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Animals Behaving Badly
Meet five animals on their beastliest behaviour in this funny and absorbing narrative non-fiction title from award-winning author Nicola Davies.
From award-winning children’s author and biologist Nicola Davies, this is a collection of funny, fascinating and true stories about animals "behaving badly" – which is to say, getting the better of us human beings!
We start with the wolverine in Canada, who will trash your home and everything in it, and then meet the kea in New Zealand – park your car in kea country, and you'll find out the hard way that these clever birds have sharp beaks and a love of mischief.
Next we visit India and learn about macaque monkeys, who have shoplifting, highway robbery and baby-snatching on their impressive rap sheet, before jetting off to the US. In Florida we find drumfish, whose strange humming calls will keep you up all night long, and in Alaska Sitka whales, who gang up to steal thousands of dollars' worth of cod from under the noses of fishermen.
The book ends on a charming high, as Nicola describes two creatures that work together with humans: little brown birds that help us collect honey in East Africa, and bottlenose dolphins that help fishermen catch mullet in Brazil.
With lively illustrations from rising talent Adam Stower, Animals Behaving Badly is a splendidly witty and original take on narrative non-fiction for younger readers.
From award-winning children’s author and biologist Nicola Davies, this is a collection of funny, fascinating and true stories about animals "behaving badly" – which is to say, getting the better of us human beings!
We start with the wolverine in Canada, who will trash your home and everything in it, and then meet the kea in New Zealand – park your car in kea country, and you'll find out the hard way that these clever birds have sharp beaks and a love of mischief.
Next we visit India and learn about macaque monkeys, who have shoplifting, highway robbery and baby-snatching on their impressive rap sheet, before jetting off to the US. In Florida we find drumfish, whose strange humming calls will keep you up all night long, and in Alaska Sitka whales, who gang up to steal thousands of dollars' worth of cod from under the noses of fishermen.
The book ends on a charming high, as Nicola describes two creatures that work together with humans: little brown birds that help us collect honey in East Africa, and bottlenose dolphins that help fishermen catch mullet in Brazil.
With lively illustrations from rising talent Adam Stower, Animals Behaving Badly is a splendidly witty and original take on narrative non-fiction for younger readers.
- GenresHumor
112 pages, Paperback
Published February 2, 2017
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Nicola Davies
168 books183 followers"I was very small when I saw my first dolphin," says zoologist Nicola Davies, recalling a seminal visit with her father to a dolphin show at the zoo. Enchanted at the sight of what she called the "big fish" jumping so high and swimming so fast, she determined right then that she would meet the amazing creatures again "in the wild, where they belonged." And indeed she did--as part of a pair of scientific expeditions, one to Newfoundland at the age of eighteen and another to the Indian Ocean a year later. In WILD ABOUT DOLPHINS, Nicola Davies describes her voyages in a firsthand account filled with fascinating facts and captivating photographs of seven species of dolphins in action.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 21, 2017
In Animals Behaving Badly, Nicola Davies takes a look at some of the worlds naughtiest animals from different continents, starting with the ‘devilish’ Wolverine.
Throughout the book you get to learn all about the Kea birds, who are vandals, the noisy drumfish, causing residents in Florida to lose sleep, and the fish stealing sperm whales, causing problems for the fishermen, plus lots more disruptive creatures.
My favourites were the Kea birds, who for what seems pure enjoyment, and human attention, like to vandalise whatever they can. They smash up cars, including stripping the window wipers, peck the lights out, bend the aerial, and low and behold what your car will look like if you leave a window open. They are not only vandals though, they are very clever birds. Birds that can open locks, and solve puzzles too.
The book is full of interesting facts about the animals, written in a fun, enjoyable, attention grabbing manner. There are plenty of illustrations throughout, showing you just what these animals look like, and things they get up to.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and learned a lot too. Children will be kept entertained and fill their heads will factual information that they will want to share will all their friends.
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
Throughout the book you get to learn all about the Kea birds, who are vandals, the noisy drumfish, causing residents in Florida to lose sleep, and the fish stealing sperm whales, causing problems for the fishermen, plus lots more disruptive creatures.
My favourites were the Kea birds, who for what seems pure enjoyment, and human attention, like to vandalise whatever they can. They smash up cars, including stripping the window wipers, peck the lights out, bend the aerial, and low and behold what your car will look like if you leave a window open. They are not only vandals though, they are very clever birds. Birds that can open locks, and solve puzzles too.
The book is full of interesting facts about the animals, written in a fun, enjoyable, attention grabbing manner. There are plenty of illustrations throughout, showing you just what these animals look like, and things they get up to.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and learned a lot too. Children will be kept entertained and fill their heads will factual information that they will want to share will all their friends.
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
March 4, 2017
I wanted more! Five Horrible History-esque chapters on funny/naughty animals around the world
I've read Davies' books with my son before - picture books, short non-fiction animal books that he's enjoyed (and have led us to Attenborough programmes at age 6), and was interested to see this collection of short anecdotes/natural history stories and how she wrote for a slightly older audience.
Well, I enjoyed it so much I read it myself in one sitting. Always one to remind readers of the damage that humans do, Davies doesn't forget to add this in here either - saying that we are the most badly behaved of all animals, other species are just doing what they are instinctively programmed to do.
In the following five chapter, we meet wolverines, kea birds, drum fish, macaques and sperm whales, and Davies addresses the audience regularly to tell us about their 'bad' behaviour (violence, thievery, noisiness). There was plenty I didn't know, as an adult. I liked Davies' chatty style, addressing the reader, the Horrible History method of using cartoons and speech bubbles with humour to illustrate the points, and the animals and stories were well chosen and backed up with quotes and stories from real natural historians and experts, unusual for a children's book.
At just over 100 pages, it's not a dense read, very readable for a KS2 student who is an independent reader. I'll be reading this to my son shortly as well, the chapters aren't too long for me to read one to him at bedtime, and I know he'll find the text funny and fascinating.
Would have liked this to be longer, but I hope Davies can instead bring out a second volume of 'More' Animals Behaving Badly. Children need some light-hearted non-fiction in their reading diets that reads like a story but is actually episodic and can be 'dipped' into.
Very nicely put together, hope to see more like it.
With thanks to Walker books for the advance reading copy.
I've read Davies' books with my son before - picture books, short non-fiction animal books that he's enjoyed (and have led us to Attenborough programmes at age 6), and was interested to see this collection of short anecdotes/natural history stories and how she wrote for a slightly older audience.
Well, I enjoyed it so much I read it myself in one sitting. Always one to remind readers of the damage that humans do, Davies doesn't forget to add this in here either - saying that we are the most badly behaved of all animals, other species are just doing what they are instinctively programmed to do.
In the following five chapter, we meet wolverines, kea birds, drum fish, macaques and sperm whales, and Davies addresses the audience regularly to tell us about their 'bad' behaviour (violence, thievery, noisiness). There was plenty I didn't know, as an adult. I liked Davies' chatty style, addressing the reader, the Horrible History method of using cartoons and speech bubbles with humour to illustrate the points, and the animals and stories were well chosen and backed up with quotes and stories from real natural historians and experts, unusual for a children's book.
At just over 100 pages, it's not a dense read, very readable for a KS2 student who is an independent reader. I'll be reading this to my son shortly as well, the chapters aren't too long for me to read one to him at bedtime, and I know he'll find the text funny and fascinating.
Would have liked this to be longer, but I hope Davies can instead bring out a second volume of 'More' Animals Behaving Badly. Children need some light-hearted non-fiction in their reading diets that reads like a story but is actually episodic and can be 'dipped' into.
Very nicely put together, hope to see more like it.
With thanks to Walker books for the advance reading copy.
December 31, 2021
This book is interesting and gives lots of facts about animals. But there were some boring bits as well.
February 10, 2017
I was sent a free copy of this book by the publisher.
Humans like to think they are the smartest creatures on the planet, but sometimes animals manage to outsmart humans and get away with some very bad behaviour. This book tells the true stories of five different animals behaving badly.
This is a very short book at just over 100 pages and is aimed at kids though older will enjoy it too. The book starts off with an introduction by the author Nicola Davies which highlights just how clever animals are and how humans are the worst behaved creatures on the planet, before five different chapters talk about five different animals and what sort of behaviour they get up to.
The introduction, and to be honest the whole book, wasn't quite what I was expecting given the blurb and the cover. I thought this would be a very funny book talking about some funny mischievous animals and while the book does have funny moments it's narrative is very different from what I expected. The book and especially the introduction explains how destructive humans are on the whole towards animals and their environment and although it has a great message I just wasn't expecting something so serious given the description. The chapters are short and each focus on a different animal type such as the wolverine, kea birds, monkeys, etc.. Each chapter is filled with lots of information and some funny stories of the different things animals have done such as stealing food, babies and as, yes, as the cover shows...farting fish! Every chapter is filled with lots of humour and I especially love the chapter on what kea birds get up to.
The book has some great and funny black and white illustrations every few pages. These are just like the ones on the front cover and look more like cartoon images and really highlight the humour found in some of the text. The last pages of the book also focus more on animals and humans working together in some extraordinary ways which was fun to read.
Overall I do like this book. I think the conservation and mini history lessons in this are important ones to teach kids and I'm sure children will enjoy reading the book and learning all about this stuff as well as finding out some of the daft and silly things that animals have gotten away with. However I do think the cover and description of the book are a bit misleading. The information in this book isn't as funny as I would have thought and it just didn't grab my attention as much as I wanted it to. I just feel a bit disappointed after reading this book, however knowing it's true contents I'd still have loved reading this when I was younger.
Humans like to think they are the smartest creatures on the planet, but sometimes animals manage to outsmart humans and get away with some very bad behaviour. This book tells the true stories of five different animals behaving badly.
This is a very short book at just over 100 pages and is aimed at kids though older will enjoy it too. The book starts off with an introduction by the author Nicola Davies which highlights just how clever animals are and how humans are the worst behaved creatures on the planet, before five different chapters talk about five different animals and what sort of behaviour they get up to.
The introduction, and to be honest the whole book, wasn't quite what I was expecting given the blurb and the cover. I thought this would be a very funny book talking about some funny mischievous animals and while the book does have funny moments it's narrative is very different from what I expected. The book and especially the introduction explains how destructive humans are on the whole towards animals and their environment and although it has a great message I just wasn't expecting something so serious given the description. The chapters are short and each focus on a different animal type such as the wolverine, kea birds, monkeys, etc.. Each chapter is filled with lots of information and some funny stories of the different things animals have done such as stealing food, babies and as, yes, as the cover shows...farting fish! Every chapter is filled with lots of humour and I especially love the chapter on what kea birds get up to.
The book has some great and funny black and white illustrations every few pages. These are just like the ones on the front cover and look more like cartoon images and really highlight the humour found in some of the text. The last pages of the book also focus more on animals and humans working together in some extraordinary ways which was fun to read.
Overall I do like this book. I think the conservation and mini history lessons in this are important ones to teach kids and I'm sure children will enjoy reading the book and learning all about this stuff as well as finding out some of the daft and silly things that animals have gotten away with. However I do think the cover and description of the book are a bit misleading. The information in this book isn't as funny as I would have thought and it just didn't grab my attention as much as I wanted it to. I just feel a bit disappointed after reading this book, however knowing it's true contents I'd still have loved reading this when I was younger.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews