The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Weird, Wild Names

by Matthew Murrie, Steve Murrie, Julie Benbassat (illustrator)

Kids love science, kids love animals, and kids love everything—everything—weird. Introducing The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Wild, Wacky Names, a science-based illustrated celebration of creatures notable for their bizarre, baffling, and just-plain-funny names.

Meet the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog, who lives high in the forests of South America—the “waxy” refers to its skin secretions and the “monkey” comes from its long, simian fingers, perfect for climbing. The White-Bellied Go-Away Bird—guess what its cry sounds like? Plus the Fried Egg Jellyfish, the Sparklemuffin Peacock Spider, the Bone-Eating Snot Flower Worm, and many more. While the names of these species are undeniably curious, the heart of the book is their just-as-curious habits, appearance, abilities—and the stories of how they acquired their unusual monikers.

There are over 70 creatures in all, brought to life with full-color illustrations and photographs and detailed, engagingly written text.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Childrens, Middle Grade, Nature, Picture Books

156 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

Matt Murrie is the Chief Curiosity Curator for What If Curiosity. What If Curiosity is a culmination of his life's work and global travels as a writer, photographer, Peace Corps Volunteer, school teacher, college professor, and social entrepreneur. When he's not getting curious with students, educators, entrepreneurs, and executives around the world, from Kratovo to Colombia, Matt gets super stoked for science writing books with his father, Steve Murrie.

Reviews

[Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book and would make the perfect gift for animal lovers and trivia buffs of any age. It's a children's book but will not bore adults. I've already whipped a few facts I learned from it out in casual conversation!

This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s science, it’s animals and these guys are just weird. Sound like a book kids will enjoy? I’m sure of it! This is a parade of creatures notable for their bizarre, baffling, and just-plain-funny names. The book has bright vivid illustrations and actual photographs. But not are photographed all because some of the animals reside 2,000 to 4,000 feet deep in the water off the coast of Australia.

A very colorful book, but I read the book on a kindle and had great difficulty reading white print on a lime green background or blue on bright red. This may not be an issue with the hard copy.

Learn of the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog, who lives high in the forests of South America. The “waxy” refers to its skin secretions and the “monkey” comes from its long, simian fingers, perfect for climbing. Then meet the White-Bellied Go-Away Bird... look it up to hear it’s cry. Ok you may have to incorporate your imagination for this guy’s cry. You’ll love the Fried Egg Jellyfish, and the Bone-Eating Snot Flower Worm and the Chicken Turtle who is actually a turtle that does not taste like chicken!

But I beg to differ with the Ugly Animal Preservation Society who claim the The Smooth Headed Blobfish is the ugliest animal. I think he’s cute and love able. I was surprised that the wombat poops out square scat. Square? That’s some kind of talent.

There are over 70 creatures divided into four Name sections: Funny, Magical, Delicious, and then names that are Just Plain Weird. While the text is certainly engaging, I feel many readers will tire of the wordiness. It’s one of those books you pick up read awhile ,put it down and pick it up again and again. A coffee table kind of book and a whole lot of fun!
A library must have.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @kidlitexchange and @workmanpub for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. This nonfiction book is set to release 6.9.20!

My daughter saw this book posted and immediately asked me to request it so we could review it together. I’m so glad she did because we had a blast reading and learning about so many interesting animals. I can’t tell you how many times we equally laughed and cringed as we read some of the descriptions.

The book is set up by first explaining the origins of an animal’s name. How they have common and scientific names, but also belong to various species, genus, family, class and so on. It was then broken down into 5 fun chapters: Funny Names, Magical Names, Fierce Names, Delicious Names, and Just-Plain-Weird Names. Each one included 9 or more animals, a colorful illustrations and an easy to follow description of the animal that shared all about its unique facts and how it came about being named. A good majority of them also included an actual photo. We ended up googling several that caught our eye as well (The Long-Wattled Umbrellabird, Naked Mole Rat and Fried Egg Jellyfish to name a few) so we could see extra photos. There was a box included with each animal that listed its Species, Habitat and an extra interesting fact. The book ended with a Wacky Name Generator so you can practice making your own monikers based on an animals appearance, behavior, habitat and type. It also includes a helpful glossary.

This is such a wonderful resource to have available for kids either at home or in school. They will love the humor of the names and be entertained by their silly traits. It would make the perfect gift for an animal lover of any age. I was shocked when my daughter recognized quite a few animals and was able to describe them to me before we read about them. I for one was not familiar with the yeti crab or know that it resides in hydrothermal vents.

We enjoyed reading every single page of this book and will definitely add it to our home library the moment it is released.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the animal book every kid dreams of reading. A colorful nonfiction full of weird & unusual animal names, it spans insects, invertebrates, fish, and mammals, including all the essential facts with wry humor and bold illustrations. The layout and graphic design provide great consistency and it’s separated by funny, fierce, magical, delicious, and just plain weird names. Ideal for animal lovers of all ages. Highly recommended.

Back matter includes a table of contents, an award section for names, how to discover and name an organism, a weird and wild name generator, glossary, and note on conservation.

Thanks to Workman Publishing for providing me with a finished copy. This is an unsolicited review.

[Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was an amazing fun read. The pictures and drawings were amazing and enjoyable. I finished it in about in hour. I have so many new fun facts to share with my friends and family.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Wild, Wacky Names by Matthew Murrie and Steve Murrie, illustrated by Julie Benbassat, 176 pages. NON-FICTION. Workman Publishing, 2020. $15

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

After explaining how animals get names, this book walks the reader through some of the most unusually-named animals. For each animal we learn a little bit about them and how they got their name.

I felt overwhelmed and slowed down by all the scientific and latin terms in this book. While reading it aloud was not very fun, there were some fascinating animals and their silly names were entertaining. Students already interested in animals will probably find a lot of new species to explore here, making its potential for engagement high for some students.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed leafing through this book of creatures whose only commonality is that they have been given interesting names. I was especially excited to learn about creatures I had never heard of before. Full of fascinating information and wonderfully illustrated, I'm looking forward to sharing it with grandchildren.
The bright colors throughout mostly draw attention and excitement, but a few of the page layouts were very hard on the eyes and difficult to read onscreen - white lettering on superbright neon green in particular. I hope the colors will be less harsh on paper.
Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing for the advance read.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 year old loved this book! It had us both laughing hysterically. Who knew there were animals like bone eating snot flower worm or the sparkle muffin peacock spider... Not only was the book entertaining it had alot of good information on the animals and how they are named

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that explores animal by their strange monikers that they have been given by scientists and allows readers to get an introductory look into some really weird animals. But as a result of its length, though, it can be quite a heavy read for the young reading audience that it focuses to reach.

Even so as a result of its heavy reading, part of the density is attributable to just pages that are focused on illustrations. Other parts that add to the pages is a further moniker trivia spread, the in-depth glossary in the back, a two-page spread on how to explore your local environment for possible new species followed by a name generator and more information to help you further your read.

The information was pretty factual but presented in a nice format with the first part of the book being organized by animals being grouped with similar monikers whether they were magical, food related, fiendish-sound, weird, etc. Second of all each section explored the animals within it by devoting a few pages to each while another mini section was included in each to allow the reader to get to know more animals, usually related somehow to the previous-mentioned animal.

The writing was light. Add trivia bubbles were given to the title of the animal to explain parts of the name. Furthermore there was an information box that included the scientific name, its habitat and some interesting fact for each. Plus all this there are a few paragraphs that explain name origins, behavior of the special and some more. Even with all the factual information there is some attempts at trying to ease the writing by adding a bit of levity to it.

