Cute as an Axolotl: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals

by Jess Keating

Overview

"Cats of Instagram" meets National Geographic in this hilarious picture book about nature's cutest weirdos from the author of Pink Is for Blobfish!

The Internet pretty much runs on cute animal photos, but "cute" is so much more than clickbait kittens and insta-pups. Cute is for feathery-gilled axolotls (pronounced: ax-uh-LOT-ulz), shy pygmy hippos, poisonous blue dragons, and armored pangolins. All of these animals are cute, but they've also adapted remarkable ways to survive in their unique environments.
With her signature blend of humor and zoological know-how, Pink Is for Blobfish author Jess Keating shows how cute animals can be more than just a pretty face in this latest installment of the World of Weird Animals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524764470
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	08/28/2018
Series:	World of Weird Animals Series
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	291,549
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jess Keating is a zoologist-turned-author who writes with the sort of wisdom you can only get from multiple crocodile bites and skunk sprays. Jess has been making up stories for as long as she can remember, and at the age of eight, she even started a library in her room (mainly so she could charge her brother late fees). She lives with her husband in Ontario, Canada, where she is hard at work on her next book in the World of Weird Animals series.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2018
Gr 3–5—Whether a creature looks like an unusual tadpole with feathery headgear (the axolotl) or an adorable miniature penguin (the 12-inch fairy penguin), readers will enjoy learning about these animals from around the world. This title has a lot of visual appeal for curious students—large photographs and cartoon graphics fill the pages. Readers might be learning about some animals like the furry little quokka from Western Australia for the first time. The author includes a page near the end called "The Science of Cute," which provides more information on how this all plays out in nature. ("Believe it or not, cuteness could be a survival strategy.") While the topic might seem lighthearted, there is enough scientific information woven into the text. Facts given about each animal include the species' name, size, diet, habitat, and predators and other threats. There is also a glossary at the back with terms like diurnal. VERDICT A home run for public and school libraries. The subject matter, the format, and visual components make this a title that is likely to see a lot of circulation.—Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA

School Library Journal

2018-04-25
A dynamic introduction to 17 of the world's most adorable creatures. Keating and DeGrand's follow-up to Pink Is for Blobfish (2015) and What Makes a Monster? (2017) highlights still more unusual animals. Each double-page spread is dedicated to one particular animal and has four consistent features. On the verso is a large, stock photograph underneath the phrase "Cute as an [ANIMAL]." On the recto is a paragraph with a brief overview of what makes the animal notable; a sidebar with a rundown of the animal's Latin name, size, diet, habitat, and predators and threats; and a brightly colored pull-out paragraph highlighting a particularly intriguing fact and paired with a cartoonlike illustration from DeGrand. Animals included range from the mandatory (pygmy hippopotamus, fennec fox) to the surprising (pom-pom crab, blue dragon sea slug). Close-up photographs provide excellent detail but don't provide a realistic scale, especially for the smaller animals, and thus the animals that are cute in part due to their size lose some of their cuteness. A concluding spread explores "the science of cute," and potentially unfamiliar vocabulary words are highlighted throughout in bold, leading to a glossary in the back. Keating's chipper voice always shines through ("With its perma-smile and fuzzy face, the QUOKKA is fast becoming one of the world's best-known cutie-pies").A highly engaging overview that will have readers eager to learn more. (Informational picture book. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews