Published by Tilbury House Publishers

Summary: This animal book focuses on secret or hidden aspects of the animal kingdom.  There are hidden relationships like mutualism and parasitism; hidden families, like the surprising connections among the elephant, the manatee, the dugong, and the rock hyrax; and hidden abilities, such as camouflage and other defenses.  Each oversized page contains at least one illustration (sometimes filling the whole page), and often has two, three, or more, some in color and some black and white.  Includes an introduction and a final author’s note that explain how he became interested in illustrating and writing about animals, why it’s so important to understand animals better, and an invitation to readers to start their own writing and drawing; also, an index.  96 pages; grades 3-8.

Pros:  The wealth of information and especially the illustrations are phenomenal.  Any kid interested in animals will love this book, whether it’s just to browse through the gorgeous pictures or to pore over the interesting facts. 

Cons:  So many of the full-color illustrations are suitable for framing; if I were a kid with an Exacto knife, well…I might not be responsible for my actions.