NFPB Wednesday - Animal Survival

art by Sarah S. Brannen

         Visit Alyson Beecher on Wednesdays for Non-Fiction Picture Books at Kidlit Frenzy.  From her post and others, you will discover and want to celebrate terrific nonfiction picture books!  

           Looking at anything from a new perspective is a terrific idea. We don't always understand the "why" of how humans and other animals work so it's good to have books that offer examples from nature. Perhaps then we will begin to ask more questions that begin with "why" and also "who, what, when, where and how"! Anyone who reads Melissa Stewart's prose knows she will interest you in a variety of ways, this time with humor and questions for the reader. While showing the usual, popular animals like elephants and cheetahs, some we know about, Melissa moves into different territory this time to some less studied and their evolution for survival. Some use size to help them slip into tiny cracks when enemies arrive, like the Etruscan pygmy shrew and others like hoatzin bird or the zorilla mammal use repellent odors to keep enemies away. With the question/answer format written in tongue-in-cheek humor and connected to the text information, readers will want to shout the answers. For example, when asked "Should hoatzins and zorillas clean up their act?", turn the page and see the answer, "No way!" and the explanation that those odors make "hungry hunters lose their appetites."
        In the illustrations, Stephanie Laberis focuses on the animals in their habitat and action or inaction per their personal survival strategies. The art is flashy and realistic, making me wonder if this could be a mentor text for further research into other animals, for text and art. It's a great new book about animals that will add to anyone's knowledge about "Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers" and call for learning more.