What do you think?
Rate this book
Odd Beasts: Meet Nature's Weirdest Animals
Meet nature’s oddballs in this charming board book about some of the strangest animals in the world
Barnyard animals—move over! Odd Beasts introduces babies and toddlers to more unusual species, including the glass frog with transparent skin and the pangolin—the only mammal with scales! Gentle rhyming verses provide the comforting repetition that little ones crave, even as their minds are opened to new and fascinating creatures from around the world. At the end of the book, readers will find photographs of each animal, along with more detailed factual information. The eight animals featured are the pangolin, ocean sunfish, glass frog, anglerfish, long-horned orb-weaver spider, Eastern snake-necked turtle, bush baby, and giant jumping stick.
Barnyard animals—move over! Odd Beasts introduces babies and toddlers to more unusual species, including the glass frog with transparent skin and the pangolin—the only mammal with scales! Gentle rhyming verses provide the comforting repetition that little ones crave, even as their minds are opened to new and fascinating creatures from around the world. At the end of the book, readers will find photographs of each animal, along with more detailed factual information. The eight animals featured are the pangolin, ocean sunfish, glass frog, anglerfish, long-horned orb-weaver spider, Eastern snake-necked turtle, bush baby, and giant jumping stick.
22 pages, Board Book
First published November 2, 2021
46 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 16, 2022
With a grandson who's now five and loves encountering new animals and insects, this book was a huge hit! Clever rhyme with interesting nonfiction facts and a backmatter with additional information for him to explore. He now sits on the floor and shares this book with his baby brother who is six months. Love this nonfiction book that introduces young readers to the many unique animals beyond their back doors.
October 28, 2021
Odd Beasts: Meet Nature's Weirdest Animals is a delightful board book that highlights in a colorful fashion some of the world's strangest creatures. The armored pangolin, the enormous sunfish, the anglerfish, and the long-horned orb-weaver spider are some of the unusual animals mentioned in the book. Each of the two page spreads shows a stunning illustration of the animal with a simple sentence about it. The back of the book shows actual photographs of the animals and gives a bit more information for young animal lovers who want to know more. This is a really fun book that young children that love animals are bound to enjoy. The fact that the animals are unusual and different than many animals children read about is a great bonus.
May 27, 2022
Fantastic paintings and simple rhymes describe some of God's more unusual creatures.
October 16, 2021
This is such a fun animal-based board book! I love the simplicity of the text -- using the animal names and simple vocabulary, it's not going to go above very young children's heads. "This pangolin wears armor" or "this spider has two horns" are nice and simple sentences paired with a full-page nice illustration (and I love the big googly-eyes given to each creature). All of the creatures featured are fascinating but will be familiar enough. The book includes real photos at the back of each creature and some more detail if you are reading this with a more preschool-aged child. This a beautiful, fun, and age-appropriate book. Love it!
***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Publisher's Spotlight. Opinions are my own.
***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Publisher's Spotlight. Opinions are my own.
November 3, 2021
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Odd Beasts: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Animals, written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Gareth Lucas, a board book look at some unusual creatures.
Very early readers can take a look at eight odd adaptations in the animal world with this simplified version of a nature primer. Introduced in brief rhyming quatrains (of which there are only three; four animals covered in each of the first two, then a delightfully humorous sign-off in the last), readers can meet the pangolin, the sunfish, the bush baby, and other unique animal pals.
Ambitious. It’s interesting to see such a broad subject get the board book treatment, and I’m on the fence over whether it works or not. The text for each of the eight animals is so brief that it really struggles to illuminate what makes their adaptations so unique; for instance, “this insect’s jumps are strong”, which is not only a bit of an understatement for the giant jumping stick, but fails to even give name to the insect. The artwork, while colorful and pleasing for young eyes, also struggles with this, especially in trying to establish scale on a massive creature like the sunfish. Gehl does include photographs and more details about the animals on the last two spreads, which helps immensely with the educational aspects, but is definitely framed for a slightly older audience. I don’t want to say this book doesn’t work, because honestly, we enjoyed it – JJ loved the artwork and especially the closing lines. The length of the main body makes for a quick read, and reading the supplemental material extends that. Overall, this one is simply a cool concept that falters a bit in its execution, but is worth checking out, especially for young animal enthusiasts; Baby Bookworm approved.
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by a representative of the author in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
November 23, 2021
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsno...
