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RHS Under Your Feet: Soil, Sand and other stuff
Down where worms wriggle and microbes squirm, there's a whole world waiting to be discovered...
Under Your Feet delves beneath the Earth's surface and explores the diverse wonders hidden there. Encounter creatures of the deep and marvel at the mind-boggling size of the humongous fungus - the biggest organism in the world. Learn how one handful of ordinary soil contains more organisms than there are people on Earth, and carry out experiments using dirt from your own back garden.
Under Your Feet offers you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of the natural world and soil-dwelling creatures big and small. Bursting with colourful illustrations and photography, this is the perfect book for budding young plant experts, animal fanatics, and geologists, and anyone who is curious about the ground we walk on.
Under Your Feet delves beneath the Earth's surface and explores the diverse wonders hidden there. Encounter creatures of the deep and marvel at the mind-boggling size of the humongous fungus - the biggest organism in the world. Learn how one handful of ordinary soil contains more organisms than there are people on Earth, and carry out experiments using dirt from your own back garden.
Under Your Feet offers you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of the natural world and soil-dwelling creatures big and small. Bursting with colourful illustrations and photography, this is the perfect book for budding young plant experts, animal fanatics, and geologists, and anyone who is curious about the ground we walk on.
64 pages, Hardcover
Published April 2, 2020
About the author
Royal Horticultural Society
395 books40 followersThe Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861. The Royal Horticultural Society is one of the world’s leading horticultural organizations and the UK's leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting gardening.
Vital to the protection of plants, gardens and green spaces for future generations, the RHS helps over two million school children get into gardening and supports more than 1,700 communities to create their own gardens, encouraging people to grow their own food.
The charity also promotes horticulture through world-renowned flowers shows such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, the Tatton Park Flower Show and the Cardiff Flower Show. These shows exhibit the best in horticulture by providing show gardens, floral marques and expert advice.
In 2004 the society celebrated its bicentenary reflecting all the achievements of the RHS to date.
Vital to the protection of plants, gardens and green spaces for future generations, the RHS helps over two million school children get into gardening and supports more than 1,700 communities to create their own gardens, encouraging people to grow their own food.
The charity also promotes horticulture through world-renowned flowers shows such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, the Tatton Park Flower Show and the Cardiff Flower Show. These shows exhibit the best in horticulture by providing show gardens, floral marques and expert advice.
In 2004 the society celebrated its bicentenary reflecting all the achievements of the RHS to date.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 7, 2023
Yes and very much indeed, with her 2020 science themed non-fiction and sixty-four pages in length picture book Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground and which I would call suitable for readers from about the age of eight or so onwards (mostly dealing with and featuring questions of biology and geology, but also and a wee bit off topic in my opinion astronomy since for some reason both the moon and Mars are also presented and discussed in Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground) University of Warwick (United Kingdom) soil scientist Jackie Stroud scientifically (and factually soundly, in other words generally and nicely error free) explores all things below earth's surface (soil, burrowing creatures, plant roots, fungal spores etc.) and with Stroud's presented text in conjunction with Wenjia Tang's accompanying artwork extensively (but also not ever sall that intensively) detailing and explaining the many ways soil impacts plant and animal life, the food we grow and eat, global warming (and so on and so on) and with Jackie Stroud together with Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) consultant Marc Redmile-Gordon also providing and engagingly showcasing a number of ideas for fun and child friendly hands-on soil related activities throughout the pages of Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground.
But although Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground is definitely eye-catching and shows a gorgeously rendered and aesthetically spectacular colourful blend of illustrations and photographs as well as an engaging general set-up, the pages of Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground are also (at least for me and for my eyes and attention span) more than a bit overly busy, with the numerous illustrations and blurbs of text on every single page competing for readers’ attention and contributing to a rather chaotic reading experience, and one that does not really give all that much in-depth information either but jumps from one informational nugget of knowledge to another, so that textual quantity is often kind of being favoured in Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground over more detailed and quality information and analysis. And thus (with this firmly in mind), especially my inner child almost seems to actively resent how Jackie Stroud with her words and Wenjia Tang with her pictures are mostly, are far far too often rushing from one topic to the next, leaving me with regard to Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground decently enough enlightened and educated but also generally wanting and needing much more intensivity and as such also less extensivity, and not to mention also not really being given the opportunity to do supplemental research all that easily either, since and like is sadly usually the case with DK Publishing, Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground also has no footnotes and/or endnotes being provided, no books and websites for further study and reading (and that the acknowledgment page for Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground is not in any manner user/research friendly and also mostly just features and presents photo credits anyhow).
But although Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground is definitely eye-catching and shows a gorgeously rendered and aesthetically spectacular colourful blend of illustrations and photographs as well as an engaging general set-up, the pages of Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground are also (at least for me and for my eyes and attention span) more than a bit overly busy, with the numerous illustrations and blurbs of text on every single page competing for readers’ attention and contributing to a rather chaotic reading experience, and one that does not really give all that much in-depth information either but jumps from one informational nugget of knowledge to another, so that textual quantity is often kind of being favoured in Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground over more detailed and quality information and analysis. And thus (with this firmly in mind), especially my inner child almost seems to actively resent how Jackie Stroud with her words and Wenjia Tang with her pictures are mostly, are far far too often rushing from one topic to the next, leaving me with regard to Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground decently enough enlightened and educated but also generally wanting and needing much more intensivity and as such also less extensivity, and not to mention also not really being given the opportunity to do supplemental research all that easily either, since and like is sadly usually the case with DK Publishing, Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground also has no footnotes and/or endnotes being provided, no books and websites for further study and reading (and that the acknowledgment page for Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground is not in any manner user/research friendly and also mostly just features and presents photo credits anyhow).
