FACTopia
FACTopia
Kate Hale
Andy Smith
9781804661666
Julie Beer
Andy Smith
9781804661970
What on Earth Books, 2026
208pp., pbk., RRP $A17.99
Did you know that scientists can tell how old a whale is from its earwax? Or that sharks existed before trees? Did you know that beavers have orange teeth? Or that some monkeys floss their teeth using bird feathers?
These facts (and another 796) are all part of the discoveries to be made in these new additions to the FACTopia series , an intriguing choose-your-own adventure journey through information, all of which has been verified by Encyclopedia Britannica, and where every fact is connected to the next in an ingenious trail. Readers hop from topic to topic in unexpected and hilarious ways following the leads and links according to their own interests and curiosity. So an entry about penguin genetics that can cause them to be all white or even yellow leads to a an entry about the panda’s black eye-patches which then leads to a chain of information about the various distinct colouration of creatures or branch into a chain about bears…
Some of the best memories I have of my face-to-face teaching days are seeing groups of young boys, all newly independent readers, gathered round books like these sharing new and interesting, preferably gross, things that they discover as they dip and delve to wherever their fancy takes them. Apart from the knowledge they are gaining, perhaps to be dropped into the dinner table conversation, it is the fun they are finding in each other’s company and connections, and the almost-subversive joy of reading and sharing that remain uppermost. It got to the stage where I always purchased two copies of some books like The Guinness Book of Records and marked one “Not for Loan” so there was always something available to share. This series, with its stunning illustrations – some photos, others imaginative drawings – has all the hallmarks of being one of those. (BTW, I followed the panda trail eventually to a page about black and white animals and learned that sometimes giant pandas do handstands when they pee. Now to investigate if they do so because of the relief-at-last, or they are marking their territory or… Imagine the learning if our students became just as curious and wanted to know more!)
A peek inside…