Deadliest!

January 1, 2018
These informational early readers teach about some of the "deadliest" and "trickiest" animals, which respectively defend themselves by attacking (tigers, mosquitoes) or foiling an attack (leaf-tailed gecko, Io moth). Striking spreads feature Jenkins's trademark cut-paper illustrations, with sidebars highlighting each animal's size, home, and food. Each entry includes an informative paragraph of description about the animal and an additional quirky fact. Bib., glos.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

August 1, 2017
One of the first children's science books written by Jenkins, Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (1995), explored superlatives in the animal kingdom. Now he returns to the subject in the colorful and attractively designed Extreme Animals series. Exploring themes such as deadliest and trickiest, the topics are well chosen for primary-grade children, and these science readers have the clear, reliable writing and polished artwork that readers have come to expect of Jenkins. Each one- or two-page presentation introduces a species through a paragraph of text, an eye-catching picture, a fun factoid or two, and a sidebar noting what the animal eats and where it lives. Other helpful features include a small range map and a comparative size indicator, which shows a silhouette of the creature beside that of a man. The lively, distinctive collage illustrations of individual animals show up clearly against the white pages. The 20 animals discussed in Deadliest!include the surprisingly fast-charging hippopotamus, the lethally venomous box jellyfish, and, deadliest of all, the mosquito. An extremely appealing new series for the animal shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2017

Gr 2-5-Jenkins's new series highlights distinctive qualities of familiar and less common creatures, from the puffer fish's poison (Deadliest!) to the unusual hunting techniques of the stoplight loosejaw (Trickiest!). A single paragraph introduces each animal and its special features, while one or two insets add additional facts. Some of these relate directly to the "tricky" or "dangerous" theme; others add a bit of more general species data. Jenkins's expert cut- and torn-paper illustrations provide high visual appeal. Clean lines, careful shading, and clearly delineated body parts effectively highlight key features such as the spines of the giant silk moth caterpillar (Deadliest!) and the alligator snapping turtle's lurelike tongue (Trickiest!). Many visuals significantly enrich a young reader's learning experience. For example, the verbal description of the western hognose snakes "playing dead" trick is good (Trickiest!), but the side-by-side images of the animal show exactly how its appearance and actions work. Layouts are varied and uncluttered, with either one or two animals per spread. Other useful features include a range map which depicts diet samples and a size comparison graphic. In each title, a closing summary spread looks at the featured animals differently: a table in Deadliest! lists the number of human deaths caused by each, while Trickiest! groups them according to the ways each animal uses its "tricks." VERDICT Top-notch nonfiction with high appeal for browsing and learning.-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2017
Jenkins' talent is highlighting weird, fantastical, and, in this case, dangerous animals. Each realistic collage illustration is paired with an attention-grabbing headline. More information follows in a 25- to 60-word paragraph, with the name of the animal printed in boldface type. The vocabulary may be challenging for beginning readers, but given the deliciously gruesome subject and clean design, many will persevere. An additional factoid about each animal appears in a callout. Words printed in blue (too dark to stand out the way they should) are defined in a glossary at the back. Readers quickly learn to look for the small graphic on each page that addresses the inevitable question of size, comparing large animals to an adult human man and small creatures to a human hand. A highlighted box on each spread shows the animal's range on a world map and explains where it lives and what it eats. After all the scary hype, Jenkins brings readers back to reality with a two-page table that clarifies how many people actually die each year from contact with these animals. A bibliography lists 14 titles with copyrights between 1974 and 2013 from various publishers including Jenkins' own Animal Book. Trickiest! is published simultaneously and follows the same format to introduce 19 sneaky creatures, with backmatter that sorts them by how they confuse their enemies or prey. A solid informational reader that is not at all deadly. (Informational early reader. 6-10)

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