I did have two other complaints with the book while the first one was such a big one that it made me drop the book's rating to a 3-star. And this was the inclusion of the blobfish. A blobfish out of water and exposed to pressure is the one that is quite known for its weird humanish appearance but the actual blobfish doesn't resemble that. The entry doesn't include any original pictures of the poor fish but nor does it explain the weird appearance the blobfish has, which I feel is a betrayal to the reader just as much as providing wrong factual information. It just isn't right while it made me keep looking up all the other animals I didn't know to confirm their factual appearance.

The other complaint I have is based on the illustrations being all over the page as there are vague outlines, colored illustrations and some photographs as well. In my opinion I would have wished the editor would have just chosen to have gone with photographs in a streamlined manner and to have also included the picture of the blue dragon sea slug instead of just the form as that is one cool looking slug.

Finally since it is still in the process of being edited the page numbers are missing but I am guessing those will be edited before the actual release date.

All in all it was a nice book even for all of its problems and one that would be good for a science read, especially for those who love getting to know more about unique animals. Just be wary about the misinformation that may be included or not included when you read it.

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Wild, Wacky Names, written by Matthew Murrie and Steve Murrie, and illustrated by Julie Benbassat, is currently scheduled for release on June 9 2020. It is a a science-based illustrated celebration of creatures notable for their bizarre, baffling, and just-plain-funny names. Meet the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog, who lives high in the forests of South America—the “waxy” refers to its skin secretions and the “monkey” comes from its long, simian fingers, perfect for climbing. The White-Bellied Go-Away Bird—guess what its cry sounds like? Plus the Fried Egg Jellyfish, the Sparklemuffin Peacock Spider, the Bone-Eating Snot Flower Worm, and many more. While the names of these species are undeniably curious, the heart of the book is their just-as-curious habits, appearance, abilities—and the stories of how they acquired their unusual monikers. There are over 70 creatures in all, with full-color illustrations and photographs and detailed text.

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Wild, Wacky Names was a really interesting read. I have always been a fan of learning about the weird and wacky of the world, so some of the animals described (like the naked mole rat and blobfish) were not new to me. However, most of the creatures were at least partially unknown to me- and frankly man of their names could double as awesome band names. The artwork was simply amazing. The images were very well done, with great detail, and added significantly to the book as a whole. The text was well written, and while some of the terminology was advanced definitions and explanations were woven perfectly into the text. I like that there was also a glossary at the end of the book, along with some resources for further reading and information on conservation. I also liked the use of text boxes and small commentary on almost every page. I found the balance of science and humor kept the reader's attention and interest which in turn keeps them reading. My daughter just might be getting this book for her next birthday.

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Wild, Wacky Names is a fun and informative read that I think will be a favorite for middle grade and older readers.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo is a fun illustrated book of weird animal names (and facts). Due out 15th Sept 2020 from Workman Publishing, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a bestiary with a collection of animals whose common names are out of the ordinary. The authors have arranged them roughly thematically: funny names, magical names, fierce names, delicious (food related) names, and just-plain-weird names. All of the animals included have a 2 page spread with the common (funny) name, the proper taxonomic (Latin) name, habitat and range, special characteristics, and a description with lots of interesting info. Each of the entries also contains a color picture and lots of rendered drawings. The book is full of colorful graphics and sidebars with easily digested information.

The book will certainly appeal to all ages, but is ostensibly aimed at younger readers aged approximately 7-10 years old. The authors have included a useful abbreviated glossary as well as a links list for further reading and conservation information.

Well written, engaging, and factually accurate, this would make a superlative selection for school or classroom library, home library, or gift for a young reader who likes all sorts of exotic animals. This book would have attracted 7 year old me in an instant.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Gift For Animal Loving and Science Minded Children
I enjoyed this book which is my first criteria for choosing to buy any children's book. I loved the photographs, and illustrations and how the authors effectively used them. Besides keeping the child entertained visually, they help to make some points more clear and should help the child retain the information presented. I do wish that they would have had photographs for each animal, but the color drawings did work well. The text is also not boring which is so essential when teaching a 'dry' subject such as Biology. Initially, I thought that some of the text was talking to very young readers. The ideas given for things to do can bring this book out of the 'read for fun' category and take it to a school or learning category. My opinion changed as I went further into the book. My only real negative was the choices of color pairing for font and background made some of it unreadable to my eyes. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

[Tayler K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book.

