Curious Critters
This collection of amazing close-up images on stark white backgrounds is a stunning introduction to the animals unique beauty. No one could resist lingering over the sharp details in these vibrant photographs. Facing portraits of the American bullfrog and the American toad highlight the differences between the moist-skinned frog and the dry toad. The humorous, first-person text implies a rivalry involving toads and warts versus frogs and princesses. One spread features a face-off between two very different predators a perfectly coiled black-and-gold fox snake and an Eastern screech-owl. The Virginia opossum looks directly into the camera and grabs viewers attention. The tiny mites hitching a ride on the red flat bark beetle are nothing short of amazing. A concluding two-page section provides a brief paragraph on the natural history of each animal and insect. An interesting spread presents overlapping life-size silhouettes of each creature comparing their actual sizes. Each one is numbered and color-coded as a test to identify the individuals and their groupings. The sophisticated photography and lighthearted narrative combine in an intriguing introduction to some of the inhabitants of the natural world. --School Library Journal, Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VAIn Curious Critters, ecology adorns every page touching on camouflage, symbiosis, feeding strategies, and metamorphosis to name a few. Furthermore, brief natural history descriptions are included in the back so parents can teach their kids a little more about their favorite critters as well as a match-the-silhouette activity to reinforce learning the common names (no scientific names are included). All-in-all I loved this book! It s beautiful! --Scientific American EvoEcoLab Blog Kevin ZelinoA Virginia opossum pauses, mid-patter, on a page in Curious Critters and grins winsomely. Whiskers splayed like curly spokes around its nose, the fuzzy marsupial peers out eagerly with beady eyes. Elsewhere, an Ohio crawfish extends both pincers a crustacean's version of a hug? Kids will perhaps recognize the creatures in this album of animal portraits by university professor David FitzSimmons; the unfamiliar species will surely make their must-see lists. Snappy narratives from the animals perspectives, sprinkled lightly with facts, accompany each bright, glossy photograph. I fly in the dark. I squeak and listen, squeak and listen, says a big brown bat. As my sounds bounce off objects, I hear where things are. It s called echolocation. A website offers games, coloring pages, e-cards, and behind-the-scenes info to keep kids (and adults) engaged beyond the page. --Julie Leibach, AudubonMagazine.org