Jumping Penguins

Goossens and Tolman introduce an animal menagerie through gracefully whimsical paintings and offhand descriptions of each distinctive species. On one spread, pandas are seen riding on bicycles and sleeping in the middle of the road in heaps (“A giant panda has no permanent resting place. It just lies on the ground whenever it gets tired”). The art and descriptions don’t shy from the pricklier side of animal behavior: crocodiles devour one of their own in a scene that’s either very bloody or very ketchupy. In a softer image, a tiger swims alongside seahorses and a tiny cat in a pink submarine: “Most cats do not like water, but tigers love it. The Sumatran tiger has webbed toes and can swim more than fifteen miles.” Dreamy graphics and quirky content add up to an idiosyncratic look at the animal world. Ages 5–up. (Oct.)