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Creatures Great and Small
Join Toronto author and illustrator Karen Patkau as she explores the world of insects, mammals, sea jellies, reptiles, amphibians, birds, crustaceans, arachnids, and mollusks. From extremely large creatures, such as the blue whale, Chinese giant salamander, and goliath tarantula, to extremely small ones, such as the bumblebee bat, dwarf gecko, and fairy shrimp, embark on this informative, beautifully illustrated voyage of discovery. Even the simple fact-filled text is enchantingly presented in the voices of the animals themselves.
A glossary, map endpapers, and handy charts — introducing the concepts of scale and proportion by comparing measurements of animals that are “Big” and “Really Big” to “Small” and “Really Small” — make this book a must-have for parents, schools, and libraries alike.
A glossary, map endpapers, and handy charts — introducing the concepts of scale and proportion by comparing measurements of animals that are “Big” and “Really Big” to “Small” and “Really Small” — make this book a must-have for parents, schools, and libraries alike.
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2006
2 people want to read
About the author
Karen Patkau
22 books1 followerKaren Patkau is the author and illustrator of many books for children. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She lives in Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 16, 2025
The endpapers of this book are neat because they show readers where in the world the animals are located on a map! I also like the end of the book which shows readers the animals size in comparison to each other or their actual size in some cases. The rest of the book is just okay in my opinion but overall it is not a very memorable read. I would have preferred photographs to the illustrations.
October 14, 2019
Very interesting brief bios of large and small living creatures. Amazing facts well presented. This book is wonderfully illustrated.
November 12, 2009
Creatures Great and Small
Grades K-3
Non-fiction Science
Patkau captures realistic characteristics seen in her illustrations of various animals, but she gives them a cartoon like quality by using bright, bold colors and large illustrations to appeal to children. The inside and back covers are a blue and white map of the continents, and oceans with small illustrations of various animals in relation to their geographical location. Most of the animals are illustrated across two pages with minimal text. The top corner or bottom corner of each page will introduce the animal’s classification as, such as “Fish,” “Mammals,” and “Reptiles”. A description is given, and sometimes two examples of fish or insects are given in no more than two sentences on each page. The text is written to appeal to a wide variety of age groups. The animal provides a self-description. For example the Dwarf Goby says, “Even though I am transparent, can you spy my little eye in this freshwater stream? Because I have no eyelids, my eyes are always open. Even while I sleep!” Some of the vocabulary might pose a problem for younger students. A Kindergartener might appreciate the bright bold illustrations in this book and it will introduce them to various animals, but words such as “transparent,” “fossil,” “rows of bony scutes,” “echolocation,” and “nocturnal,” to name a few, would become a whole other lesson for children in grades K-1.
However, I think the book is still versatile and can be adapted to the age group being taught. Younger students can use this to learn about the variety of animals and study some of the animals’ characteristics and habitat such as the animals color, how big or small it is, does it live in water or land. Older students (grades 2-3) can start learning the animal classification system, study the animals' characteristics in more detail and more about the animals’ geographical location and habitats, specifically in which continent or ocean we find certain animals. Overall I think children of varying levels will really enjoy this book because the illustrations will certainly get their attention. The large format illustrations of animals are bold, large and colorful, and will appeal to most younger children's sense of natural curosity about the animal world.
Grades K-3
Science/Social Studies
This book can be used for a variety of age groups if the lessons are adapted appropriately for the age group. This book can be used in a multi-thematic lesson plan that covers science and geography to teach animal classification and habitat, and world geography.
Grades K-3
Non-fiction Science
Patkau captures realistic characteristics seen in her illustrations of various animals, but she gives them a cartoon like quality by using bright, bold colors and large illustrations to appeal to children. The inside and back covers are a blue and white map of the continents, and oceans with small illustrations of various animals in relation to their geographical location. Most of the animals are illustrated across two pages with minimal text. The top corner or bottom corner of each page will introduce the animal’s classification as, such as “Fish,” “Mammals,” and “Reptiles”. A description is given, and sometimes two examples of fish or insects are given in no more than two sentences on each page. The text is written to appeal to a wide variety of age groups. The animal provides a self-description. For example the Dwarf Goby says, “Even though I am transparent, can you spy my little eye in this freshwater stream? Because I have no eyelids, my eyes are always open. Even while I sleep!” Some of the vocabulary might pose a problem for younger students. A Kindergartener might appreciate the bright bold illustrations in this book and it will introduce them to various animals, but words such as “transparent,” “fossil,” “rows of bony scutes,” “echolocation,” and “nocturnal,” to name a few, would become a whole other lesson for children in grades K-1.
However, I think the book is still versatile and can be adapted to the age group being taught. Younger students can use this to learn about the variety of animals and study some of the animals’ characteristics and habitat such as the animals color, how big or small it is, does it live in water or land. Older students (grades 2-3) can start learning the animal classification system, study the animals' characteristics in more detail and more about the animals’ geographical location and habitats, specifically in which continent or ocean we find certain animals. Overall I think children of varying levels will really enjoy this book because the illustrations will certainly get their attention. The large format illustrations of animals are bold, large and colorful, and will appeal to most younger children's sense of natural curosity about the animal world.
Grades K-3
Science/Social Studies
This book can be used for a variety of age groups if the lessons are adapted appropriately for the age group. This book can be used in a multi-thematic lesson plan that covers science and geography to teach animal classification and habitat, and world geography.
April 18, 2012
Our world has so many wonderful creatures that exist all around us. Children love learning about all creatures great and small. Colorful pictures with short bursts of information makes reading about animals that live in the water and on land easy and fun. Animals and insects come in all shapes and sizes. Their diets range from drinking the nectar from a flower, eating insects or other larger animals. These creatures also have a variety of ways in which they can protect themselves from predators. The Poison Dart frog has slippery skin that is poisonous if you touch it. The Arctic Lion jellyfish has long streaming tentacles that sting anything they touch. The Dwarf Gecko if caught by his tail has a way to break the tail off and make a great escape. The tail does grow back. The Japanese Spider Crab attaches sponges to its shell for camouflage. Fairy Shrimp love pools of rainwater, but when the rain dries up their eggs lie dormant, until it rains again. Patkau has put together an interesting and eclectic group of creatures for young kids to read about and share. Charts in the back of the book show young readers actual sizes from the really big to the really small. The glossary gives a brief descriptions of words and their meaning. Children, parents and teachers will love flipping through the pages, inspecting the bright colorful digital images, and talking about what they've learned.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews