Chris Humfrey – författare

Enjoy 24 pages of colouring fun featuring 15 of Australia's most iconic animals. Let expert naturalist Chris Humfrey be your guide, offering fascinating facts about Shingleback, Rough-throated Leaf-tailed Gecko, Lace Monitor, Jungle Carpet Python, Eastern Long-necked Turtle, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Frog, Tawny Frogmouth, Barn Owl, Laughing Kookaburra, Short-beaked Echidna, Western Grey kangaroo, Koala, Grey-headed Flying-fox and Giant Burrowing Cockroach; and follow the QR codes to view bonus video footage telling you all about each of the animals.

Join zoologist Chris Humfrey as he dives headfirst into the fascinating watery worlds of Australia’s shorelines. Discover amazing creatures and learn about their classification, adaptations, habitat and ecological niche, plus loads of quirky fun facts. Get up-close and personal with: Brown Sea Algae, Eleven-armed Seastar, Purple Sea Urchin, Brown Sea Cucumber, Southern Hermit Crab, Elephant Snail, Pot-bellied Seahorse, Blue-ringed Octopus, Great Spider Crab, Port Jackson Shark, Little Penguin, Waratah Anemone, Slender-spined Porcupinefish, Southern Biscuit Seastar and Weedy Seadragon. Chris says “Marine creatures don’t always receive the attention of their ‘landlubber’ counterparts” but his engaging and often hilarious writing style turns an animal which at first appears ordinary into the extraordinary! For instance, did you know that the father seahorse gives birth to the babies and keeps the young a pouch, just like a kangaroo? Or, amazingly, that the venomous blue-ringed octopus has a beak it its mouth just like your pet budgie, only with a toxic saliva sting! Or that half the planet’s oxygen, which is essential for our survival, is derived from the likes of macro algae in the world’s oceans? Packed with stunning images the book is suitable for both younger and older children. The information ties in neatly with the school curriculum, and the use of fun and engaging scientific language and stunning images will encourage your ‘animal-mad’ child to read the book again and again!

An inspiration to bug-lovers everywhere, this fantastic companion title to Chris Humfrey’s Coolest Creepy Crawlies features 24 pages of colouring fun. It covers 15 amazing critters, from the familiar snails, slaters, ants and centipedes to the more eye-opening invertebrates such as rhinoceros beetle, emperor gum moth, Australian tarantula and Monteith’s leaf insect. Each species gets a page or a spread, with four to six outlines to colour in, plus colour photos of the author and the animals, fact boxes giving fascinating information, and a QR code which links to bonus content in the form of video footage for each animal. The book is both fun and educational, with the information linking neatly with the school curriculum, while the facts that the author is face-to-face with a quarter of a million school kids per year, and that his shows are available to millions of TV viewers worldwide, will ensure that this book is a popular addition to our natural history list.

Did you know that spiders usually have eight eyes? Or that the Australian yabby can remain dormant for up to seven years? Zoologist Chris Humfrey delves into the fascinating micro world of Australia’s incredible invertebrate creatures. Young readers will be taken on a journey of wonderment, delving into the often overlooked world of insects, spiders, molluscs and crustaceans, learning about each animal’s adaptations, habitat and ecological niche in a book that’s packed with quirky fun facts. Invertebrate creatures don’t always receive the ‘Pop-Star’ status of larger, more charismatic animals, however Chris’s engaging and sometimes hilarious teaching style turns an ordinary-looking creature into something extraordinary! Chris says, “Every animal has a job to do in a healthy balanced ecosystem. If we study, learn, and develop an understanding and empathy for all creatures, we are more likely to want to conserve all species”. Get up-close and personal with the likes of rhinoceros beetle, bull ant, Hercules moth, giant water beetle and red- back spider. QR codes link to bonus video content for each species and the book is suitable for both younger and older children. The information ties in neatly with the school curriculum, and the use of fun and engaging scientific language and stunning images will encourage your ‘animal-mad’ child to read the book over and over again!