Orangutan hats and other tools animals use

Gr 3--5--Humans aren't the only ones who use tools to secure food, safety, shelter, comfort, health, and recreation. Many animals have found innovative solutions across continents. For example, orangutans use leaves as umbrellas and hats; crabs use stinging anemones to protect themselves from predators; ravens "play" catch. Biologists have discovered through observation that each tool has an important use. Informational paragraphs written by Haynes are accompanied by colorful digital art rendered and illustrated by Laberis. The gentle yet realistic illustrations flow with the text, giving readers time to absorb each particular tool type. Although the information may be overwhelming to consume in one sitting for younger readers, the chapters provide a good introduction to animals creating tools using their natural habitat. A map and table of contents are located at the front of the book. A glossary, a bibliography, and an index are included in the back matter. Similar reads include Atlas of Animal Adventures by Emily Hawkins and Tooling Around: Crafty Creatures and the Tools They Use by Ellen Jackson. VERDICT An informative and entertaining exploration of each category of tool animals use.--Hilary Tufo, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., Reynoldsburg, OH

Animal behavior and ingenuity on full display! Beginning with a definition of a tool while providing historical background regarding human observations of animals' use of tools, this fascinating selection then jumps into a nicely structured explanation of tool use by a large variety of animals throughout the world. The sections are broken down by type of use (hygiene, health, defense, obtaining and eating food, comfort, and play), which include subsections regarding specifics. The section on health, for example, is broken down into sunscreen, tick removal, antiseptic, pain relief, and burn cream; paragraphs within each section focus on the actions of different animals: Elephants make their own sunscreen from straw, grass, mud, and sometimes vomit! Realistic full-page and spot illustrations with a bit of whimsy (check out the macaques flossing their teeth) appear in each spread while straightforward text explains how each animal uses each tool. This is an unexpectedly complicated topic, and readers may not be familiar with all of the concepts mentioned (youngsters may not understand what a developmental activity is, for instance, here used to describe the importance of play), but a glossary is included, and the wealth of information mitigates concerns over the few ideas that are not explicitly defined. Overall, it's an excellent choice for research or pleasure reading that will likely lead children to observe the animal world on their own. Readers will devour this dynamic and informative explanation of the inventiveness to be found within the animal world. (map, glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.