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Beastly Puzzles: A Brain-Boggling Animal Guessing Game
This book asks children: If you're given a list of features and characteristics, can you guess which animal they make? This might seem easy enough. But solving the puzzles in this book is deviously, outrageously, almost impossibly tricky! Though the thirteen animals included are easily recognizable --- such as polar bear, snail, ostrich, pufferfish --- the clues are unexpected. For example: ?3 billiard balls,? ?dinosaur feet? and ?five feather dusters.? And to further complicate matters, the clues are presented in scenarios unrelated to the animals --- the ostrich is composed of items in a ?gentlemen's den? and the pufferfish clues are items in a spy submarine. Once readers make a guess (or if they get stumped!), they can open the gatefold to reveal the animal, with each clue explained and lots of additional fascinating facts.
Author Rachel Poliquin's concept for this intriguing, one-of-a-kind book is a spin on early natural histories, which introduced new animals by describing them as a hodgepodge of parts taken from familiar creatures. A beaver, for example, was described as being composed of a flounder, an otter, goose feet, squirrel paws and a rabbit's front teeth. The back matter includes a note explaining this, accompanied by visual references. Artfully and intricately illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler, this innovative book offers an engaging mix of art and information that's sure to pique readers' curiosity. It works perfectly to enhance a broad range of life sciences curriculum topics, including animal adaptations, characteristics, evolution, ecology, habitats, ecosystems, biodiversity and food webs. The guessing-game format encourages inquiry-based learning --- and plenty of fun!
Author Rachel Poliquin's concept for this intriguing, one-of-a-kind book is a spin on early natural histories, which introduced new animals by describing them as a hodgepodge of parts taken from familiar creatures. A beaver, for example, was described as being composed of a flounder, an otter, goose feet, squirrel paws and a rabbit's front teeth. The back matter includes a note explaining this, accompanied by visual references. Artfully and intricately illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler, this innovative book offers an engaging mix of art and information that's sure to pique readers' curiosity. It works perfectly to enhance a broad range of life sciences curriculum topics, including animal adaptations, characteristics, evolution, ecology, habitats, ecosystems, biodiversity and food webs. The guessing-game format encourages inquiry-based learning --- and plenty of fun!
32 pages, Hardcover
Published May 7, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 13, 2019
Beastly Puzzles: A Brain-Boggling Animal Guessing Game by Rachel Poliquin, illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler. Kids Can Press, 2019. $17. 9781771389136
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Illustrated on a two page spread is a room or specific space with items that are labeled. These items are clues to an animal. You unfold one of the pages to discover what animal it could be. For example, the first room is a game room and some of the items are a billiard ball, a hose, a feather duster, and a dinosaur foot sculpture. The animal is an ostrich.
We loved reading this book as family. The clues were just the right amount of hard. We got about half right and spent a lot of time discussing what animal we thought it was going to be. This would be fun in a library and a great book to get a group involved.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Illustrated on a two page spread is a room or specific space with items that are labeled. These items are clues to an animal. You unfold one of the pages to discover what animal it could be. For example, the first room is a game room and some of the items are a billiard ball, a hose, a feather duster, and a dinosaur foot sculpture. The animal is an ostrich.
We loved reading this book as family. The clues were just the right amount of hard. We got about half right and spent a lot of time discussing what animal we thought it was going to be. This would be fun in a library and a great book to get a group involved.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
July 22, 2019
An incredibly unique, challenging, and interactive book about animal facts. So well done! Readers are given random items as clues in hopes of guessing the right animal beneath the flap. I only got one right! Illustrations are beautiful! Kids will have fun with this book! Adults too!
April 6, 2019
What did you like about the book? Each two page spread starts with the line, “What animal could you make with...” Then clues such as, dinosaur feet, feather dusters, the speed of a greyhound, and three billiard balls? Using the clues, readers try to guess each animal. A lift of the flap will let them know if their guess was right. In this example, the answer is an ostrich. In all, twelve different animal puzzles appear. Under the flap, along with the answer, readers find additional information about the animal and explanations of how the animal embodies the hints. Each two-page spread features a different color, such as purple for the ostrich. Unfortunately, the color schemes are not attractive. Also, some of the hints are a bit obscure. For instance, the three billiard balls for the ostrich refer to its two eyes that are about the size of billiard balls plus its brain which is slightly smaller than a billiard ball. Recommend to readers in grades 3 – 5 that enjoy solving puzzles or learning unusual facts about animals. This also could be a fun way for science teachers to introduce a discussion about animal adaptations.
February 4, 2020
So clever and fun!! Will be recommending left and right!
September 9, 2021
My first and second grade grandsons loved this book. We took turns reading the funny clues and guessing what animal the book was describing. Love, love this one!
December 25, 2019
Do you have an animal lover in your home? What abou a puzzler? Perhaps you have a non-fiction fan? They are in luck with Beastly Puzzles a very unique, one of a kind new picture book arriving on bookshelves May 7th. Rachel Poliquin’s debut book for children poses the question to the reader: given a set of unrelated objects, can you guess the animal? A fabulously engaging way to look at non-fiction and really hook children into reading and learning more about some really interesting animals. The riddles are not easy to solve, they really require you to think about it and make connections to what you already know about animals. Rachel Poliquin models the book after the descriptions of early naturalists, describing exotic animals by likening their features after more commonly known animals or even household objects.
The illustrations by Byron Eggenschwiler harken back to an earlier age, feeling retro in a modern way. Bold, monochromatic layouts reveal the animals described with a wealth of information about their features and characteristics. Each layout features a fold out page hiding the animal and all of the animal information beneath.
I’m so impressed by the unique and excellent quality non-fiction books children have at their fingertips. Learning is so much more fun when given all of the wonderful new resources available to children and educators. What a fun activity to try with a class of children, creating their own beastly puzzles. I definitely would have used this as an mentor text for my students to enhance their unit on animals and life cycles
The illustrations by Byron Eggenschwiler harken back to an earlier age, feeling retro in a modern way. Bold, monochromatic layouts reveal the animals described with a wealth of information about their features and characteristics. Each layout features a fold out page hiding the animal and all of the animal information beneath.
I’m so impressed by the unique and excellent quality non-fiction books children have at their fingertips. Learning is so much more fun when given all of the wonderful new resources available to children and educators. What a fun activity to try with a class of children, creating their own beastly puzzles. I definitely would have used this as an mentor text for my students to enhance their unit on animals and life cycles
July 9, 2019
So many guessing game books about animals are for very young children, but this one will challenge those in elementary school as well. Taking cues from historical descriptions of animals that were based on known animal elements, this book is devilishly difficult even with the extra hint provided. One might expect the animals to be unusual, but they are well-known animals like ostriches, polar bears, frogs, and kangaroos! Open the gate fold and discover how that animal can be described as made from all sorts of bits and pieces.
Poliquin’s description of each animal in terms of their elements is profoundly and delightfully confusing. A kangaroo for example is described as made up of enormous feet, an extra leg (for going slow), boxing gloves, rabbit ears, a peanut, a secret compartment, and a springboard! A large part of the joy of the book is being entirely befuddled by the clues and then learning how they all fit together. It’s not frustrating at all to be confused, but part of the fun.
The art has a great vintage vibe to it that suits the old-fashioned descriptions of the animals. It is modernized by the use of bright colors and a vibrant image of each of the animals on the reveal page. Cleverly designed with gate folds that add to the suspense too.
Fun and frustrating at the same time, much to everyone’s delight. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Poliquin’s description of each animal in terms of their elements is profoundly and delightfully confusing. A kangaroo for example is described as made up of enormous feet, an extra leg (for going slow), boxing gloves, rabbit ears, a peanut, a secret compartment, and a springboard! A large part of the joy of the book is being entirely befuddled by the clues and then learning how they all fit together. It’s not frustrating at all to be confused, but part of the fun.
The art has a great vintage vibe to it that suits the old-fashioned descriptions of the animals. It is modernized by the use of bright colors and a vibrant image of each of the animals on the reveal page. Cleverly designed with gate folds that add to the suspense too.
Fun and frustrating at the same time, much to everyone’s delight. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
July 3, 2020
This title is nominated for the 2021 Hackmatack Award in the English Non-fiction category. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this 'brain-boggling animal guessing game', but I actually learned quite a lot! I really liked the format, with the flaps hiding the answer for a big reveal. I only managed to guess three (polar bear, kangaroo, sloth). I thought it was neat how each spread showed a different scene, like backstage at a circus or at the fire station and I liked the monotone background colours to help the clues stand out. I liked the afterword explaining the inspiration behind the descriptions of animals using parts of better-known animals to create some kind of composite creature. I am definitely going to search for some more examples of those illustrations to show the kids when we discuss this title at book club, and I think it could be a fun activity to get everyone to pick an animal to describe and have the club try to guess.
