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Beastly Puzzles: A Brain-Boggling Animal Guessing Game

by Rachel POLIQUIN
illus. by Byron Eggenschwiler. 32p. glossary. Kids Can Pr. May 2019. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781771389136.
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RedReviewStarGr 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.
Reviewed by India Winslow, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA , Apr 01, 2019

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