This was fun!

In this picture book, the life cycle of the fig tree is explained, from a seed landing on a tree onwards till we arrive, again, at a fig seed landing on a tree. The detailed pictures are stunning and fun to look at. There even is a game hidden in this book: Can you find the frog on every page?

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, without a story.
I already knew all of this, but was entertained nonetheless and I'd recommend this for both adults and children alike. I'd have loved this as a child, as the rainforest was to me like an enchanted forest in which all seasons happen at the same time.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

This picture book is absolutely lovely. It explains the life cycle of fig trees in the tropics and how other animals contribute to the life of figs and how figs, in turn, help them as a food source. I was especially intrigued by the wasps. A female wasp covered in pollen and carrying eggs, enters an unripe fig fruit. There, she lays eggs and dies. The male wasps fertilize the female wasps who are still in their eggs and then chew holes out of the fruit, dying inside the fruit without ever leaving. The female wasps then collect pollen, eat as much as they can, and then fly out of the fig to find a new unripe fig, beginning the cycle anew.
It was also interesting to see how fig seeds can grow into existing trees and ultimately outgrow and kill them, even gigantic ones.

The pictures were simple but cute and effective. And I really like how the illustrator made a little hide and seek game with the frog, drawing your attention carefuly but subtle to the frog. You instantly get that he's playing a game with you and you start searching for the frog on every page.

All in all, a wonderful and fun read. Perfect for kids and adults.

Name: Something Wonderful
Author: Matt Ritter
Illustrator: Nayl Gonzalez
Genre: Children Fiction
Source: Netgalley
Summary:
The story is about the life of a fig seed which fell on a giant tree and how it replaced the giant tree, grew big, reproduced and again its seeds fell on a giant tropical tree. And a wonderful life again bloomed.
My Opinion.: It has beautiful illustrations. I really like the background art because it gave me manga kind of vibes (even though it is very different). The story was rather simple, I would say this book is for a much younger age group. I liked the fact that the book was quite informative and would encourage people to know more about nature.

Something Wonderful takes the reader on the journey through the lifecycle of a fig tree in an easy-to-follow charming ecology lesson as something wonderful happen at every stage of life.

My 3-year-old son and I loved Something Wonderful. He enjoyed finding the tree frog on each page and we both loved learning about figs, bees, and toucans. The beautiful illustrations kept my son fully engaged.

I loved the simplicity to the information, yet how informative it was. Both my son and I learned something new. We highly recommend this book!

The illustrations in this book bring this interesting story to life. Its subject matter is very understandable but at the same time, interesting, even I didn't know about the fig wasps! I like how the story comes full circle.

Only I'd not recommend it for very young children, because I think the idea of wasps having been in their fruit can make very young audiences averse to figs for a while.

Something Wonderful by Matt Ritter is a book that describes the life cycles of two very different beings whose lives are closely intertwined. This beautifully illustrated book (by Nayl Gonzales) explains the life cycles of a fig tree in the jungle and the wasps that adapted to grow and live with just this one tree. As he has with many others, David Attenborough inspired a deep fascinating with nature in both my fiance and me. This book is dedicated to this wonderful human being and the entire time, I was imagining him reading it to me. The book is interesting and the illustrations really enhance the experience. This book is a great way to inspire interest in the natural world in a child. The life cycle of the wasp and a closer description of other animals are included in the back of the book. It also included a cute "find me" feature on every page of the book that isn't as easy as you would think.

This is a well illustrated nature book that tells the story of a fig tree growing from a seed deposited on another tree in the rain forest. It goes into detail about how interconnected the wasps are in its life cycle, laying their eggs in the fig fruit in order to help both species. The tone is lovely with this "and then something wonderful happened" aspect for each step. Children may feel a little less lovely about the whole thing since the original fig tree kills off the tree its hosted on and the wasp eggs and wasps are detailed as part of the fig fruit. I've always heard that vegetarians can't eat figs because of the wasps and their eggs and understand that better now. I suspect many children will be off of figs for life after reading this, but it does a wonderful job of teaching about this natural cycle. Hidden tree frogs and other little elements further elevate the story.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Something Wonderful was wonderful. Very detailed with complimentary illustrations, the author describes the life cycle of fig trees. I loved how the author weaved in local wildlife to show how the trees and the animals support each other in the ecosystem,

I absolutely adored this book. The illustrations are beautiful. Something Wonderful will definitely be added to our collection, after we have read it a few more times.

As a teacher, this is exactly the type of book I want for my students. It's very informative and children will have a great time learning about nature. The illustrations are gorgeous and give the book an unique trait that makes it the pleasant read that it is.

This is beautifully illustrated and something that describes the interconnections in the natural world perfectly for children. I enjoyed reading it but there was something a little stilted for me in the writing style unfortunately.

Actual rating: 3.5 / 5

I loved that this is dedicated to Sir David Attenborough.
There's so much to look at and I loved the little hidden frogs.
This was a lovely way to teach children about the lifecycle of a fig tree in one of its most natural environment. We got cameos from other species too (fauna), and a little bit about each of them at the end.
I reckon this would be a lovely learning tool for teachers in earlier learning years.

I really enjoyed this one! The illustrations are lovely and it’s very educational. Even I learned something! The content is informative, but entertaining, and doesn’t feel forced at all. It provides a great avenue to teach children about nature and its cycles without being overly simplified or complicated. I would recommend this to children about 5-6 years old.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pacific Street Publishing for providing this ARC.

Following an humble strangling fig tree seed from the sky throughout its life cycle right until until the fruit from the tree it grows into is eaten and another seed falls from the sky, this book is a great way of engaging children in life cycles and mutualism.

Being about the strangling fig trees, it does feature the death of another tree as well as the deaths of fruit wasps but they are presented very plainly and as the natural order of things.

Gonzalez has done a wonderful job with the artwork of this book, especially the sneaky Red-Eyed Tree Frog who is hiding on every page. I loved the find the frog feature and thought it was a great way to further engage children in this book as well as showing camouflage in practice.

I thought this was delightful. Super charming. A wonderful overview of the rainforest and how the cycle of life involving plants, insects, and birds continues and cycles through time. I loved the find-the-frog feature and I feel like this helps with readability and also engaging kids as you read. I think it is a wonderful picture book that would be a delight to add to the bedtime repertoire!