The illustrations are the perfect combination of realistic and dreamy. The colors and page layout are striking and keep you flowing through the book.

There is so much to learn here but it doesn't feel overwhelming. Along with some weird-animal classics, I saw plenty of animals I'd never heard of, some of which were exciting and some I could've done without. The sparklemuffin peacock spider deserves an award for being the only spider I can kind of enjoy. I had an immediate reaction to turning the page to find the red-lipped batfish looking out at me. I learned how blue-footed boobies got that name (well, the "booby" part, obviously). I learned that there is a creature, commonly called the vampire squid, that is neither a squid nor an octopus but a thing all its own. Both of the common-named fried egg jellyfish species are super cool-looking.

Plus there's a great sense of humor throughout.

I don't even know what else to say. It's just A Good Book.

[Raven Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book you did not know you needed! Funny and gross and wonderful facts about some funny named, deliciously named and weirdly named animals. You learn the naked mole rat is not a rat or a mole. But IS naked and eats its own poop. You learn that when it "snows" in the deepest part of the ocean, you REALLY don't want to build a snowman. You find out what a Yeti Crab is and a Vampire Squid. And the differences between "arms" and "tentacles" in the animals that don them. There is such a thing as a sparkle-muffin peacock spider (along with other peacock spiders). And you learn that sometimes scientists have a love of Harry Potter, their nieces and might have been hungry when they named a few critters. Not to mention so much more about creatures around the world (and maybe in your backyard). And just for the record, I don't care what people say, the smooth-headed blob fish is NOT the ugliest creature regardless if it has been voted that.

[Jessica Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to @kidlitexchange and @workmanpub for the review copy of this book! This nonfiction book is set to release 6/9/2020
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Do you like trivia? Or Animals? Or just outlandish funny things? Well this is a perfect book for you! This is a book that is perfect for upper elementary to adults, especially for any animal lover. My kindergarten daughter LOVED me reading her a part of this book each night.
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Each page of this book is a different animal that has a wild name. They explain how the animal got that name and then give various facts about that animal and a beautiful illustration. The book has a Wack Name Generator so you can make your own weird and wacky animal name and a glossary!
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This is a hilarious book that all kids will love and I can guarantee that you will learn something while reading. This book will be in our library in the fall!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5- Super neat animals! There are sketches/drawings of each animal and often a picture, but I wish there had been a photo of each animal included. The text is conversational in tone and easy to read. I like the layout of the book: a page of text about the animal, lots of bright colors, and a small box that tells the species, where the animal is from, and a fun fact. The book has animals sorted into chapters based on appearance or name, and the end of the book features runners-up who didn't quite make the main part of the book. Lots of great science vocab in here too (and a great glossary). The last part of the book includes how to discover and name an organism, a wild/wacky name generator, the glossary, and a note about conservation and further reading. A great resource for any life science classroom!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introduction to taxonomy, binomial nomenclature, and common names followed by examples from around the world of animals with unusual scientific or common names.

Hand this to curious kids, especially those fascinated by animals. It felt a little long to read all in one sitting, but could easily be read over five days a chapter at a time. The book uses a combination of real photos and illustrations of the animals being talked about, and the text is engaging. The beginning of this could definitely be used in any life science classes studying taxonomy. It did a very good intro to the topic, better than most middle school textbooks. It also highlights several animals that may have never appeared in a book for kids or anyone other than scientists before.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will be swept away with just how much you don't know about the animal kingdom, but wish you had known earlier with this book! Lots of great material about the science of animal nomenclature, great photos, interesting chapters, and approachable writing for any reader. My young son was constantly peeking over my shoulder. If you are curious and want to learn more there is a great appendix of fun! A great resource for all libraries!

