
I chose this eye-catching book from Scholastic-100 Most Feared Creatures by Anna Claybourne. I'm always the first one to suggest heading into the reptile house at the zoo, or checking out the creepy eel exhibit at the aquarium so I definitely wanted to check this out.
This book does not disappoint. Made to appeal to 9-12 year-old readers, this book is full of colorful photos, a scary scale to rank the creatures, a table of contents to easily search for types, and a complete list ranking them from least to most terrifying.



I'm a huge fan of Scholastic books. They use a good ratio of text to photos; there's enough information to be considered informative or explanatory while including photos graphic or intense enough to thrill readers of all ages. I also trust the information-Scholastic is a reputable publisher of educational materials that has been around since long before even my parents went to school. While I probably wouldn't let a young child read into this too closely, I think these kind of facts would really interest the target age group.
What I really took away from this book though, was that the water is full of terrifying creatures and should be avoided at all costs. Sharks, eels, bacteria, snakes, spiders, crocodiles, even hippos, which made #8 on the list, can all be deadly and should definitely be respected as truly fearsome.
Yikes! I am very creeped out! :) Thank you for exploring this book for us. Now I know what to expect if I ever get up the nerve to read it for myself. I had no idea that there were so many scary creatures in the water. I'm still trying to figure out how the Texas Horned Lizard can physically shoot blood out of its eyes. Kinda cool-in a gruesome sort of way! Fun post!
ReplyDeleteThe above reply is from Kristi Hartley
Delete