Tooling Around: Crafty Creatures and the Tools They Use

Dig these crafty creatures!

We all use tools every day: a pen to write a story, a paint brush to illustrate a book, a fork to eat dinner. But it's not just humans who use tools. 

Chimpanzees often poke sticks, straw, or blades of grass into termite mounds to draw out insects for a tasty treat. Veined octopuses have been observed carrying coconut shells—they crawl inside them and hide from predators when they need a rest. A New Caledonian crow can even bend a twig with its beak to use as a hook to dig out bugs. 

Scientists don't all agree on what counts as a tool, but young readers will be inspired to observe the animals that live around them and how they use various objects to find food, to attract a mate, to protect themselves, or to build or conceal a home.

Renné Benoit's illustrations get closeup with each animal, exploring habitats, the special problems they face, and the ways they solve these problems—either by intelligence or instinct. Tooling Around: Crafty Creatures and the Tools They Use is a wonderful introduction to the animal kingdom and the many different ways animals survive.

Ellen Jackson has written and published many fiction and nonfiction books for children. She is the author of the award-winning Turn of the Century, Cinder Edna, and The Ballad of the Booster Bogg, among others. Ellen lives in California with her Miniature Schnauzer, Bailey. She writes almost every day. You can visit her online at EllenJackson.net.

Renné Benoit is the illustrator of several picture books, including Mooncakes, The Secret of the Village Fool, and Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion. Renné lives in Ontario, Canada.