[Patti Nantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for the classroom, with colorful pages and kid-friendly text! It can be enjoyed briefly during a “Weird Animal Wednesday” segment, used a resource for teaching the non-fiction genre, or to engage young readers in a topic they love, animals. It is a good size and durable for little hands to open over and over.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is fantastic and full of some of the craziest animal names and I'd only heard of about 8 of them.
This book will fascinate children and would be great for animal lovers of all ages, even adults! This book is full of information which is presented in a fun way that is understandable to children.
This would make a great gift!

[Melissa the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was weird and HILARIOUS! This will be sure to delight all types of kids.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

lol! This was a cool book! Kids (and adults) are going to enjoy learning about these little oddities. We've all heard of lions, tigers, and bears, where were these critters: Sparkle muffin peacock spiders, Bone eating Snot Flower Worm, and others, hiding all these years?! I want to see these critters in a zoo! Fun book for the science section.

I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for sharing this information eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn to the colorful cover and hilarious title! My students love to read Weird But True books, so I figured I needed to read this to see if this could be another nonfiction book they would enjoy.

I really liked the colorful pages and illustrations combined with pictures. I also liked that it was organized by types of names and that each animal had a very short and concise description, but was entertaining to read as well.

I definitely think this book will be a popular one in my class.

[Chari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definite purchase for my library.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun!

[Karen Earp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I had no idea animals had such weird names. The art is a combination of hand-drawn, realistic images and photographs and it works perfectly with the text. I already have several middle-grades readers in mind who will absolutely love this. It's on my shortlist for new juvenile nonfiction.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that every kid lives for: weird animals with weird names and weird pictures of the weird animals. I mean, who wouldn't be curious about the sarcastic fringehead, the sparkle-muffin peacock spider, or the long-wattled umbrella bird (that's as funny looking as its name!).

This fun jaunt through the animal kingdom will surprise and delight readers of all ages. And it includes details of each oddity like the species, habitat, and random bits of information that will keep you reading until the last page.

[Becky Abbott]

A very fun, informative and interesting guide to a variety of animals around the world. Kids should love this one.

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loves me some fish and chips, but I didn't know such a thing as the potato cod existed before now. It's not the best way to combine the two foodstuffs, however, but that's the shtick of this book – showing us the most unusually-named critters on this planet and discussing their nature. Goblin sharks, moonrats, the sarcastic fringehead, go-away birds, and so much more all feature, in a really child-friendly way. No subject outstays its welcome, as all the chapters come in under four pages. What's actually the prime benefit of this book is that it manages to use its encyclopaedic approach to educate about so many different aspects of nature, from parasites to unique biomes to this, that and the other. There are a lot of animals here, and while the book never thrusts a particular lesson down our throat, just by reading these pages you'd learn a heck of a lot about the world. If you doubt that, skim to the glossary at the end, which will boggle the eyes of many a Scrabble player, and really impress biology teachers with the breadth of the terms it tries to introduce us to. So this flippant book actually will end up improving our thinking about the varied world around us, even while it only appears to be telling us about the snot-faced dungbird, or whatever (I made that one up, in case you weren't sure). Some people will debate the value of spending effort on so many illustrations when photos would have been better, but for me this was a wonderful volume, and kids will relish the absurd contents.

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was laid out in an easy to read format, the information provided for each animal was brief and informative. I love that the author provides the scientific name and common name(s) for each animal and a description of how they were given these odd names.
At my job I provide a little blurb about weird animals for the monthly newsletter and had heard about most of these animals already. However, I was still able to learn about quite a few new animals that I hadn’t already heard of and my favorite new animals were the Hellbender, the Bone Eating Snot Flower Worm, and the Cookiecutter Shark.

#TheScreamingHairyArmadilloand76OtherAnimalswithWildWackyNames #NetGalley