Synopses & Reviews
Dearand#160;axolotl: Why do you have feathers growing out of your head? Axolotl: They aren't feathersand#8212;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. and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Packed with many cooland#160;facts and visuals on where certain animals live and what they eat, this book capturesand#160;twenty-fiveand#160;humorousand#8212;and very trueand#8212;explanations of why animals look the way they do in order to exist in this world.
Review
andquot;From a skilled team, another intriguing invitation to explore the animal world.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus
andquot;Itand#39;s a splendid introduction and a memorable read-aloud for young children.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
* andquot;Loaded with nuggets of information and layered in humor, this is a winning picture book that is sure to inform as well as entertain.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal, starred review
* andquot;Jenkinsand#39;s torn-paper creations emphasize the idea of interspecies dialogueandmdash;readers stare face to face with the animals, who happily divulge what makes them special.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly, starred review
andquot;The language of the questions is funny, varied, and irreverent, and the answers are as personable as they are compactly informative...Though the text is accessible for reading alone, the QandA format is a natural for a lively and unusual readaloudandmdash;funny voices optional but recommended.andquot;
andmdash;Bulletin
Synopsis
Lions and scorpions and lethal little jellyfish, oh my! Kids will sink their teeth into this fascinating look at natures fiercest creatures.Sometimes nature can be nasty: snakes that spit poison, insects with exploding bottoms, and tigers that have you for dinner. Throughout the animal kingdom, creatures are equipped with lethal weapons, from finger-length fangs to toxic tentacles, and have ingenious ways of killing one another — poisoning, dive-bombing, strangling, and even electrocuting! Discover the murderous methods of attack and defense that make animals armed, dangerous, and deadly.
Synopsis
The Caldecott Honor-winning duo get face-to-face with unique animals from around the world in this playful exploration of unusual animal facial features.
About the Author
Nicola Davies is a zoologist and writer whose many acclaimed books for children include
Surprising Sharks,
Gaia Warriors, and five companion titles to
Deadly! "Living with animals that are cute and harmless is easy," she says, "but we need to share our world with the creatures that can bite and sting, too." Nicola Davies lives in Wales.
Neal Layton has illustrated more than forty books for children, including the other fivebooks in this series. About illustrating Deadly!, he says, "It was really good fun drawing allthese dangerous animals, and now Ill know what to do if I ever meet a shark who puts itsfin down and hunches its back at me." He lives in Portsmouth, England.