Beastly Puzzles
A Brain-Boggling Animal Guessing Game
- Publisher
- Kids Can Press
- Initial publish date
- May 2019
- Category
- General, Activity Books, Zoology
- Recommended Age
- 7 to 10
- Recommended Grade
- 2 to 5
- Recommended Reading age
- 7 to 10
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781771389136
- Publish Date
- May 2019
- List Price
- $18.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
This book asks children: If you're given a list of features and characteristics, can you guess which animal they make? This might seem easy enough. But solving the puzzles in this book is deviously, outrageously, almost impossibly tricky! Though the thirteen animals included are easily recognizable --- such as polar bear, snail, ostrich, pufferfish --- the clues are unexpected. For example: “3 billiard balls,” “dinosaur feet” and “five feather dusters.” And to further complicate matters, the clues are presented in scenarios unrelated to the animals --- the ostrich is composed of items in a “gentlemen's den” and the pufferfish clues are items in a spy submarine. Once readers make a guess (or if they get stumped!), they can open the gatefold to reveal the animal, with each clue explained and lots of additional fascinating facts.
Author Rachel Poliquin's concept for this intriguing, one-of-a-kind book is a spin on early natural histories, which introduced new animals by describing them as a hodgepodge of parts taken from familiar creatures. A beaver, for example, was described as being composed of a flounder, an otter, goose feet, squirrel paws and a rabbit's front teeth. The back matter includes a note explaining this, accompanied by visual references. Artfully and intricately illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler, this innovative book offers an engaging mix of art and information that's sure to pique readers' curiosity. It works perfectly to enhance a broad range of life sciences curriculum topics, including animal adaptations, characteristics, evolution, ecology, habitats, ecosystems, biodiversity and food webs. The guessing-game format encourages inquiry-based learning --- and plenty of fun!
About the authors
Rachel Poliquin écrit surtout sur les animaux. Elle aime particulièrement célébrer les héros inattendus, ceux qui sont bossus, modestes et tranquillement extraordinaires. Elle est l’autrice des séries Superpower Field Guide et Polite Predators, ainsi que de The Strangest Thing in the Sea. Elle vit à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique, avec son mari et ses trois enfants.
Rachel Poliquin's profile page
Byron Eggenschwiler is an award-winning illustrator whose recent books include The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason, Operatic by Kyo Maclear (starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal and Quill & Quire), Coyote Tales by Thomas King and Beastly Puzzles by Rachel Poliquin (starred review from School Library Journal). Byron’s work has also appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Walrus, GQ and O, The Oprah Magazine. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.
Awards
- Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award
- Short-listed, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction, Canadian Children's Book Centre
- Short-listed, Information Book Award, Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable
- Maine Student Book Award, Maine Library Association
- Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award
- Winner, OLA Best Bets, Ontario Library Association
- Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection, Canadian Children's Book Centre
Editorial Reviews
Definitely bamboozling---but in a good way, as exercises in unconventional logic.
Kirkus Reviews
... children and adults alike will have a blast guessing each animal.
School Library Journal, starred review
... highly enjoyable and engaging ...—CM Magazine
... a fresh take on one of the more traditional kidlit categories.—Quill & Quire, starred review
This book is a superb combination of problem solving, picture searching and animal science.—Calgary Herald
Other titles by
I Am Wind
An Autobiography
Le Musée des bouts inutiles du corps
À la découverte de tes vestiges, défauts et autres bizarreries
How to High Tea with a Hyena (and Not Get Eaten)
A Polite Predators Book
The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers
A Tour of Your Useless Parts, Flaws, and Other Weird Bits
How to Promenade with a Python (and Not Get Eaten)
Strangest Thing in the Sea, The
And Other Curious Creatures of the Deep
How to Promenade with a Python (and Not Get Eaten)
A Polite Predators Book
Beavers
Eels
