Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals

Image of Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals
Author(s): 
Release Date: 
September 26, 2012
Publisher/Imprint: 
Chronicle Books
Pages: 
112
Reviewed by: 

“. . . information enveloped in humor.”

Unusual Creatures is indeed A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth’s Strangest Animals!

With abundant humor, Michael Hearst introduces the reader to a wealth of extraordinary life forms, many of which can be found at your local zoo, and others bizarre and rare.

Which animal can be found at the top of Mount Everest, 10,000 feet under the sea, and in your backyard?

Which animal poops cubes?

Which animal can disguise itself as a giant crab?

These fascinating facts await curious minds, amateur zoologists, or anyone who has ever laughed at a funny looking animal.

Mr. Hearst incorporates information about each animal and then enhances it with either a poem, true or false questions, fun facts, pop quizzes, or the like. Children will love the extra information and will enjoy frequently returning back to the book to share information that will surely freak out those who don’t love the bizarre and unusual. Unusual Creatures will also inspire many to delve more deeply into the study of these creatures.

Mr. Hearst also includes biological classifications for each animal, which many animal lovers will appreciate, along with a ruler at the bottom or side of each page that will help the reader gauge the true size of each animal.

A minor quibble with Unusual Creatures is that it would have been more appealing to have actual pictures of the animals instead of just well done illustrations. As well, the pages at the back in “A Few Closing Words” become more preachy and opinionated than informative. That section also includes animal organizations’ websites for curious readers interested in further study.

Overall, this 112-page book will be enjoyed—especially by those who relish information enveloped in humor.