I would recommend this book for kids age 9 and up, especially kids who like animals and brain teasers.
I would recommend this book for kids age 9 and up, especially kids who like animals and brain teasers.
June 8, 2019
3.5 stars
I was so excited when I read reviews of how fun this was to read with lift the flaps. And then I saw the art and sighed. I thought it would be like the cover. Adults will call it nostalgic and appreciate the illustrator's note at the end, but kids... well, they will wonder why all the old fashioned pictures with funky colors? Definitely not a whole class read aloud unless you can project the pages through your computer to the big screen. Just a tad too busy with small font. I will, however, do just that. I will use it to share with kids how they could write their animal reports. I love books that make connections in a creative way. A few hints are too obscure, but no worries, open the flap and read why. Clues/Answers stand out clearly on each page. That will bother some, but kept me intrigued. Try Google's Mystery Animal Voice Experiment after reading.
I was so excited when I read reviews of how fun this was to read with lift the flaps. And then I saw the art and sighed. I thought it would be like the cover. Adults will call it nostalgic and appreciate the illustrator's note at the end, but kids... well, they will wonder why all the old fashioned pictures with funky colors? Definitely not a whole class read aloud unless you can project the pages through your computer to the big screen. Just a tad too busy with small font. I will, however, do just that. I will use it to share with kids how they could write their animal reports. I love books that make connections in a creative way. A few hints are too obscure, but no worries, open the flap and read why. Clues/Answers stand out clearly on each page. That will bother some, but kept me intrigued. Try Google's Mystery Animal Voice Experiment after reading.
June 27, 2019
WOW! What a great way to spur on a reader's creativity and curiosity. This book was fascinating to me from the first page. I had to think about how they were using common objects that we know about to describe the characteristics of an animal and its unique qualities, both physical and functional. Not only will I want to use this book with my students to introduce another type of puzzle to them, but I wonder if they could do research on an animal and then create a puzzle themselves? Maybe in third grade when they do their animal brochures? Maybe as a challenge for the older readers to the younger ones? Once they revealed the animal I was that much more interested in finding out about the details of the animal that the book shared. A great example of anticipation creating a more willing learning experience.
April 22, 2020
Beastly Puzzles is a guessing game for readers to see how much they know, or think they know, about an animal. Each tri-fold spread begins in a monochromatic room, a study, a sewing room, a bedroom, etc., with colorful pictures of clues. The clues help readers answer the question, “What animal could you make with…”, along with a hint at the bottom of the page. After readers put their critical thinking to a test to figure out the animal represented by the clues, the page folds out into the animal and information about it.
This is a fun, challenging way to test critical thinking, animal knowledge, and learn about animals. It is a great addition to elementary libraries. My kids and I had great laughs trying to figure out the clues. They were much better at it than I was. I need to brush up on my animal knowledge.
This is a fun, challenging way to test critical thinking, animal knowledge, and learn about animals. It is a great addition to elementary libraries. My kids and I had great laughs trying to figure out the clues. They were much better at it than I was. I need to brush up on my animal knowledge.
April 13, 2019
This book is a lot of fun. It is very different from the Steve Jenkins type animal guessing books but just as well done as his. I like the authors' choices of animals because it wouldn't be any fun if the animals were so obscure you could never guess the answers. The parts and items used to give hints were descriptive enough without giving too much away and yet hard enough to guess that readers will have to work hard to come up with the correct animal. The illustrations were good and the "About this book" at the end does a great job of explaining where the idea for the book came from and even that was interesting.
September 25, 2020
A baker's dozen animal riddles are posed to solve. Asked "What animal could you make with...", given a list of random items (ex. a file, glue, oil, silver thread, four sewing pins, a thimble, and one foot), and a hint ("This animal as no ears, so it can't hear danger coming. But that's probably for the best - it couldn't outrun a predator anyway."), readers are expected to add everything up to get the answer (in this case, a garden snail).
These are pretty difficult to figure out. I figured out one using the list and four using the list and the hint; that means eight were wrong for me. Give this to the brightest students to solve the riddles.
Recommended for grades 4-6.
These are pretty difficult to figure out. I figured out one using the list and four using the list and the hint; that means eight were wrong for me. Give this to the brightest students to solve the riddles.
Recommended for grades 4-6.
April 6, 2019
An interesting book with not your run-of-the-mill animals. Very challenging. My guess would be that most children would not be able to guess most of the animals, although it is fun to see the results explained once you flip the page. The facts are very interesting and short enough not to be overwhelming for a child. All in all, a unique book that would be fun to browse through for parent and child together. "In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads".
