In this Q&A session, the narrator asks a bunch of animals why they look the way they do, to which, each of them responds with the facts. Some of these creatures include the Pufferfish, and Harpy Eagle. Most of these animals get paired with another on the facing page; these represent a common theme showing how vastly different animals evolved similar features to achieve different things. In general these creatures look pretty funny, but the artist further emphasizes their unusual traits with portrait-style collages made of pieces of painted paper. While the information is limited, a chart in the back provides a few extra details like size, diet, and origin. This is a fun book that will easily amuse and intrigue young children.

An inviting question-and-answer format lends a relatable tone -- and plenty of quirky humour -- to this fascinating book in which 25 animals explain their unusual features. The information presented here (did you know that the star-nosed mole uses its snout tentacles to see in the dark? or that the deep-sea blobfish only looks so blobby when it's taken out of the water?) is just as attention-grabbing as the bold illustrations of outlandish creatures. Can't get enough weird animal facts and cunning cut-paper collages? Check out Robin Page and Steve Jenkins' other books, such as How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly?

Picture books newsletter October 2014