An illustration by Sophie Burrows for her new book Weird Sea. It shows a group of people on a boat looking over the side at all the wonderful creatures they can see in the sea.

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Children's quizzes

How much do you know about the sea?

from pirate graveyards to exploding trees, unicorn skeletons and more!

The Weirdest Wonders on Earth

You might have heard the word 'atlas' and thought, isn't that a dusty old book with maps and stuff? But hang on – this is a totally WEIRD atlas: a curious collection of the strangest places on Earth! Such as: 
 
A BOILING RIVER – this river in Peru reaches temperatures of 100 degrees celsius! 
 
A PIRATE CEMETERY – located in Madagascar, this was the final resting place of many notorious pirates from the 16th and 17th centuries 
 
A GIGANTIC MIRROR - the salt flats in Bolivia form a huge reflective surface that's visible from space! 
 
A MAGNETIC MOUNTAIN – this slope in Australia has a mysterious force that causes cars to roll up instead of down. 
 
As you journey through this book, you'll discover some of the most weird and wonderful places on every continent. And sometimes, you'll travel back in time to discover the strange histories of these locations. 
 
With hilarious comic-strip illustrations throughout, this quirky guide to the strangest stuff on Earth will surprise and delight curious kids aged 6+.

Sophie Burrows (Author, Illustrator) 
Sophie Burrows is an award-winning writer, illustrator and comics creator. Inspired by the everyday, she loves to tell stories which explore themes of human behaviour, mental health and relationships. In 2019 she graduated from the MA in Children's Book Illustration course at Cambridge School of Art, and won Student Illustrator of the Year 2019 at the V&A Illustration Awards. Her debut graphic novel, Crushing, published in 2021. Sophie is also a lecturer and teaches on the MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art.

Get ready to explore some of the weirdest wonders on Earth! Such as: 
 
A BOILING RIVER – this river in Peru reaches temperatures of 100 degrees celsius! 
 
A PIRATE CEMETERY – located in Madagascar, this was the final resting place of many notorious pirates from the 16th and 17th centuries 
 
A GIGANTIC MIRROR - the salt flats in Bolivia form a huge reflective surface that's visible from space! 
 
A MAGNETIC MOUNTAIN – this slope in Australia has a mysterious force that causes cars to roll up instead of down. 
 
As you journey through this book, you'll discover some of the strangest and most fascinating places on every continent. And sometimes, you'll travel back in time to discover the weird histories of these locations. 
 
With hilarious comic-strip illustrations throughout, this quirky guide to the strangest stuff on Earth will surprise and delight curious kids aged 6+.

Sophie Burrows

Zombie Starfish, Underwater Aliens and Other Strange Tales of the Ocean

WARNING: after reading this book, you'll never look at the sea the same way again! 
 
What does the sea make you think of? Crashing waves, crumbling sandcastles . . . maybe a squawking seagull or two? Well how about . . . 
 
Ghost ships! Mega sharks! The Bermuda triangle! Zombie starfish! Psychic sea serpents! And don't even get us started on something called the Hot Tub of Despair . . . 
 
You see, the sea is actually weird. Really weird. Not only is it full of amazing creatures and mini monsters, some of the world's most mind-blowing myths and legends revolve around the sea too. 
 
So what are you waiting for? Get ready to dive in and discover some of the incredible secrets of our weird, wonderful and totally wild oceans. 
 
This quirky collection of the sea's strangest facts is perfect for curious kids aged 5–7.

Sophie Burrows

Books by Sophie Burrows

Articles featuring Sophie Burrows

How much do you know about the sea?

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