Wanted! Criminals of the Animal Kingdom

February 1, 2020

Gr 3-5-Detective X, a polar bear with a badge and a magnifying glass, is hunting criminals of the animal kingdom. Their crimes? Llamas are wanted for spitting, cuckoo birds for laying eggs in other birds' nests, and wood frogs for playing dead. In other words, the animals are wanted for exhibiting their natural survival behaviors. The book is structured as a series of criminal dossiers with mug shots and evidence paper-clipped to file folders. The commitment to this structure creates an immersive experience for readers. Batori's illustrations bring big personality to even the littlest of creatures, like red crabs and antlions. However, the book's interesting facts can get lost within the perplexing fictional structure. By the end of the book, all of the animals are in the slammer and a child is considered a menace to society for refusing to go to bed. VERDICT Even in the jokey, tongue-in-cheek fashion in which the book is presented, the criminalization and imprisonment of animals and children for their natural behaviors is a strange conceit that makes the book difficult to recommend.-Chance Lee Joyner, Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, NH

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020
Mini-dossiers on 13 of the natural world's thieves, tricksters, and other felons. Tekavec's criminals are wanted for infractions that include dangling a light in dark waters to draw unwary prey (anglerfish, aka "Ms. Jagged Jaws"), shooting a prospective mate with "a dart full of love hormones" (Roman snail, aka "Lil' Cupid"), slipping an egg into another bird's nest (common cuckoo, aka "Big Bad Mama"), or bullying rivals into sterility (naked mole rat queen, aka "Queenie the Meanie"). These and other bad actors are profiled with an M.O., a cartoon mug shot, and a fact-filled rap sheet. The author may stretch the premise a bit by including the wood frog, whose only misfeasance is spending winters as a frozen "Frogsicle," and "Slippery Slick" the llama for leaving "spit-covered tourists at the ruins of Machu Picchu," but the comical grimaces or expressions of popeyed dismay on Batori's wild creatures give the whole rogues' gallery a lighthearted, all-in-fun air. Kids will love learning about such revolting behaviors as antlion larvae's pre-consumption digestion of their food. The author's closing tally of animal commandments ("#3 All mothers are responsible for their own eggs") serves as an artful recap/pop quiz to boot. Kids who find the likes of Jim Arnosky's Tooth & Claw (2014) or Steve Jenkins' Apex Predators (2017) a bit too, um, toothy are well served here. A pleaser for younger naturalists. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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