May 11, 2022
Everything you wanted to know about stuff under your feet, but we’re afraid to ask? Table of contents lends to the ease of browsing; great layout of text, photos incorporated into the engaging illustrations. Jam packed with info, but not in a busy or frantic way. Glossary and index, no sources (except for photo credits) but DK thanks experts for their contributions at the end. Give to kids ready for more after the Kate Messner over and under books.
March 28, 2020
Un altre llibre traduït. Les il·lustracions són precioses.
November 11, 2021
A fascinating and gorgeously illustrated children's nonfiction about everything under your feet, from the soil and what lives and grows in it, to minerals and nutrients, and so much more!
Packed full of great facts nestled in and around the awesome illustrations.
Includes a soil experiment and how-to's for composting, animal shelters, and more.
Supplemented this into our B&R-K homeschool curriculum to go along with the Ground Dwellers & Diggers unit for Nature Lore.
Read again in 2021 for our 1st grade curriculum while learning about rocks and minerals and fossils!
Packed full of great facts nestled in and around the awesome illustrations.
Includes a soil experiment and how-to's for composting, animal shelters, and more.
Supplemented this into our B&R-K homeschool curriculum to go along with the Ground Dwellers & Diggers unit for Nature Lore.
Read again in 2021 for our 1st grade curriculum while learning about rocks and minerals and fossils!
November 23, 2020
3.5 What a unique book all about soil! As an adult I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot even though it's written for children haha. I beautiful illustrations , soil science-based, solid examples of climate change, but not sure I followed the organization, at times it was a bit busy for me,
October 25, 2021
Interesting but quite dry
May 7, 2025
One of our favorite approachable reference books! We have been learning about soil, worms, etc over the last few weeks and have referenced this soooo many times. It's such fun and truly a joy to page through. Today we finally sat down and paged/read through the whole thing at once and it did not disappoint- even I learned some things! Highly recommend for anyone looking for gorgeous reference books to add to their kids' shelves!
July 25, 2021
This is another beautiful book by DK. I appreciate that the examples are taken from around the world (some of which were new to me, e.g., zai pits) and even from out of this world (which was also new to me, i.e., to learn that scientists have tried growing plants in soils similar to those of the moon and Mars).
June 20, 2025
It is packed with information. Great picture book for 4-6th grade. Yes I said 6th because even in middle school they enjoy a picture book now and then over a textbook. It can tie into so many education standards with soil, ecosystems, and even with space with how it compares Earth soil and the Moon.
October 7, 2023
I think DK never disappoints.
Good book with beautiful illustrations and rich info that makes 'studying' a lot more fun for kids. I love this one and want to have the rest of the book in the series!!
Good book with beautiful illustrations and rich info that makes 'studying' a lot more fun for kids. I love this one and want to have the rest of the book in the series!!
October 14, 2020
buku keren buat anak-anak, asal bukan dibaca sebelum tidur aja sih #curhat
Read
November 1, 2020Discover everything that lives in the ground under your feet, from soil and roots to bugs, food, and fungus.
May 13, 2021
This is a fun book about soil and the critters that live in it. Good information for the most part, the art makes it so interestsing.
July 12, 2021
So much learning from a picture book!
November 27, 2021
Beautiful illustrations. Read it to my daughter, or rather, 'with' my daughter, because I learnt quite a bit from it too!
May 18, 2022
This book has me compelled to start a movement called "Organisms Against Concrete." Or something like that.
Let it grow.
Let it grow.
June 17, 2022
Really in depth book. I learned quite a bit. Was a bit too heavy for my 4 year old but I condensed some of the topics and the illustrations were enough to keep her engaged.
April 23, 2024
Great book for learning about “Soil,Sand and Everything Underground!
April 10, 2025
Quite an interesting book and like a special encyclopedia about soil and its living things. feels like learning biology material happily
Read
February 27, 2026Teacher recommended
January 22, 2021
41 - 2021
June 7, 2022
I purchased this book to learn about soil health for my job. Yes, I'm an adult. And yes, I learned a lot from this children's book. The illustrations are very good. The info is broken down into understandable pieces while still maintaining the scientific integrity.
January 27, 2024
This book has a great concept.
We usually have our sight always ahead of us when we are walking and never think about what is under the land or what kind of life is inhabiting it.
But young children go for a walk, they are not only interested in what is in front of them, but also what is on the ground.
This book is a total learning experience from life under the land to the earth and the environment and makes it an ideal teaching tool for parents and children to read together.
Soil stores nutrients and water from rain, and with the sun's rays, plants and soil-growing plants grow healthy and become our food.
This book also talks about global warming, but reducing carbon dioxide levels may make it impossible for some plants to grow healthy, and as a result, the earth may become colder.
We usually have our sight always ahead of us when we are walking and never think about what is under the land or what kind of life is inhabiting it.
But young children go for a walk, they are not only interested in what is in front of them, but also what is on the ground.
This book is a total learning experience from life under the land to the earth and the environment and makes it an ideal teaching tool for parents and children to read together.
Soil stores nutrients and water from rain, and with the sun's rays, plants and soil-growing plants grow healthy and become our food.
This book also talks about global warming, but reducing carbon dioxide levels may make it impossible for some plants to grow healthy, and as a result, the earth may become colder.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews