Beastly Puzzles: A Brain-Boggling Animal Guessing Game

by Rachel Poliquin, Byron Eggenschwiler

Overview

A truly one-of-a-kind book. What animal is made up of three billiard balls, five feather dusters and dinosaur feet? … An ostrich, of course! In this book, young readers are asked to guess the animal using a list of unexpected bits and pieces as clues. The concept of this book is inspired by the ways old natural histories explained and illustrated exotic animals. Little-known animals were described as a hodgepodge of parts taken from familiar creatures and vegetation. Beavers, for example, were described as being composed of a flounder, an otter, goose feet, squirrel paws and a rabbit’s front teeth. Tricky, right? Well, not to worry! Opening the gatefold will reveal the animal — and lots of cool facts about it! Are you ready for your first Beastly Puzzle?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525303975
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	239 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Rachel Poliquin is a writer and curator with a background in visual arts, cultural history and natural history. Rachel has also written for the Believer Magazine and the New York Times. Rachel lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Byron Eggenschwiler is an illustrator whose work has been featured in the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal and GQ. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

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

This book is a superb combination of problem solving, picture searching and animal science.—Calgary Herald

... a fresh take on one of the more traditional kidlit categories.—Quill & Quire, starred review

... highly enjoyable and engaging ...—CM Magazine

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2019

Gr 2–5—Drawing on the practice of early natural historians, Poliquin's new book asks readers to guess an animal based on seemingly unrelated features. What animal could you make with dinosaur feet, several feather dusters, and a lion-killing kick? Or invisibility, extra neck bones, and fly paper? Each page features Eggenschwiler's beautiful monochromatic ink drawings digitally rendered, and highlighting the "creature features" in various colors. When you've made your guess, flip open the gatefold to reveal the animal within and the facts relating to each unique feature. The back matter gives a glossary of terms and a bit of further information about the book's concept and natural historians' tendency to combine known animals and objects to describe their discoveries. VERDICT Its quirky design would provide excellent context for a fun, engaging school project, and children and adults alike will have a blast guessing each animal. Highly recommended for school libraries.—India Winslow, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA

School Library Journal

2019-02-06

A natural-history guessing game, with sets of "bamboozling" hints to what animals lurk behind gatefold flaps.

Poliquin challenges readers to imagine which animal could be made up of, for instance, dinosaur feet, feather dusters, "a lion-killing kick," three billiard balls, and a handful of like components. Lifting the foldover reveals the answer—an ostrich—along with explanations (the balls represent the bird's eyes and brain) and additional facts, all delivered in a breezy style: During dry spells, ostriches "get moisture from grasses, roots, leaves, and an unlucky lizard or two." Eggenschwiler realistically portrays the 12 animals and the sometimes-outré clues (a blender turns out to represent a tarantula's digestive juices; a "3-legged woman" notionally suggests a red kangaroo's ambling gait) in contrasting hues over corrugated monochrome scenes of mildly cluttered rooms, workshops, garages, and like settings. The author's closing note on the exotic portmanteau creatures sometimes found in old travelogues points both to the source of her inspiration and a promising line of inquiry for budding naturalists with a historical bent.

Definitely bamboozling—but in a good way, as exercises in unconventional logic. (glossary) (Informational novelty. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews