Creature Features: Twenty-Five Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do - Hardcover

Jenkins, Steve; Page, Robin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0544233514 ISBN 13: 9780544233515

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2014

Synopsis

Dear axolotl: Why do you have feathers growing out of your head? Axolotl: They aren't feathers—they're gills! They let me breathe underwater.
Let's face it. Even as babies, we humans pay close attention to faces. Observing another person's features and expressions tells us whether they are happy, angry, excited, or sad. And when we look at an animal, it's hard not to imagine that its face is communicating human feelings. This isn't true, of course. Squinty eyes, an upturned mouth, or another odd expression is probably there because, in some way, it helps that animal survive.      Packed with many cool facts and visuals on where certain animals live and what they eat, this book captures twenty-five humorous—and very true—explanations of why animals look the way they do in order to exist in this world.

About this title

About the Authors

Steve Jenkins wrote and illustrated many nonfiction picture books for young readers, including the Caldecott Honor Book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? His books have been called stunning, eye-popping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, and informative.

Robin Page has worked on numerous bestselling and award-winning titles with her husband and collaborator, Steve Jenkins, including Caldecott Honor Book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Reviews

Pres-Gr 2—Did you ever wonder why an Egyptian vulture has feathers on his face, or why a frilled lizard has extra skin around his neck? These curiosities are explained in a Q & A—style interview as 25 unique animals offer up their personal insights (for example, "Dear Tapir: Why is your nose crooked?" "My nose isn't always twisted. I bend it when I want to reach some tender leaves or fruit."). Loaded with nuggets of information and layered in humor, this is a winning picture book that is sure to inform as well as entertain. The illustrations are designed in torn- and cut-paper collage and depict each animal with texture and style. Background colors are bold and bright and provide a balanced backdrop to each animal. Back matter includes a chart of each animal's geographical location and diet for additional research.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

Have aliens invaded Earth? No, it’s just another stellar partnership for Jenkins and Page, this time presenting 25 unusual animals. In a question-and-answer format, each animal speaks in the first person to explain the purpose of its bizarre features. When asked, “Have you ever thought about getting braces?,” the toothy mole rat replies, “Not really. I dig tunnels through the earth with my teeth.” To “What is that weird thing growing on your face?,” the star-nosed mole answers, “I use the tentacles on my snout to feel my way in the dark.” Two show-stopper portraits are the pink-tinted blob fish’s smushed head against a brilliant azure background and the toothless horned frog’s head with its “ginormous” mouth. The flat, brightly colored backgrounds make the nuanced cut-paper and collage faces pop. Back matter includes a bibliography and silhouettes of the animals compared to humans, as well as their geographic range and diet. It’s a splendid introduction and a memorable read-aloud for young children. Preschool-Grade 3. --Lolly Gepson

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0544233514
• ISBN 13: 9780544233515
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Jenkins Steve
• Number of pages: 32