Deadliest animals on the planet

Gr 2--6--Grizzlies, cougars, pythons, barracudas, and many familiar predators are included in this resource, but it distinguishes itself by also introducing readers to a vast array of lesser-known animals. At over 200 pages, the abundance of information is best absorbed as a browsable read. Each critter is given one page with a paragraph-length entry explaining its method of hunting for prey or warding off enemies with several types of defenses. Teeth, claws, horns, and hooves are among the weapons employed, and the snappy writing highlights the ways that nature supplies wildlife with amazing survival tools. The high-resolution photographs provide a rare up-close look at creatures that humans can't often observe in the wild. The flannel mouth caterpillar, shocking pink dragon millipede, and assassin bugs are just a few of the animals whose colors and patterns are brilliantly revealed. There is also a sufficient gross factor to keep readers engaged--the bird-dropping spider that looks like bird excrement and the hogfish that turns itself into knots and emits a secret slime. Domesticated creatures, such as house cats, cows, and horses, are also recognized for strengths readers won't be familiar with. Most animals are presented individually, though several sections look at broader topics, such as poison vs. venom or real predators vs. fakes. An index is provided for this rich compendium of facts. VERDICT Impressive in its wide coverage of creatures, this stunningly illustrated book should find a welcome spot in all libraries, encouraging readers to do further research.--Gloria Koster

An album of animals that are best admired from afar. From toothy great white sharks to bad-tempered koalas, Szymanski introduces dozens of different animals through striking, close-up color photographs. The images usually cover a full page and sometimes three-quarters of a double-page spread. Each animal gets a paragraph of text describing its offensive or defensive weapons. There's no obvious organization, but occasionally a spread will feature a group with common characteristics such as large appetites, powerful bites, or dangerous body parts. Some of these animals are deadly to humans--toxic to eat or capable of inflicting a mortal wound--but many would more accurately be labeled dangerous. Readers might not expect to encounter some of the creatures, like dragonflies and pelicans, both of which have prodigious appetites, and prey with highly developed defenses that can make a stink, like tamanduas and skunks, or fulmars, a type of seabird with oily vomit. There are carnivores and vegetarians; land, sea, and sky dwellers; and familiar and unfamiliar creatures from all over the world. This work is a browser's delight, with a helpful index that includes animal groups (birds, the cat family, etc.) as well as individual species, for easy access. Fans of the earlier volume, Cutest Animals on the Planet (2021), will surely want to explore this follow-up title. Danger! This topic is irresistible. (index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 7-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.