September 16, 2019
The heading at the top of the page reads: “what animal could you make with......” Followed by an illustrated list of objects and at the bottom of the page a hint. So for example, what animal could you make with a lasso, a bicycle horn,two marbles, a bouncy ball, a flashlight and a clamshell? Can’t guess? Your hint is “some say this animal is named for its call, which can sound like the drone of a motor or even the roar of a bull.” It’s a bullfrog and the explanation covers all the items on the list. Pretty fun to try and guess what the animals are.
May 21, 2019
Even as an adult--this book was one of the most fun things to read (play??) with my librarian coworkers. The clues are not obvious and require a ton of critical thinking. It makes you think of animals in creative ways while also teaching fascinating animal facts.
Plus--the illustrations have a beautiful nostalgic feel to them that set the "tone" for each creature themed scene. With each reveal, the animal's bold color palette stands out wonderfully on the subdued backdrop.
Plus--the illustrations have a beautiful nostalgic feel to them that set the "tone" for each creature themed scene. With each reveal, the animal's bold color palette stands out wonderfully on the subdued backdrop.
June 21, 2019
What animal could you make.... is how each page starts. The author provides a hint and an illustration with seemingly random objects to help you identify the animal. Once you make you guess you can discover the animal by lifting the page. Each of the objects used to describe the animal is explained as well as a fun fact provided about each animal on the identification page. A glossary is included. This book engages your problem-solving skills and helps to stimulate creative thinking.
April 5, 2019
I won this book in one of the Giveaways on Goodreads, intending to give it to my newphews. I read it before giving it to them. How clever! The clues were tricky and fun to figure out what the animals were. Maybe 7 is too young for the puzzles. But a fun read with great illustrations. I can't wait to give this to them!
June 28, 2019
I thought this was clever and well designed with stylish retro illustrations and was going to go with four stars because some of the clues were a little confusing, but my kid ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT and totally glommed on to it and made us read it multiple times, so that would be five stars then. Highly recommended for ages 6-9, especially Wild Kratts fans.
September 25, 2019
This was a fun puzzle book! Some animals were very easy to guess, and others weren't. I did not like the illustrations much, but the girls said nothing about that. Some hints were a bit out there, but overall we learned quite a bit about animals we did not really know much about (lobster, anyone?).
February 21, 2020
Fantastically fun! This puzzle book gives the reader a list of items and asks ‘what animal’ can you make with these items? Flip the flap and find out. Not only does it tell the animal but explains how each item describes the animal looks or behaves. The retro illustrations add to the fun of this puzzle book. Recommended for 2-5
August 14, 2020
This book is a fun guessing game. It shows different items and you have to guess what the animal is. I just did the puzzles and tried to guess the animals; I did not read all the facts. I did pretty good, but definitely did not get them all. Some of the items confused me, even after reading how they connected to the animal. A fun little book.
October 20, 2024
This is an incredibly clever picture book in a game format. Presented with various random everyday objects and clues, readers are asked to guess what animal could be made. Once you've made your guess, open the flaps and read some fascinating facts about unique animals. The illustrations have a vintage feel to them and are delightful.
March 12, 2019
This book is a superb combination of puzzle solving, picture searching and animal science. Pages of softly muted colored illustrations fold open to reveal answers and facts. This unique non-fiction compilation will appeal to creature lovers aged seven to 10.
June 23, 2019
Wasn't a fan of the illustrations, which maked the book look old, which may be the point. But I liked the idea of taking objects such as marbles and googles and trying to figure out which animal it is.
April 20, 2020
What a fun book with fantastic illustrations. What do feather dusters and hoses and chainsaws and other everyday objects have to do with real animals? They can be used to describe what the animals look like and how they move and how they behave. Nominated for the 2020-2021 Maine Student Book Award.
June 9, 2024
Non-Fiction. Great guessing game book with hints then a flip open page that reveals the animal we were guessing and facts about it. Its a really creative way to highlight the characteristics and physical features of animals. I haven't seen any books like it before.
April 6, 2019
Very interesting way to intrigue your kids need of puzzles. Informative, Creative and Beautiful. Definitely Brain-Boggling.
April 18, 2019
The book had a really cool format. I intended it for my goddaughter; I think she will like it since it even stumped me on some of the puzzles!
May 29, 2019
Every day items provide clues to the animal hiding behind the gatefold. A fun puzzle solving book for school age kids.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews