Mountains of the World; Dieter Braun

This is the third non-fiction book by Dieter Braun that has been translated from German to English and I am absolutely thrilled that this has been done.

If there’s one thing to make humans feel terribly small and vulnerable then mountains would come pretty close to the top of the list. Mountains - beautiful, imposing and unforgiving - are the giants of the Earth. And Dieter Braun invites you to climb and explore mountains from all corners of the world. From El Capitan to Aconcagua, the Matterhorn to Kilimanjaro, Mount Kailash to Uluru. Meet the mountains, their animal inhabitants, those that have climbed, conquered and explored, the flora and fauna that grow and the mythological creatures that are rumoured to lurk there too!

Braun visits twenty mountains and along the way there are extra curricular visits to deserts, a descent into a cave, there’s even time to pause at some incredibly impressive and famous landmarks - Mount Rushmore, Petra and the Crazy Horse Memorial. Readers can expect to learn a lot from this book. In addition to the information on individual mountains, further explanations detail what mountains are, how they are formed and what adventurous types get up to on them (nice double page spreads show all the relevant gear needed to get yourself climbing or skiing).

The whole book is beautifully presented. Like his previous books, Animals of the Wild North and Animals of the Wild South, Braun immerses readers in his subject through impressive visuals and informative text. The text is often minimal and it is the illustrations that will have readers poring over this book for hours. Illustrations are bold and capture the mountains and animals in all of their natural beauty - it is like looking through an art gallery. The endpapers are pretty impressive too, showcasing mountains from around the world compared against one another complete with height readings. A world mountain map and a glossary finish the book.

This is one seriously cool book, particularly if you have a head for heights. Put on your climbing gear and prepare yourself to visit the rooftops of the world.

Recommended for 7+.