ELEMENTARY NONFICTION: Cute as an Axolotl & Big as a Giant Snail by Jess Keating & David DeGrand
ABOUT THE BOOK
REVIEW
Cute as an Axolotl presents readers with information about 17 adorable wild animals. As the book description points out 'cute' is highly popular especially cats and dogs. This addition to Keating's The World of Weird Animals shares some adorable lesser known animals with young readers. The axolotl, quokka, fairy penguin, and pangolin are among the animals introduced in the book. Each animal is presented on a two-page spread that includes a gorgeous photograph, a fascinating introductory paragraph, followed by a cartoon and additional intriguing information. A sidebar lists the basic background information for the animal such as size, scientific name, and habitat. Keating is also careful to share the dangers that each animal faces both natural and human. One of my favorite aspects to this series is the attractive book design. The use of bright colors, the text broken into smaller less intimidating sections, and the amusing cartoons all add to the appeal of the book. Above all though, the animals chosen are unusual and I really enjoyed learning more about them. This is a fabulous addition to a great series for young readers who love animals.
ABOUT THE BOOK
It's a big wide world, full of critters that are larger than life! Sure, there are the usual suspects: blue whales, polar bears, elephant seals . . . but others will take you by surprise. The giant snail, for instance, or the ginormous Atlas moth. Like Pink Is for Blobfish and Cute as an Axolotl, Big as a Giant Snail will cover a wide variety of species, while subtly delving into misconceptions and stereotypes associated with size. Best of all? These tall tales are totally true!
REVIEW
As with her other books in The World of Weird Animals series, Jess Keating and David DeGrand hit it out of the park. Not only is the book design really appealing and eye-catching, but the animals chosen presented in such a great way. With large photographs, engaging text, solid background information and DeGrand's amusing cartoon illustrations, the book is a winning combination. The photograph on the cover was well chosen. That large snail sitting in the human hand provides a perfect introduction to the animals in the book. While some of the animals in the book are well known, Keating does a great job ferreting out the most interesting facts about them. I also found it clever that she used a banana as a way to indicate the size of the creatures in the book. For example, a blue whale is about 200 bananas long (100 feet). This book is a wonderful choice for young readers who want to learn more about the largest animals in the world, as well as teachers who want to teach science and math. I plan to use it when teaching my students about creatively presented nonfiction.
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