Creaturepedia: Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth

by Adrienne Barman

Welcome to this collection of best-loved animals from all over the world, chosen for their special talents and characteristics, with fun illustrations by Adrienne Barman. Meet 'the architects', the 'noisy neighbors', the 'homebodies', the 'forever faithfuls', the 'champions of forgetfulness' and more in this alphabetically ordered encyclopedia. Filled with fascinating facts, curious creatures, and characterful cartoons, this book will keep young explorers busy for hours.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Nature, Art, Science

216 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I noticed this in the library and took it out for my daughter to read but it is so lovely I'm tempted to take it back and buy a copy for Christmas.

This is such a great book for animal lovers, beautiful illustrations and colours and interesting facts. Interesting too how the animals have been grouped, pack animals, masters of camouflage, long tongued, mythical, champion breath holders!

I think this book is lovely for any age.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine offering for the young animal fan in your life, this illustrated encyclopedia of creatures will give them hours of enjoyment. The vivid art and brief descriptions will definitely hold their attention and add to their knowledge of the world's animals.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for all ages that will stimulate interest, and prompt lively discussion in a huge variety of animals. The illustrations are fabulously drawn and colorful. There are one-line factoids included for most animals which are easy to remember, and will pique interest for further research. The animals are uniquely organized by categories such as: "The brain boxes," "The champion breath-holders," and "The fierce."

[Denisa T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tohle je úplně boží a nemůžu se dočkat, až si to budu prohlížet s nějakým tím dítkem :))!

[Brooklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very fascinating.

[RoseB612 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tak trošku jiný atlas zvířat - je to od agamy po žraloka, ale poskládáno opravdu netradičně, ať již podle barvy, některé zásadní vlastnosti či místa výskytu. Některé ty skupiny jsou opravdu zábavné - takoví Ušatci či Bleskurychlí u nás slaví vždy úspěch.

Nepočítejte, že se z knížky dozvíte příliš faktů (spíš skoro žádné), ale děti si tam najdou řadu zajímavostí a ty kresby se opravdu povedly.

Na plný počet to nedosáhlo kvůli faktu, že je to již několikátá stylově podobná knížka, kterou s dětmi čteme a tak trošku se dostavuje únava, takže pokud Vás třeba Mapy nebo Pod zemí, pod vodou zatím minuly, tak si tu hvězdičku klidně přidejte.

Kontext: Po nějaké době zase knížka, u níž se oba potomci střídají večer ve čtení - nejdříve se z ní "čte" s jedním a pak s druhým, protože oba odmítají číst cokoliv jiného :-)

Kapitola první: Bájní

Kapitola poslední: Zálesáci

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, playful guide with a quirky organizational approach to 600 animals of all kinds, full of eclectic facts, captions, cartoons and engaging illustrations. A great introduction to the animal kingdom for budding young naturalists.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for young kids — features animal names and whimsical pictures and sometimes a short blurb about interesting things about them. It’s organized by fun traits of animals.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creaturepedia is such a fun compendium of creatures organized by fun groups instead of just the normal labels.
For example, we have the Regals, or the Gladiators and the illustrations gather animals that are from different ecosystems but share the same traits or are close to being related to a theme such as the ones who are masters of camouflage. There are plenty of animals and plenty of bee categories. The text is almost minimal, just enough to identify the animal and give us one fact per creature.
The artwork is whimsical and colorful and makes for a very entertaining but also educational read. (I didn't know some of these animals now I do).

Thank you, netgalley and publisher, for this e-arc.

[Ondřej Puczok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ve svém stylu asi nedostižná - je to moc hezky udělané a ta nepraktičnost tady vůbec nijak nevadí. Schválně, za jak dlouho se k ní vrátíme :) Jen škoda - a tady ta chybějící hvězdička - že u jmen jednotlivých podivuhodných zvířat není více zajímavých poznámek. Například u jedovatých zjistíme jejich nebezpečné znaky a u sov se dozvíme, jak to je s jejíma ušima. Ale u světoběžníků nevíme délku každoročního putování a trpaslíci u sebe nemají napsanou velikost. Přesto moc hezká knížka, která nás svým zpracováním těšila po několik měsíců, kdy jsme si ji postupně procházeli :)

[Anthonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids to learn from. I gave this book to my niece for her birthday, she loves it. This is a wonderful book to teach kids with.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creaturepedia by Adrienne Barman is a book for children that breaks down animals by their characteristics. Throughout the book, you will find illustrations of each creature. Natural habitats are depicted for most creatures. The creatures' characteristics are discussed in some categories. Meet some noisy neighbors or The Pretty in Pinks. Fun and fascinating, this book is perfect for young children. This book has 216 pages.

