April 1, 2018
Gr 1-4-Readers who have just learned about the concept of camouflage will be pleasantly startled by this book's premise. In their signature style, Jenkins and Page explain why standing out in the animal world is sometimes just as important as blending in. For purposes of mating or sending signals to an enemy, even masters of camouflage can change their behavior by puffing themselves up, inflating parts of their bodies like balloons, emitting odors, changing color, or tricking predators with fake eye spots. Leaping, dancing, and screaming are also among the many abilities explained. Fans of little-known facts will find hours of fun to be had with this volume; readers will collect information about unusual creatures such as blue-spotted mudskippers, sarcastic fringeheads, long-tailed widowbirds, and four-eyed butterfly fish. In addition, the back matter includes an encyclopedic section of entries on the animals featured along with thumbprint pictures. The glorious, eye-catching torn and cut-paper collage illustrations throughout this book are a treat. VERDICT Another beautiful, well-researched work from the reliable pair. Librarians can purchase with confidence.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 15, 2018
Many animals have creative and often startling ways of changing appearance, whether for attracting a mate, fending off predators, or luring prey. Jenkins and Page write that "visual display--flashing a bright color, performing a dance, glowing in the dark, even blowing up like a balloon--is the most common way an animal says, 'Look at me!' " Jenkins' trademark vividly colored, collaged illustrations stand out strongly on white backgrounds, showing a large diversity of animals and birds in threatening or mating display, grouping them together by type of display. Children will be fascinated by their ingenuity: There's the male hooded seal that inflates a red nasal sack; the magnificent frigatebird, which puffs up a bright red pouch on his throat to attract females; and the pufferfish and common toad, which both inflate their whole bodies to scare off predators. The bright colors of both a range of sea slugs, most poisonous, and poison dart frogs warn their enemies. Some of these animals are straight out of a horror movie, such as the sarcastic fringehead fish, which bares terrifying rows of teeth, and the mandrill, with its lurid grimace of rage. Concise descriptions on each page introduce the animals, and a glossary gives more detailed information about each species. Animals with fake eye spots, glowing lures, putrid flesh, and stinky glands will fascinate kids who love weird and wonderful science. (Informational picture book. 6-12)
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March 1, 2018
Grades K-3 Jenkins and Page, whose recent collaborations include Flying Frogs and Walking Fish (2016) and Who Am I? (2017), here introduce the concept of visual display in the animal kingdom. Double-page spreads group similar examples (the male hooded seal and the magnificent frigatebird, for example, both attract mates using inflated red skin pouches), which are explained in brief text and large illustrations. Many of the displays mentioned are courtship rituals, but others signal warnings (the hooded pitohui) or territorial defense (the blue-spotted mudskipper). Jenkins' signature cut- and torn-paper collage artwork works beautifully in these realistic portraits, in which many of the animals are posed facing the reader directly. The colors used are particularly vivid, attesting to the vibrancy of many of these displays. An appended note explains why these displays are more frequent among males (females need to stay alive to provide for babies), offers additional information about each of the cited species, and lists sources for further information. This makes an excellent choice for browsers or for classes studying animal behaviors.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2019
"Sometimes an animal wants to stand out" for many reasons related to survival. Prolific animal-book authors Jenkins and Page take another look at animal adaptation as they describe why animals puff up, fan out, dance, roar, light up, and more to draw attention to themselves. Such actions are on display in Jenkins's crisp paper-collage art against white backgrounds. More information on each animal is appended. Reading list, websites.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)