Philip Bunting

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Charlesbridge, for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed below are my own.

I'd never heard of the dropbear story in Australia before, but I find it hilarious and will definitely be on the lookout for anyone trying to scare me with it if I go there. This is a funny book with a sweet lesson about looking at situations differently, as well as being the one to reach out and take a chance on what others show more may see as scary (within reason of course.) It was nice to see the dreaded, adorable dropbear/koala get what he was always looking for, and to see the other animals in the book come around in friendship, too. The rhymes are easy to read with a tangible meter that makes them amenable for story time sessions, and I like that the book takes place at night deep in the bush, with high contrasts in the illustrations. This is also a nice introduction to Australian mammals and birds, and I can see children taking turns in guessing what the dropbear looks like and what he wants. The only question I had throughout the book is whether the dropbear/koala was actively growling or making a fuss within the trees that truly came off as scary, or whether the animals on the ground simply misinterpreted his moving around and attempted messages. I lean towards the latter, although he does seem like a cheeky little fellow, if only slightly, so it may be a little of both. show less

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of The World's Most Ridiculous Animals by Philip Bunting. What a delightful and hysterical book! There are many books about animals, but this is one of the best I have read! The blending of humor and facts will grab even the most reluctant reader. The author describes over 50 common as well as unique animals with interesting facts that kids and adults will find informative. Many of the facts describe the adaptations of the animal for survival. Each page also show more has an wonderful illustration with labels and captions with more facts and funny comments, for example a markhor had a caption that read "ridiculous ankle warmers" for the white tufts of fur above its hooves and a hairy anglerfish had a label that read "a hairdresser's worst nightmare" referring to the pointy hairs/spikes on the top of its body. On each page the animal name is listed with its Latin name crossed out and a humorous name listed below, such as opposum - deadus fakus and bee hummingbird - nectar vampirus teenyweenius. I laughed out loud so many times reading this book! This book is rich in vocabulary and doesn't talk down to kids. It would be great for kids to read and look at on their own, but could also be wonderful to read together with an adult. The conversation would be full of laughs and learning. I can't wait to share this with elementary age students! (Teachers-get this book for your class. I can see kids crowded around reading and laughing about these animals.) show less

I think plants are the second scariest things in the world (I've got my eye on you, water!), so I picked this up thinking I'd get a little picture book horror, but this tree propaganda is so fluffy and watered down that those woody monsters come off as just googly-eyed creeps who'd cause you to maybe draw your drapes instead of fearfully and rightfully stocking your house with flamethrowers and chainsaws.

Meh.

Using puns and humorous illustrations, Bunting describes how trees grow, communicate with one another, and help the environment overall. What I really appreciate is that Bunting then extrapolates lessons from trees to humans, reminding us all to embrace diversity, explore new ideas but nurture the ones that benefit us most, be hardy but flexible in trying times, and more. Therefore, there's many things to learn from this book from the scientific to the moral. I could see it making a great show more addition to a classroom curriculum or home library, especially for natural studies around Earth Day, conservation, environmentalism, or plant life cycles and for character education around acceptance, kindness, or perseverance. show less