“A glib huckster presents a pageant of astonishing animal species. Forty-one astounding animals parade across the author’s imaginary stage, each accompanied by a recitation of its unusual characteristics. These “wonders of Mother Nature” have been grouped into seven chapters: animals with glorious coloration, survivors from the age of dinosaurs, animals that disguise themselves, those that have unusual eating habits, animals with unusual body parts, animals that can light up, and those that have excellent self-defense. There are sharks and fish, insects and worms, birds, crabs, reptiles, amphibians, ocean invertebrates, and even some unusual mammals. They come from land and sea, all over the world. Each amazing creature is presented on a page with a title of fancy lettering, a portrait, and a paragraph or two of description that usually includes where it might be found. The tone of the text is showman-like and the language probably difficult for the intended audience to read, but it’s appropriate for performance. These creatures are modestly recognizable in the cartoony illustrations. They sport googly eyes and occasional tattoos, hats and canes, as well as smiles. The Czech publisher focuses on a combination of play and education; this lively presentation, part of their World of Amazement series, does just that for children who enjoy learning about the out-of-the-ordinary. From alligator snapping turtle to yeti crab, featured creatures are listed in an index in the back. Not, perhaps, a main attraction, but an entertaining sideshow.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Come one, come all to this delightful display of some of the animal kingdom’s quirkiest members. Set up like an old-fashioned circus revealing its oddities, the book mixes scientific facts with expressive, cartoonish characters, keeping even tarantulas and blobfish from being too scary or unbecoming. From an armadillo with a dashing top hat to a tattooed goblin shark, kids and their helpers alike will be charmed by this educational title." —Foreword Reviews
"This is a book that will keep youngsters (first through fifth grade) entertained and learning for days. It is arranged into seven chapters — Animals with Resplendent Colors, Animals that Remember Old Times, Animals that Disguise Themselves as Other Animals, Animals that Get Their Food in a Special Way, Animals that Grow Something Unexpected, Animals with Their Own Lamp, and Animals that Defend Themselves in Wonderful Ways. Each chapter has an introductory paragraph for the group and several examples of animals, each with a good write-up that has fun facts written in very conversational language with a lot of humor. They cover such things as where they live, how they move, what they eat, or whatever is special about them. These are accompanied by a cartoonish illustration of the animal in a personified form. Perhaps the hope is children will be curious enough to do some research to find photographs that will show what the real animals look like. The write-up gives just enough information about the animals to whet young readers’ appetites and send them searching for more. This could never be mistaken for a science book, but there is science information embedded in the humorous paragraphs." ―Seattle Book Review
"AMAZING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD is an intriguing look into some of the most interesting animal species that exist around the globe in the format of a sideshow. The book is broken into chapters, which each chapter having its own special theme, such as "animals with resplendent colors" or "animals that remember the old times." Within each chapter, each animal has its own page with a cartoonish illustration and a paragraph with some basic facts about it." ―YA Books Central
“This is a unique way to get children interested in animals that they might not normally know about. The illustrations are cute and funny, and I think they will inspire kids to look for read pictures of the animals. It would be nice if real photos could be incorporated, but I understand that may not fit with the intent or aesthetic of the book.“ ―Jordan Gray, Librarian
