Look at Me! Wild Animal Show-Offs

Arnosky introduces animals with unusual—and showy—characteristics. Subjects include birds with dramatic plumage, mammals with horns and antlers, and animals that ward off threats by making noise. Some animals, like sockeye salmon, “change their color completely”; subjects able to “spread” their skin include the anole. Arnosky includes pencil sketches and colorful, naturalistic renderings of the creatures, as well as several striking foldouts. The naturalist’s lyrical, first-hand accounts of animals in the wild (“The animals’ hooves kicked up dust that hung in the air like mist over their heads”) contribute an additional layer of immediacy to the well-informed descriptions. Ages 6–10. [em](Sept.) [/em]