My readers enjoy anything non fiction. We tend to watch many shows on the National Geographic channel and we have numerous non fiction books at our fingertips. Lately, we have been quite inspired by survivalists. People like Bear Grylls and Les Stroud capture our imagination. We were so excited to bring home Wild Outside: Around the World with Survivorman by Les Stroud with illustrations by Andrew P. Barr.

Broken into four parts based on the four key things all survivalists need to do when in the wild: Prepare, Observe, React and Adapt. Each part has three chapters, each detailing some of Les’ survival adventures in various parts of the globe. Written in simple, easy to navigate language, Wild Outside is a great book for budding middle grade adventurers. 

Les Stroud has filled his book not only with details about some of his encounters but also amazing things readers can do at home to hone their survivalists skills in a low risk way. There are a ton of sidebars so readers learn even more beyond just what Les did in each scenario. There is information about any animals he encountered and terrain as well. What struck me was the admiration and respect that exudes from the pages when he speaks of the people he has learned from along the way, particularly those people who are native to the respective places that he visits. He learns from the many nations on whose land he explores.

I definitely appreciated all of the Canadian content within the book. I was expecting there to be perhaps one adventure in Canada with the rest in various exotic locations around the world but I was pleasantly surprised that each part featured at least one adventure in Canada and many in locations I was familiar with.

The illustrations and photos that accompany the stories are fabulous and highly engaging. Andrew P. Barr has weaved in his illustrations to continue the high stakes narrative woven by Les Stroud. Overall, this is an excellent middle grade non fiction book that is certain to inspire.