Hidden Dangers: Seek and Find 13 of the World's Deadliest Animals

by Lola M. Schaefer

These 13 deadly creatures can be difficult to spot until you're right on top of them . . . or they're right on top of you . Look for each animal in its environment—look closely!—and learn all the ways you could perish—or survive—depending on how smart, well-informed, and good at running away you are. From the deathstalker scorpion and the poison dart frog to wasps, alligators, and many more, young readers will gain a new appreciation for the animal kingdom, and the dangers it hides in plain sight!

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

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2017

About the author

Lola M. Schaefer is an educator, writer, and gardener, and the author of many acclaimed books for children about math, art, science, technology, animals, and nature. She uses shovels, hoes, rakes, and scissors when she works in her garden. Lola M. Shaefer grew up in Indiana, and now lives in northern Georgia.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who thought this book would be a good idea? No, seriously, I'm asking. If the goal was to make kids aware of all the horrible ways they could die when they step out their front door, then this book did what it set out to do. But if it intended to promote a safe love of the outdoors, it failed miserably. Had I read this as a child, I never would've wanted to set foot outside again.

It's kind of alarmist, really. I'm apparently supposed to be afraid of random moose attacking me because I live in Canada (apparently, you have to worry about this if you're merely near Canada). I guess I also have to worry about bald eagles and grizzly bears. I'm also a bit confused as to why porcupines are in this book, since it's supposed to be about deadly animals, not just ones who can make your day miserable.

The only thing I really got out of this book was, "Everything out there has the potential to kill you, and probably will." It's more likely to induce paranoia than any sort of healthy respect for nature. Nobody's going to encounter all of these creatures in one place, anyway, so having them all clumped together in one book is just kind of overwhelming.

I don't even know why the book bothered with the checklist for hiking supplies at the end. I mean, if you've just finished this book, you're probably not going to want to go outside ever again... never mind actually go where there are lots of animals and insects. 'Cause they'll kill you, you know. (The style of illustrations also contradicts the dire message. The cutesy animals only look menacing because of their frowny, drawn-on eyebrows. It's not exactly scientifically accurate.)

Thanks, book. Now I know I've been slacking in my worrying about moose and bald eagles.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids were fascinated with this. Note there is a page on hammerhead sharks.

[Jeimy · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a fatalistic book! I hated the words in all-caps.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the writing quality was excellent, the overall impression that I came away with is that you should never leave your home, because you're too likely to encounter a dangerous animal. I'm hoping that was not the writer's intent, but the inclusion of animals like the Deathstalker Scorpion, whose natural habitat is part of the Middle East and Africa, in a book that mostly deals with more common animals, ranging from grizzly bear to moose, seemed odd. The little poisonous frog was factually reasonable, but is it really a good idea to scare kids away from getting close to just about anything? Because that's how this book comes across. I mean, really, how many humans are attacked every year by a bald eagle?
Yes, stay away from dangerous animals in the wild, especially if they have their young with them. That is wonderful advice. Kids who read this book, though, will come away frightened of wasps, jellyfish, frogs, hippos, eagles, scorpions, bears and a variety of other animals that CAN be dangerous.
The book is informative, but the fear-based structure of the book was unfortunate.

[Calyn Joy]

Lola M. Schaefer goes over some of the world's most dangerous animals, and how to avoid them or survive an attack.
Any active kid who doesn't like reading, especially boys (especially my brothers), will probably enjoy this book. I thought it was a little morbid, but I know some kids who would love it, and the survival tips move it beyond simply morbid to vaguely useful.
I'm not sure how I would use this in therapy. I don't think we need to practice avoiding grizzly bears...

