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The Versatile Reptile

by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Abbie Cameron

Interest age: 6 to 8
Reading age: 6+

Published by Graffeg, 2023

  • Non-fiction
  • Picture books
  • Poetry and rhyme

About this book

Reptiles aren’t weird or scary – they’re amazingly versatile and pretty cool actually. From having different coloured scales, to sneezing salt out of their nostrils, to squeezing prey with their massive coils, they all have unique qualities. And they live in every kind of place: roaming through the sea, gliding through the sky and moving about on scorching sand. As the repeated refrain says, There’s nothing quite so versatile as the creatures that we call reptile!

Zoologist and acclaimed author Nicola Davies has written a text that is simple yet packed with information, all in rhyme. Accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, this is a lovely picture book that will intrigue young readers keen to learn about the natural world. Children will also enjoy the puzzle about diet at the end.

About the author

Nicola Davies is the author of more than 50 books for children: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her work has been published in more than 10 different languages and has won major awards in the UK, US, France, Italy and Germany.

Nicola trained as a zoologist, taking a degree in Natural Sciences from King's College, Cambridge. She spent some years as a field biologist and studied humpback and sperm whales, and bats, before joining the BBC Natural History Unit as a researcher and then presenter.

Following the start of her writing career, Nicola became a senior lecturer in creative writing, at Bath Spa University but has been writing full time for over a decade. She now regularly runs workshops for children and adults to help them find their voices as writers and advocates for nature. In 2017, she was the first recipient of the SLA’s award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Non-fiction and in 2018 had four picture books longlisted for the Greenaway Award.

Find out what Nicola Davies is up to as our Writer in Residence

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