This is an utterly glorious book that celebrates the tiny creatures and critters, plants and fungi, that live with and around us in cities. In beautiful poetic language, complemented by watercolour and gouache drawings, Naturopolis invites the reader to look carefully beyond the concrete and skyscrapers to see the life that abounds within the cracks.

Each plant or creature featured – such as the social huntsman, the meat ant, the maidenhair fern or the ringtail possum – has a little label of information with its Latin name and details about its habitat, history or another interesting morsel of information.

Stunning production values make this a book to really treasure and will have little ones begging for a walk down the street to discover and investigate the tiny pockets of nature that have made the city and the suburbs their home. This is an absolute treat that revels in nature for children aged 3 to 6.

Angela Crocombe is a senior buyer at Readings