Review: Even More Lesser Spotted Animals by Martin Brown

978-1-338-34961-0

$18.99

Just as Lesser Spotted Animals showed you some of the wonderfully WOW wildlife we never get to see, the next book of the lesser known animal kingdom reveals the stories of even more of the world's unseen and unsung creatures. No king-of-the-jungle, fancy-pants, hair necked lions here -- we've got the magnificent maned wolf instead. No blue whales either, we've got beaked whales -- and lorises and dingisos and dibatags and many, many more.

I ordered this book for the library before I received the review copy, and it was checked out pretty quickly. Animals in general are normally a big hit, and kids like the hint of the unusual and unfamiliar. They also like feeling like they know something their friends (or their grown-ups) don't! There is benefit for the animals, featured as well: as the introduction asks, "How can we help something survive if we don't even know it exists?"

Each animal gets its own two-page spread: one side with text, the other with an (often humorous) illustration. Side commentary by the animals and quick facts in conversational terms make this a highly readable - and entertaining - book. Descriptions of size, for example, might go from "guinea pig big" to "long-legged, medium-sized dog - like a chunky whippet."

And, in the words of another famous author, "Chunky Whippets" would be a great name for a band.

This is a must-have for any school library, as it is sure to be a kid pleaser! Of course, you'll also want the original title:

978-1-338-08934-9

$18.99

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to put "pet dingiso" on my Christmas list.