  | What makes a monster? : discovering the world's scariest creatures (World of weird animals) Author: Keating, Jess | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
An informative introduction to nature's scariest creatures, exploring why some animals are considered "monsters."
| Illustrator: | DeGrand, David |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 6.40 Points: 1.0 Quiz: 193164 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 8.20 Points: 3.0 Quiz: 76751 | |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (-) (05/15/17)
School Library Journal (07/01/17)
Booklist (08/01/17)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/07/17)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 07/01/2017 Gr 1–4—Keating and DeGrand (Pink Is for Blobfish) have teamed up again to deliver more wacky animal facts. This time around, Keating warns readers about 17 monsters with cautionary advice ranging from "don't dine with the vampire bat" to "look out for the Humboldt squid." The creatures include the death stalker scorpion, with its predatory pincers and stinging tail, and the Komodo dragon, with its toxic proteins. The final creature is man. Bright photos and bold cartoon illustrations make the scary beasts seem less intimidating. On each spread, two paragraphs explain why the animal is so threatening, and a sidebar highlights general information. Readers are invited to see how creatures from the book compare with famous monsters and to decide for themselves what qualifies as monstrous. VERDICT A great addition for collections where horror and animal fans dominate.—Emily Bayci, Naperville Public Library-Naper Boulevard Library, IL - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 08/01/2017 The team behind Pink Is for Blobfish (2016) return with another collection of animal oddities, only this time the unifying theme is terror! Each two-page spread highlights a creature with a monstrous feature, such as the horror frog, which breaks its own toe bones to form spiky claws it uses to protect itself. A brief description of the animal, along with a cartoonish illustration, a sidebar with basic info, and an additional weird fact accompany a large-scale, full-color photo of the critter. Some creatures are certainly fearsome, such as the komodo dragon or goblin shark, and the addition of humans (pictured as an adorable baby) will certainly be thought-provoking given the theme. Other selections are less convincing—prairie dogs, for instance, make the list since they’re often hosts to fleas carrying the bubonic plague, but why aren’t the fleas featured? Still, most of the animals in this volume will likely be new to young readers, and the genial, browser-friendly layout and lighthearted tone will be irresistible to animal-loving kids. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.
