Book Description
for Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
While some animals are well known for being dangerous, others are not so obviously threatening. Eighteen such creatures are identified and described, and readers are advised on what not to do if they encounter one of these potentially treacherous animals. One should “NEVER harass a hippopotamus,” which might charge if it feels threatened. It’s a good idea to “NEVER clutch a cane toad,” which can squirt a blinding poison from its neck venom sacs, and “NEVER swim with a squid,” lest it wrap its tentacles around you and use its sharp beak to gouge flesh. Steve Jenkins’s trademark cut- and torn-paper collage illustrations provide striking visual images. Additional information about each animal and suggested further reading are included in the final pages. (Ages 5–9)
CCBC Choices 2010. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2010. Used with permission.