together in a way that if the child was not sure about what was happening within the text, it can be easily explained using the pictures beside it. There’s an abundance of writing opportunities linked to this book too - including information texts, diaries as the wasp, report on the life cycle of a fig etc! A really good book for Geography and Science. Defo take a look!