Extreme animal facts by Jennifer Cossins

Well-known author/illustrator Jennifer Cossins has added to her impressive collection of books with another fascinating look at animals. This time though, the animals mentioned are some of the record holders in their category with some very unusual habits. There is the biggest category which include the blue whale, elephant, ostrich as well as the goliath beetle which is the world’s heaviest insect. The slowest moving category mentions the sloth, the Gila monster and the slowest of all, the sea anemone which rarely moves but if it does it is one cm per hour!

There are so many more interesting record holders included. Some of these are the most epic migrations, the most venomous, the strongest bite, the most babies, the fastest wingbeats and the very interesting, most unusual mating ritual with the bowerbird mentioned.

This is an engaging book to pour over with so many varied creatures and their quirky behaviours discussed. The muted colour palette changes for each page with the text well-spaced amongst the labelled beautifully drawn illustrations of the chosen creatures. There is a contents page at the beginning along with an introduction and a glossary at the end.

Another wonderful addition to a home, school or public library. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Extraordinary Animals, Facts, Habitats.

Kathryn Beilby