KIDS' BOOKS

Creatures Great and Small

by Karen Patkau

Age group: 6-9

Creatures Great and Small is a book that uses every possible surface to inform and impress the reader. The text presents interesting facts about some of the world’s largest and smallest animals, while the book’s endpapers display a world map that shows where these animals live, and the back of the jacket cleverly reveals a poster.

The book is written in first person from each animal’s perspective. Each double spread is devoted to two animals, one huge and one tiny, that represent specific classifications, i.e., insects, fish, mammals, sea jellies, reptiles, amphibians, birds, crustaceans, arachnids, and mollusks. A brief paragraph for each animal discusses its diet, physical features, and/or habitat. While author/illustrator Karen Patkau writes in short, simple sentences, her vocabulary is often rich and descriptive. Although a glossary defines such scientific terms as proboscis, scutes, tentacles, and swimmerets, adult explanations and discussions with young readers will help them gain a better understanding of the animals’ features.

Information about the animals’ appearance and habitat is also provided by the impressive and stylized illustrations that fill the pages with strong vibrant colours. The last two spreads separate the animals from their background illustrations. The large animals are displayed on a scaled grid to show their comparative sizes. A human included in the grid puts sizes in perspective. The small animals are shown both in their actual sizes and how they appear under magnification. Given that making comparisons is part of school curriculum and proper pedagogy, this book is a good resource to support both.

Reviewed by Etta Kaner (from the December 2006 issue)

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