The Golden Mole is a book of awe-inspiring animals, many of which you may never know existed. Called ‘a rare and magical book’ by American writer Bill Bryson, this book takes us on a globe-trotting tour of the world’s strangest creatures including pangolins, wombats, lemurs and seahorses.
An exuberant celebration of everything from bats, crows and hedgehogs to narwhals and wombats. Rundell is incapable of writing a dull sentence. Observer
Yet each of these animals is endangered (pangolins are the world’s most trafficked species – some believe this may have caused the pandemic) and seahorses are often killed to make ‘medicine’ in China or die from shock, when photographed in aquariums. This sharply funny book is also a clarion call to save nature’s wonders, before it’s too late.
The American wood frog gets through winter by allowing itself to freeze solid. Its heart slows, then stops altogether. The water around its organs turn to ice. Come spring it thaws, and the heart kickstarts itself spontaneously into life. We still don’t understand how the heart knows to start beating.
St Cuthbert (a 7th century monk from Lindisfarne) was said to have enlisted the help of sea otters when he got wet in the ocean. They warmed his feet with their breath, and dried him with their fur.
About the Author
Katherine Rundell is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Her books for children have been translated into over 30 languages and have won multiple awards.