The Architects
Weaver Ant - works with others to weave leaves together to make a nest.
Red Ovenbird - builds a mud nest that looks like a wood-fired oven.

The Big-Eared Beasts
Aye-Aye - finds food by tapping on trees, then using large ears to listen for grubs moving under the bark.
Serval - uses long ears to listen for birds among tall grasses.

The Big Mouths
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
Howler Monkey

The Blue Beauties
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Blue Morpho Butterfly

The Bounders
Flea - can jump up to 200 times its body length.
Hare - jumps long diameters, can run at up to 23 mph.

The Brainboxes
Common Octopus - good memory, quick learner, uses tools.

The Canary-Yellows
Banana Slug
Yellow Meadow Ant

The Champion Breath-Holders
Elephant Seal - 100 minutes.
Hippopotamus - 5 minutes

The Coal-Blacks
Dung Beetle
Black Panther

The Endangered
Otter
Monkey-Eating Eagle

The Emerald-Greens
Green Mamba
Emerald Tree Boa

The Faithful
Lovebird
Sea Horse

Our Family Friends
Llama
Horse

The Fierce
Tasmanian Devil
Goliath Tiger Fish

The Foresters
Grove Snail
Bohemian Waxwing

The Giants
Somali Ostrich - world's largest bird up to 9 feet tall.
Blue Whale - largest animal ever to have lived, up to 108 feet long.

The Gladiators
Musk Ox
Cuban Tree Frog

The Homebodies
Oyster - lives with others on seabed forming an oyster reef.
Hermann's Tortoise - strong homing instinct.

The Lilliputians
Bee Hummingbird - world's smallest bird, 2.2 inches long (male).
Pygmy Hippopotamus - 31 inches at shoulder.

The Long-Necked
Mute Swan - can't dive, so uses neck to reach food on lakes and riverbeds.
Purple Heron - extends long neck to catch fish.

The Long-Tongued
Giant Anteater - tongue is 23 inches.
Sun Bear - tongue is 10 inches.

The Masters of Camouflage
Weedy Sea Dragon
Sycamore Moth

The Mountaineers
Yak - thick hair, keeps it warm in snowy mountains.
Apollo Butterfly - lives in flowery meadows among mountain ranges.

The Munch-it-Uppers
Red Fox - silently stalks a victim, then pounces suddenly.
Montagu's Harrier - drops from the sky to catch prey by surprise.

The Mythical
Pegasus
Griffin

And there are 17 more categories...

In my opinion, this is a fantastic book that is also very suitable as a gift.

[I _teach_muggles · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the cover, Creaturepedia proclaims, “WELCOME TO THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH,” and it more than lives up to this. This is 216 pages of animal bliss featuring creatures big and small, creatures that you have heard of and some that you have not, creatures that are living today and sadly some that are no longer around.

Organised not into species, Creaturepedia organises creatures in a way that is far more useful and understandable to young children. Creatures are organised by the traits and characteristics that make them stand out. Some categories are more recognisable than others. ‘The Endangered’ section will immediately have readers thinking of pandas and orang-utans, and ‘The Vanished’ will conjure up thoughts of mammoths and dinosaurs. More unusual categories include The Show-Offs, The Bounders, The Munch-It-Uppers and The Brain Boxes.

Categories are organised in alphabetical order and there is an illustrated double page contents which lists all the various categories and the page numbers on which they can be found. There is also an index if you want to quickly find a certain creature.

The book is gorgeous to look at. Each creature is carefully illustrated and vibrant colours bring the creatures and pages to life. Each illustration is unique and they are full of warmth, charm and humour. Each creature has its name written in bold next to its illustration and short interesting facts and figures are included in many instances. The attention to detail is superb - the endangered creatures all have a tear in their eye and it’s very hard not to shed a tear as you look into the eyes of these sad creatures whose very existence is under threat.

Sometimes you read a book and you just know that it will be one that you will go back to time and time again, this is one of those books. Everything about it is beautiful. The pages are thick and it comes with its own fancy ribbon page marker too.

