Unreal: Can You Tell Fact from Fake? by Kate Simpson, illustrated by Leila Rudge

Title: Unreal: Can You Tell Fact from Fake?

Author: Kate Simpson, illustrated by Leila Rudge

Genre: Non-fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 2^nd July 2024

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 64

Price: $29.99

Synopsis: Guess which of the weird and wonderful exhibits are real and which are fake in this sumptuous collection of extraordinary animals and plants.

There’s been a mix-up at the Museum – some of the displays from the Myths and Legends exhibit have snuck into the Natural History wing.
We have to sort it out, but how can we tell fact from fiction? Animal from apparition? Megafauna from monster?

Kids will have fun guessing which animals and plants are real and which are fake in this extraordinary exhibition of the strange and wonderful animals and plants that inhabit our world … and our imaginations. And a brilliant guide to help us know what to look for when tracking down truths.

~*~

The natural history museum is getting their exhibitions ready – but some myths and stories have been mixed in with the real exhibitions and the curator needs your help to sort what is real from what isn’t – and make sure that they move the myths out of the historical exhibition, and into their right places. So, my friends, are you ready to come and help out? To sort fact from fiction, animal from apparition, and megafauna from monster? Well, come along.

Unreal: Can You Tell Fact from Fake? is a new picture book aimed at older readers who are confident readers, or starting to read on their own, and combine science, fact, and mythology in a fun way to explore a museum and different kinds of knowledge within our world. The exhibitions explore the weird and the wonderful plants and animals that make the world incredibly interesting, showing that there is more to the world than we know, and lots of interesting flora and fauna – and of course, a whole lot of intriguing myths and mythological creatures that sound like they could be real, and just as many real animals that sound – and perhaps look like they are not real. This is a fun book, and I reckon older readers will enjoy treating this as a game or quiz, trying to guess the real and fake animals before they turn the page to find out more about them, including the origins and what makes some real and some fake.

It is a highly engaging book that examines science and wonder in the world, where history, science and wonder come together to show that we can find joy and intrigue in anything and everything, and shares knowledge in an accessible way. It ensures that children can engage with the information and understand it, making it easy to access for children aged 6 and older, to complement learning about science, animals, and museums in school, and it is also fun to read, learning something new, whilst also providing readers with a chance to learn about a museum before they visit, or to complement a museum visit, in particular a natural history museum or somewhere like the Australian Museum in Sydney, as the exhibitions explore the sort of things you might find there and much more in this fun and educational book for all ages.

Kate’s wonderful text is accompanied by fun and realistic illustrations that give a sense of the museum and the creatures in a lively way, showing children the wonder and intrigue of these museums. Ans I a way, this book speaks to the importance of natural history museums and museums as centres of knowledge, and sharing knowledge about a wide array of things with the wider public, engaging with people through a range of exhibitions that stay at the museum as well as travelling ones. This sort of thing enriches our knowledge and understanding of the world and its history, and allows us to explore places we may not be able to get to in person. This is a rather intriguing book and one that readers of all ages will hopefully enjoy.