[Rebecca Light]

This book takes us through some of the coolest, but most dangerous animals on our planet. Use this book to learn more about them and know how to respect them in the best way!
There are many majestic, but dangerous animals in our world. The first one to stay clear of is mountain goats. They have sharp horns and will charge you if they feel threatened. Next, we learn about Poison Golden Dart Frogs. If you touch their skin, you will immediately be injected with one of the most dangerous venoms in the world. You could die in minutes if you get it in your mouth, eyes, or an open wound. After the frog, we learn about the North American porcupine. This creature has sharp spines that they will shoot at you if they feel threatened or that you might hurt their babies. Be careful that you don't come across one when hiking through forests. If you decide to go swimming in the ocean, watch out for hammerhead sharks! These animals will strike you with their head or shred you with their powerful jaws. If you decide to go into the desert, be careful to not step on a deathstalker scorpion! They are hard to see during the day and if you're not careful, it will insert its venom into your body. The next dangerous animal is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp. If you get stung by it, you'll be in a LOT of pain. Be careful to not swat them because that will only make them angry. If you ever travel to a swamp or marsh, watch out for the angry alligator! They are faster than you would think and could drown and chomp you quickly with their strong jaws. Another strong and dangerous animal is the hippopotamus. They are fast runners and weigh 6,000 pounds! Always keep your distance and never get in their territory or around their calves. Even though snakes can be neat, watch out for the Aquatic Coral Snake! Its venom will quickly paralyze your lungs and nervous system. Try to stay away, because if it's happy it'll leave you alone too. If you're going to be in the outdoors of North America, stay clear of a Bald Eagles nest! They are very protective and could rip your chest open with their sharp talons! They are beautiful creatures and just want to be respected and appreciated. Moose are the next animal on our agenda. These large animals are capable of stomping on you with their hooves or puncture you with its antlers! They are very aggressive and do not like people being in their business. With only two animals left, we come to the Australian Box jellyfish. This deadly creature has tentacles that are hard to see, but can puncture, sting, and kill you almost instantly! Don't ever go into the northern Australian waters because they are hard to see and before you realize it, their tentacles will be wrapped around your legs. Our final animal is the grizzly bear. These are often seen while hiking or exploring in the forest. They are very protective of their cubs and will charge you and shred you to pieces. Stay away when possible and use bear spray if you need to!
The final pages of the book show us what equipment and tools will help protect and save us while exploring the wild places in this world. It also teaches us the difference between poison and venom.

I LOVED this book and it is probably my new favorite children's book. It's extremely blunt and dramatic about the ways that these animals and hurt and kill a person, but it was almost refreshing to hear about how truly dangerous and awesome animals can be. I liked how it capitalized the scary words for emphasis. The illustrations were also fun and beautiful to look at. This might not be a book for all students, but I think boys, in particular, would enjoy it and find it's gruesome descriptions enjoyable.

I would love to use this book in the classroom during an animals or nature unit. It's a fun book to look at, but it's too "textbooky" in its descriptions, which makes it good for kids. I would love to read this book aloud, but then assign students just one of the animals from the book to do further research on and then present it to the class. The other students would take notes during the presentation, creating their own personal notebook about dangerous animals. I wouldn't want them to take notes until the presentations because I think if they did it during the read aloud they wouldn't be as focused or engaged in the book itself.

[Ansley Cumberland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden Dangers: Seek and Find does exactly that -- teach the reader about the most deadly creatures of the world! From the mountain goat to the deathstalker scorpion, this non-fiction book informs of the exciting dangers of these dangerous creatures.

I would have loved any book like this as a kid! There's something about the word "danger" that strikes a kid's curiosity. The illustrations are beautiful, with their subtle colors and soft lines. I enjoyed reading and learning about these unique creatures -- and I am very glad I don't live near many of them!

I would recommend this book for classroom. It does a great job at teaching not only what makes these animals are deadly, such as when someone invades its territory, but also how to stay safe if the reader ever encounters it! It is also fun way to teach about dangerous creatures that not many people know about, or to highlight the dangers of animals that you might not realize are very dangerous, such as a mountain goat. I think most kiddos would enjoy this book for its fun illustrations, cool information, and the seek-and-find function of the book!

[Hannah Fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book walks its reader through different types of animals. From porcupines to hippos to the aquatic coral snake, this book talks about the dangers of animals. It talks about their most deadly defenses. It also gives the details of how they can injure a human. It talks about a porcupines razor sharp quills, and a hammer heard sharks threatening teeth. Each page is a new animal and new danger.
I really did not enjoy this book at all. It used very harsh language for children. Instead of talking about how fascinating animals and their defenses are, it continually talks about the extreme dangerous of nature. It even highlights words like "death" and "toxins". This book also tells its readers to look out for these certain animals just on walks and hikes. This book made me scared to go outside. Instead of teaching children to be cautious, the book uses a scare tactic. It literally gives details such as a bald eagles"...razor like claws can tear open your chest or arm". I would not read this book to children because of how negative it is.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers may become a little bit paranoid about taking a walk through nature after paging through this book featuring what is billed as 13 of the world's deadliest animals. Among the species that no one wants to encounter up close and personal are porcupines, the golden poison dart frog, a great hammerhead shark, and a grizzly bear. The author devotes a couple of pages of text and illustrations to each species and then suggests must-haves to help explorers stay save in case they have a close encounter with these fascinating but dangerous animals. Clearly, many species should be admired from afar and not up close. The digital illustrations are handsome and help readers appreciate the animals that are highlighted here. It might have been nice to have a map that showed where they could be found so readers will know what places to avoid.

[Kyra Nay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each spread in Hidden Dangers features one deadly animal, ranging from a Great White Shark to the Aquatic Coral Snake to the Australian Box Jellyfish, with information about their dangers (poisonous venom, sharp teeth, strong jaws) and what to do if you encounter one in the wild. The author does make a point to emphasize that most animals only attack to defend themselves, their young, or their territory. Readers can also test their observation skills by counting the number of animals featured in each spread – it’s more challenging than it appears. Capitalized words or phrases like “WITH ITS TEETH” or “MORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED” add a certain dramatic flair, though they may be off-putting to some readers. Stylized illustrations, rather than photographs, soften the potential fear factor, but might not satisfy nonfiction readers’ desire for accuracy, realism, and detail.

[Audrey Arnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden Dangers: Seek and Find 13 of the World's Deadliest Animals by Lola M. Schaefer is a really great book for talking about all of the harmful animals in the world. This book explores diverse settings and some of the rare animals that live in each of them. Normally nonfiction picture books are full of real photographs of the animals, but this book is illustrated and I really enjoyed that. I think that the illustrations make this book more fun and appealing to children. This book would be great to use in a classroom if you wanted to talk about animals in the world and how some are harmful. You could even talk about the animals that live in our environment and compare them to these dangerous animals in the world.

[Kaylee Aulenbacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is about 13 different animals that live around the world that we don't always get to see. animals like dart frogs, mountain goats, ect. this book explains the different types of dangers the animals go through and the potential danger these animals have to humans.

I liked this book because i go to learn more about animals that i dont ever see.

I would use this book as a science book. being able to explore animals that are not common around us, this book helps us understand them better. having the kid draw or create a list of things that they learned from this book is a good way to have the kids involved.

[Aliza Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciate a dramatic flair for the DEADLIEST animals on Earth, the point is belabored and repeated over and over. Instead of feeling curious and interested in these creatures, I felt warned and afraid. Think how students will respond to this text. A map of where to find these animals would be helpful to calm fears and lead with information.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

DEATH! POISON! PAIN!

Gentle illustrations are paired with dire warnings about a wide variety of animals. Their habitats are so widely varied you'd be forgiven for thinking that certain death lurks everywhere.

The seek-and-find element is relatively easy. The necessary sense of humor required to enjoy this may be harder to find.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and interesting but a bit overdramatic and lacking in end matter. Great cover art.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, instead of feeling fascinated and amazed by the creatures in the book, I am afraid to go outside now. :0)

[Susan Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The format of this book is refreshing and amazing.

[Theresa Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This isn't your cute, tame animal picture book. Lola Schaefer doesn't mess around, she tells it like it is. I think kids will love hearing about the dangers of the animals in this book.

[Available Astbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for an animal learner 😀😀😀

[Alyssa Gudenburr]

So much text!

[Maddy Mullin]

This book tells about 13 average animals that are actually very dangerous. It tells why they are dangerous and how they can hurt someone. It also tells how you can protect yourself from these animals.

I thought this book was very interesting and I loved the illustrations. They make facts fun by showing the animals as innocent while adding a few hidden funny add-ins. I think it is a little morbid, however. It talks a lot about death because it is warning the reader of the dangers.

I think this would be very interesting to students. They could learn about different types of animals while just reading. It would also be good to read aloud, and ask questions about. Like what kind of animal a moose? Is a frog a predator or prey? Are jelly fish omnivores, herbivores, or carnivores? etc...
I think its also a great way to teach about safety.