Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3^-6. A mole with a tentacled snout, a transparent "glass" frog, an armadillo that's half armor and half fur--those are among the creatures showcased in this beautifully illustrated compendium of the bizarre. Each well-designed spread features an excellent-quality close-up of the animal, often a gruesome shot of the animal swallowing its prey, followed by a paragraph or two of facts describing the animal's appearance, movement, and reproduction. Bullets denote at-a-glance facts about habitat, diet, and size. In addition to being filled with intriguing, easy-to-grasp facts, the text is sophisticated, even poetic in places ("Lorises . . . seem to be the eyes of night itself"), and may be a challenge for the youngest readers. But the photos, including many head-on portraits, will draw children back into the text and inspire older children to wonder about the strange evolution that gave each creature its startling shape. --Gillian Engberg
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
Thirty-nine strange-looking vertebrates are profiled, with emphasis on their odd physical features and habits. While many of the photos of the animals are intriguing, their scientific value is undermined by a layout that takes the animals out of their habitats and places them on black or brightly colored backgrounds. The text attempts to describe adaptation and structure-function relationships, but it's poorly written and confusing. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
