Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Goossens and Tolman introduce an animal menagerie through gracefully whimsical paintings and offhand descriptions of each distinctive species. On one spread, pandas are seen riding on bicycles and sleeping in the middle of the road in heaps ("A giant panda has no permanent resting place. It just lies on the ground whenever it gets tired"). The art and descriptions don't shy from the pricklier side of animal behavior: crocodiles devour one of their own in a scene that's either very bloody or very ketchupy. In a softer image, a tiger swims alongside seahorses and a tiny cat in a pink submarine: "Most cats do not like water, but tigers love it. The Sumatran tiger has webbed toes and can swim more than fifteen miles." Dreamy graphics and quirky content add up to an idiosyncratic look at the animal world. Ages 5-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-This oversize volume is as much an art book as it is a book of animal facts. Tolman's visually interesting paintings are both sophisticated and child-friendly; the fanciful images leave such a strong impression that they demand conversation. The text-really expanded captions-presents charmingly quirky bits of information about each of the 27 animals. Youngsters learn that giraffes have no vocal cords and hippos' eyes, nose, and mouth are on the top of their heads. Some of the weirder facts are thrown out with something like nonchalance: Yes, marabous do have the tendency to eat animals fleeing from forest fires, no big deal. A sloth moves so slowly that green algae grows in its hair. This tone treats young animal lovers with respect, allowing them to decide for themselves how to feel about animal behavior. The index feels superfluous because no one would use the book for research. There are no source notes or bibliographies, so readers just have to take the creators at their word when they state, "A polar bear is left-handed, as are most artists."-Trina Bolfing, Westbank Libraries, Austin, TX (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Tolman's distinctive art, saturated with bright colors, provides whimsical interpretations of the unusual facts she's collected about various animals: a caterpillar competes in the shot put ("caterpillars can throw their poop extremely well"); a polar bear paints an abstract self-portrait ("A polar bear is left-handed, as are most artists"). The facts are insubstantial, but it's amusing stuff, packaged beautifully. Ind. (c) Copyright 2014. 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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Whimsy rules this pairing of unusual animal facts and droll illustrations. Goossens blends more or less common knowledge about 25 creatures, such as the fact that panthers are a kind of leopard or that sharks have to keep moving even when they sleep, with assertions that may set even well-read young naturalists back. Polar bears are left-handed ("...as are most artists"); both bison and penguins can jump six feet or more into the air; a drop of alcohol on a scorpion's back will cause it to "go completely berserk and sting itself to death." Interpreting this information with tongue-in-cheek literal-mindedness, Tolman supplies spacious painted scenes that dominate each spread. Small daubed images of bison meet for a long-jump competition; an expired scorpion lies next to a spilled glass of wine; drowsy sharks drift with plush toys tucked under their fins; in more gruesome turns, crocodiles and lions chow down bloodily (or is that ketchup?). Outr as the author's unsourced claims might be, readers may be inclined to go with the flow just because they are presented in such a lighthearted way. And who knows? Perhaps most of them are true, or at least truthy. A distinct change of pace from the general run of animal galleries, if better suited for chortling over than mining for school reports. (Picture book. 6-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