A book to delight readers who have any interest in the animals of this world. Creaturepedia will provide endless hours of enjoyment and readers will be going back to read this time and time and time again.

Recommended for 5+.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical and charmingly illustrated by Adrienne Barman. This book made me realise there are sooo many strange and beautiful creatures I didn’t know existed! There are plenty of silly animals with equally strange names: (artillery for future scrabble sessions)
• kakapo = emerald green..has beak, bright feathers...bird
• markhor = endangered creature, has upward curly twirly horns, gray sideburns and mane (ha!)
• babirusa = four legged pig-size animal lives in the forest, has four tusks on its head (?)
• binturong = monkey friend, all black except face is white
• kinkajou = bright yellow coloured monkey with curly tail
• muskellunge = a type of fish that eats prey head first, sometimes in a single gulp
• dahu = mythical mountain goat with legs in one side shorter than the other
• baku = eater of nightmares (ha!) medium sized creature with snout, tusks, curly hair, four legged paws, long tail
• addax = pack animal lives in a herd of 20, has vertical curly horn
• Cuban solenodon = poisonous rat-like creature with venomous saliva
• hooded pitohui = bird with toxic skin and feathers
• Proboscis monkey = so silly, all limbs with silly expression
• western parotia = a type of male bird showing off its prowess by spreading its feathers like a tutu and does a ballet-like dance to attract females (has pink antennaes!)
• hoopoe = bird has mohawk. Seen as an omen of war/death in some cultures
• coypu = rat-like creature. Carries disease and damage crops
• ibex = mountain goat that can jump very high across crevices
• quagga (perfect scrabble artillery!) = extinct animal, like a horse, overall brown with light colors from belly to legs, front half of its body has stripes
• sheepshead (not for scrabble) : name do not reflect actual animal, it is a striped fish! Oceanic zebra.
• aardwolf = another black/white striped four legged animal with short legs and continuous furry mane towards tail (is this a type of wolf?)

Note: get this book for niece/nephew

[Jessica Kluthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers such a cool reading experience. Providing a variety of texts, genres, and styles, as we immerse children in literacy, is so important.

If you were in elementary school in the 90s, you may have bad those thick readers that contained stories, poems, and rhymes — ring any bells?

Well, Creaturepedeia’s design—the shape and feel of the book as well as the font, illustrations, and page borders—very much reminds me of those readers (and the nostalgia it elicits makes me love it even more)!

Creaturepedia has mega kid appeal. Flip through this alphabetically ordered book to find the coolest collection of critters organized in groups from the architects and the big-eared beasts to the vanished and the voyagers. While we may not use encyclopedias as often as we used to (and when we do, they are often digital), this book introduces readers to the experience that kind of alphabetical organization (a skill to be able to navigate) and educational information (in this case, mainly conveyed told through vivid, playful illustrations and clear descriptions).

I appreciate that the book includes a section on the endangered (and all these colourful, expressive creatures have tears welling in their eyes) and the vanished (beginning with one of the most well-know extinct creatures… the dodo bird). I also appreciated how this information about extinction was conveyed through colour — all of these creatures — including the dodo, mammoth, and Tasmanian wolf — were in muted sepia tones, which contrasts with the other very colourful sections.

Thank you to @adrienne_barman for creating such a great book, and thank you to @wideeyededitions and @quartokids/@quartokidsus for this review copy!

[Peridot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this chance to read and review this book!

It is hard to give feedback on what is essentially an art book when the file provided to me was as bad as it was. I haven't seen such badly compressed images since before the age of flat computer screens. This included odd pixelation and discoloration. But, considering this was an Netgalley ARC read I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and kindly ignore that part.

That being said, this was a fun little non-fiction animal book aimed toward kids. Dividing the animals into groups such as "long necked" and "architects". Something that would have sparked curiosity and delights to myself as a kid.

I'm not sure what I feel about the endangered part which features several pages of endangered animals that was depicted as crying. Raising awareness of this from young is important and I understand the message but it turned what was at first a whimsical and fun little book to something a little more sad (Why did they have to be crying?).

In a field where there are countless similar animal books aimed at children, this one didn't stand out that much. I enjoyed it, but I'm not so sure I'd buy it as a gift to an young family member.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an egalley of Creaturepedia, and even though I’ve already read it, I really want the hardcover. I have to have the physical copy!

Creaturepedia is a beautifully illustrated, fun picture book about the animal kingdom. The illustrations are colourful and fun, and the animals’ expressions are brilliant. The facts that go with each picture are simple but interesting, and they’re written in a fun, cheerful tone that you and your child will love.

The book is absolutely wonderful and it really cheers you up. It made me happy when I was sad, and I completely fell in love with Barman’s illustrations and her quirky animal characters.

The text in the book matches the upbeat, playful animals. If your kid loves poetry and rhyme, they will love this book. You will have a great time with this book, and you’ll even learn a few animal facts along the way.

This book is a must-read. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. 🙂

5 star read

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done and fun. Not actual pictures, but drawings of the animals. It has little facts about many of them, but it also has some mythical animals in one section to break it up. Does a great job introducing animals, but is limited since they are not pictures of the real animals. Great for kids to sit with and look at, and as they learn to read be able to learn little facts about then. I wouldnt recommend reading through it in one sitting with your kids, but maybe a couple pages or a section with a kid, depending on their personality and maybe supplement it with videos or pictures about the animals to help the child learn.

[Ande Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creaturepedia is a picture book filled with incredible illustrations of animals grouped in different categories i.e. The Foresters. Many of the creatures only include the illustrations and the animal's name, but some also have a short fact. I would have liked a little more trivia throughout the book as words are very sparse, but the illustrations are captivating. This would be a great resource for the youngest readers.

Thanks to NetGalley, Adrienne Barman, and Quarto Publishing for the chance to read and review!

[Linn J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

It's an easy and playful picture book, full with animals, themes and facts. The illustrations were funny and had some realistic features but the designs itself were fictional.

I learnt between pages which animals were endangered, and they were in tears! God dammit, how should I explain for my future kids that we destroy the habitats for so many animals?! I mean I can point out that cars and carbon dioxide is bad for the environment...

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! It’s organized in a really interesting way, quite different from the standard schemes based on habitat or taxonomy. The facts are fascinating, and there are bits of humor that made me and my 5.5-year-old laugh out loud. Example: there is a section on really fast animals, but all that’s pictured is the lines showing that they just ran off the page. Worth getting our own copy of this one!

[Stacy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! I was able to read a promotional copy through NetGalley. The illustrations are adorable but my favorite part is how the animals are grouped. It’s sections like the snowy whites, or loners and lets kids consider more about behaviors than your typical nature books. The text is scattered on pages and often includes fact details so kids are reading in a different and interesting way. It’s fun read plus an educational resource to keep coming back to for reference.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A companion guide to Plantopedia by the same author. Originally published in Switzerland. Living things are graphically presented in fun categories i.e. champion breath-holders, fierce, long-necked, giants, masters of camouflage, mythical, night owls, poisonous, prickly ones, show-offs, vanished and such like. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction book on animals with a very interesting concept: The book groups them into some very creative categories, such as the prickly ones, the night owls (that includes more than just owls), etc. It is a bit thin on information, but what it lacks in information, it is more than compensated with glorious artwork and the wonderful concept behind it.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

My six year old and I read this book every so often. We love it so much. It gives us so much to talk about and then later research together. The drawings are beautiful and the different groupings for each chapter are very unique.

[Martina_H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kreslená, spíš jednoduše a výrazně, zábavně a nenudně, encyklopedie.
Zvířata jsou natříděná do logických i nezvyklých kategorií. V popisku je jen jméno, což pro začátek stačí.
Prohlížení může být v podstatě nekonečné.

Zakoupena neteřím, každé jedna. Snad to padne na úrodnou hlavičku. Vánoce 2020

[Sourimak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une encyclopédie animale originale et parfaite pour les apprentis lecteurs.
Avec un classement inédit, ce bestiaire coloré aux jolis et sympathiques dessins fonctionne à la manière d'un imagier très fourni. Son index et son sommaire peaufinent la qualité de l'ouvrage.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! Simple, colourful and informative animal fun.

My personal favourite categories; The champion breath-holders 🐋 The night owls 🦡🦉 and the unlucky 🦇🐺

With very special mentions for 💔 The endangered 🐼🦦 and The vanished 🦤🦣

*Temporary e-arc received via Netgalley

[Kate Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jam packed with colourful fun illustrations of many different animal categories such as long necked, jumpers, homebodies and more. This book is full of snippets of information about the animals from cover to cover, a great companion novel for plantopedia.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting glimpse of the cute animal world :). Many popping eyes!