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

by Steve Jenkins, Robin Page, Steve Jenkins (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544233515
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	30,805
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Robin Page lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and collaborator, Steve Jenkins, and their three children. Along with writing and illustrating children’s books, Steve and Robin run a graphic design studio.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/06/2014
As always, artistry and zoology are intrinsic parts of Jenkins’s and Page’s latest animal-themed collaboration. Tongue-in-cheek questions (“Dear axolotl: Why do you have feathers growing out of your head?”) address the anatomy and physiology of 25 unusual-looking species. In response, the pink salamander explains, “Those aren’t feathers—they’re gills. They let me breathe underwater.” Other subjects include the mole rat (“Have you ever thought about getting braces?”), sun bear, and blobfish (“What on earth happened to you?”). Jenkins’s torn-paper creations emphasize the idea of interspecies dialogue—readers stare face to face with the animals, who happily divulge what makes them special. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"From a skilled team, another intriguing invitation to explore the animal world."
—Kirkus

"It's a splendid introduction and a memorable read-aloud for young children."
—Booklist

• "Loaded with nuggets of information and layered in humor, this is a winning picture book that is sure to inform as well as entertain."
—School Library Journal, starred review

• "Jenkins's torn-paper creations emphasize the idea of interspecies dialogue—readers stare face to face with the animals, who happily divulge what makes them special."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"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 Q&A format is a natural for a lively and unusual readaloud—funny voices optional but recommended."
—Bulletin

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2014
.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

School Library Journal

2014-08-01
Noses and teeth, horns and beaks, tusks and frills—odd, silly and sometimes scary-looking animal features help them survive. Jenkins and Page have chosen 25 animals from around the world to tell readers how this works. The presentation of these adaptations gives the artist great scope to show off the remarkable images he can create out of cut and torn papers. A single animal head stares out from most pages. The eyes pop, and the curious features are prominent in these striking images, set on solid-colored backgrounds. The informational text is introduced with a question: "Dear hamster: Why are your cheeks so fat?" The voice of the animal answers: "That's not fat—it's my dinner." Feathers can threaten predators or direct sound; feathery appendages on an axolotl are actually gills. A carrion-eating vulture stays clean without feathers on its face. A blobfish out of water is squished by gravity; a puffed-up puffer fish is hard to swallow. The question-and-answer approach draws readers in, offering room for surprise and a child's own theories. The last page shows all 25 creatures (plus an adult human) in silhouette and to scale, noting what each eats. Maps show where on various continents or in which oceans each can be found. From a skilled team, another intriguing invitation to explore the animal world. (bibliography) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews