I Can Do Magic. Magical Plants and Animals - (Wow!) by Mack Van Gageldonk (Hardcover)

About the Book

This is the first book in the Wow series, a series focusing on animals, plants, and spectacular phenomena.

Book Synopsis

wow! This series is full of animals, plants, and phenomena that are so spectacular that you'll be left in awe!

Have you ever seen a real magician? A magician who can make himself invisible, change his shape, or walk on water? Take a good look around you in nature, because magicians might be closer than you think. In this book, you'll meet incredible plants and animals: chameleons, butterflies, black panthers, mushrooms . . . And they can all do magic!
Mack takes the reader on a journey discovering animals that appear to do 'magic.' Mixing fantastic photography and illustrations, the reader can expect to learn about chameleons, hummingbirds and their ability to stay still in the air or even fly backward, the magic of fireflies shining bright, trees and animals living for many years, and so on. It is a fantastic trip with loads of facts about fauna and flora.

The first book in the wow series. Let the best animals and plants enchant you. For little biologists ages 5 years and up.

Review Quotes

"This book is full of beautiful pictures and bite-sized facts that re sure to keep young readers engaged. This "old" reader even learned a few things: )" - Grant Public Library

"A bit wordy, but I'll forgive it as a solid piece of nonfiction about the wonders of the natural world." - Free Library of Philadelphia

"HA! I loved this book- and I'm an adult! Kids are going to drawn right in with the word Magic. This book will make a fine addition to a science collection, class, kids interested (or they will be) in critters that hide in plain sight! Photos are really nice, too. Great title Mack van Gageldonk! It grabbed my attention, I don't see why it shouldn't grab a kids." - Cleveland Public Library Brooklyn branch

About the Author

Mack (1960, the Netherlands) is a graphic designer and illustrator from The Netherlands. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. During his education, he made funny and educational cartoons about, among others, penguins and whales. These cartoons were later bought by the 'Diergaarde Blijdorp'-zoo in Rotterdam. By now Mack is a regular illustrator at this animal park and he is the author of several children's books, in which animals often are the lead characters.

Mack has a primitive way of drawing. He gets inspired by African art and the paintings of the Australian aboriginals. Both create immense power by simplifying shapes. Mack wants to combine that powerful simplification with a subtle sense of humor.

"In my books I try to teach children something in a funny way," Mack says. "If I draw a penguin, it doesn't matter to me that much how pretty he is or how good of a swimmer he is. What I want to show the most is how baggy he stands on the ice and how funny his walk is. That funny bagginess is what I try to catch in a couple of lines. Only when children can laugh about it, I think to myself: 'Yes, I did it'."