Is envenomaters a word? I suspect it is not. However, it's certainly the title of another hi-lo nonfiction series from Bearport that's sure to get plenty of use. This title focuses on snake bites and, appropriately, pictures a king cobra on the cover (I happen to be very fond of king cobras and always visit the one at the zoo - I love the way they look at you as if they are thinking about you and how smoothly they coil and the way they stand up...)

The book begins with the dramatic story of Karl Schmidt, a herpetologist at the Chicago Field Museum in the 1950s who was bitten by a boomslang and died. After describing his death, the book explains the different types of venom, how snakes use it, a few more gruesome snake bite stories, and how antivenom is made. Three of the deadly snakes in the book are profiled at the end - boomslangs, king cobras, and western diamondback rattlesnakes. There is a glossary, index, brief bibliography (two titles), two more titles about snakes to read, and a sentence about the author.

There were a couple things that disappointed me about this book - I would have liked more emphasis on how snakes generally only bite people who bother them - everyone in the book who was bitten was playing with, teasing, or otherwise carelessly handling snakes. I was also disappointed that not all the snakes pictured were identified. The background of the cover is fuschia scales, which I think are just for show, but there's a picture of sort of purple/indigo snake with black and white markings eating some kind of lizard and I want to know what it is! I've never seen anything like that before! From some searching I think it might be a species of cobra? Anyways, I need more information!

Other titles in the series include frogs, lizards, scorpions, spiders, and mammals (all venomous in some way).

Verdict: While I wouldn't make this your only or primary resource on snakes and other venomous creatures, it's a fun supplemental resource and the gruesome stories will get kids interested in reading more about these cool reptiles.

ISBN: 9781684026555; Published 2018 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library