★ A popular science encyclopedia that brings nature to life, specially designed for primary and secondary school students.
★ This series follows a three-step structure—realistic hand-drawn illustrations, accessible scientific explanations, and engaging observation tasks—covering five major themes: animals, minerals, insects, reptiles, and mollusks, helping children build a comprehensive system of natural knowledge all at once!
★ Five leading scientists guide kids to start their exploration from seaside beaches, subway station walls, roadside stones, and park grasses, teaching them how to identify minerals, insects, shells, reptiles, and animal tracks. The content is not only perfect for classroom learning but also ideal for casual reading during holiday hikes or strolls in the park.
★ From the classroom to the wild, from right under your feet to distant mountains and fields, every outing becomes an adventure, every encounter turns into a discovery, revealing an extraordinary world hidden within the ordinary.

This series comprises five books: “The Neglected Wonders: Mollusks,” “Familiar Strangers: Tracking Animals Around Us,” “Close Neighbors: The Real World of Insects,” “Misunderstood Ancient Creatures: An Introduction to Reptiles,” and “From Mountains to Cities: Minerals All Around Us.”

Picking up a seashell on the beach, encountering a snail in the villa’s garden—these creatures, both familiar and yet strangely unfamiliar to us, are mollusks. Yet our knowledge of them often stops there: we can’t name them, tell their species apart, or even understand how they live. This encyclopedia fills that gap, systematically introducing marine, freshwater, and terrestrial mollusks, covering a wide range of species from snails and pond snails to octopuses, squids, and nautiluses. Whether you’re on the beach, by the riverbank, or in an urban park, this book will help you identify every mollusk around you through observation.

The book features common mollusks such as oysters, mussels, pearl oysters, pond snails, slugs, octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and nautiluses, and also extends to fascinating marine invertebrates like corals, starfish, and sea urchins—showcasing the incredible diversity of aquatic life. Each species is accompanied by exquisite hand-drawn illustrations, making it easy for children to explore the wonders of the underwater world. The content is not only ideal for classroom learning but also perfect for casual browsing during holiday trips, seaside strolls, or everyday city life.

Mollusks are a topic often overlooked in biology textbooks, yet they are truly ubiquitous—from the deep sea to freshwater habitats, from forests to gardens. This book will guide children into the world of these often‑neglected little creatures, helping them understand their habits and habitats and learn to identify each species by its appearance. Getting to know mollusks opens a new window onto the underwater realm!

[Author] Alexander Tikhonov
Doctor of Biology, a professional marine biologist who has long studied aquatic invertebrates. He is also the author of children’s books on animals and wildlife. Author Alexander Tikhonov is a zoologist with a doctorate in biology and an avid traveler. He has written more than 40 books about animals and wildlife for children and teenagers and has been awarded the National Children’s Literature Prize!