ODD BEASTS is a delightful board book that features some unique animals. The book shows each animal in illustrations along with a sentence with what makes them unique, such as "This pangolin wears armor." The book concludes by suggesting that these animals might think the weirdest animal is you! The coolest part is the backmatter, which includes photographs of each animal along with brief descriptions in the form of a question and answer.
What I loved: This is a fun picture book read for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, who are getting into animals. The book can be read quickly as the brief sentences along with illustrated images for the youngest readers or explored more in depth with the backmatter for toddlers/preschoolers. The photos and more detailed text add a lot of educational value to this fun book in a speed that is great for the youngest learners. The vivid colors and simple text of the book appeals to young readers and large, easy to read font makes this a fun one for caregivers too.
Final verdict: An educational read that is great for infants through preschoolers, ODD BEASTS is a great introduction to animal diversity in a fun board book read.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
ODD BEASTS is a delightful board book that features some unique animals. The book shows each animal in illustrations along with a sentence with what makes them unique, such as "This pangolin wears armor." The book concludes by suggesting that these animals might think the weirdest animal is you! The coolest part is the backmatter, which includes photographs of each animal along with brief descriptions in the form of a question and answer.
What I loved: This is a fun picture book read for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, who are getting into animals. The book can be read quickly as the brief sentences along with illustrated images for the youngest readers or explored more in depth with the backmatter for toddlers/preschoolers. The photos and more detailed text add a lot of educational value to this fun book in a speed that is great for the youngest learners. The vivid colors and simple text of the book appeals to young readers and large, easy to read font makes this a fun one for caregivers too.
Final verdict: An educational read that is great for infants through preschoolers, ODD BEASTS is a great introduction to animal diversity in a fun board book read.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
October 23, 2021
I really love these Abrams Appleseed books for babies and toddlers. Not only will they enchant their young intended audience, but adults who are sharing them with the little ones will enjoy them as well. In this particular board book, readers are introduced to eight unique animals by mentioning something that makes them stand out from other ones; for instance, weight, being see-through or having unusual eyes. The book concludes with rhyming couplets and a surprise for the reader, who just might be the weirdest thing these animals have ever encountered. Back matter consists of photographs of the actual animals, including a pangolin, ocean sunfish, glass frog, anglerfish, long-horned orb-weaver spider, eastern long-necked turtle, a bush baby, and a giant walking stick, as well as tidbits of information about each one. If this book doesn't encourage curiosity and make a wildlife lover out of its readers, nothing will. What a weird and wonderful world we live in!
September 29, 2024
Odd Beasts: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Animals by Laura Gehl is an engaging board book about unusual animals from around the world. Both entertaining and informational, this board book will catch the attention of readers of all ages. I love Gehl’s work and. Odd Beasts is a board book that belongs on your shelves. The text is easy to understand, yet attention getting. Each double page spread includes a repeating phrase, “This ‘animal name’ has ‘unique characteristic.’” Illustrations of each animal encompass the double page spread. Artwork is bright, bold, and appealing. Includes back matter with detailed information about each animal mentioned in the book. Highly recommended.
November 16, 2021
This board book introduces little ones to some interesting animals through simple rhythmic text. The bold, colorful illustrations highlight the uniqueness of each that make it easy for even babies to follow along. Photographs and additional facts about each creature included in the back are a great addition for further learning. My 3yo enjoyed reading this book and seeing them in real-life in the photos.
November 30, 2022
"Odd Beasts" is a fantastic example of a board book that a parent (or child) could read again and again. While seemingly simple in its narrative, it's packed with facts in the end. That makes it perfect for a curious 3-year-old or even a 6 or 7-year-old hungry to learn more about the world. And don't we all feel a little odd? "Odd Beasts" teaches us that everyone and everything has a quirk that makes them special. And it taught me a lot about amazing creatures, too!
May 12, 2021
Have you ever heard of a fish that weighs more than a ton or a see-through frog? This book is fascinating and perfect for highlighting unusual animal traits. The ending gently reminds us that those traits are only unusual to us and through other eyes what is normal to us may be unusual to them! Fascinating backmatter extends the age of this brilliant new board book!
November 11, 2021
What child isn't interested in strange and wonderful creatures? What child doesn't want to know WHY an animal is the way it is, or why scientists think so? This book is a fantastic mix of fun and information, exactly what you want in a STEM book. I'm thinking kids will be paging through and reading about these strange critters again and again.
December 13, 2021
I love that this nonfiction board book speaks to the littlest readers. Short, relatable descriptions ("This baby has big eyes") keep children engaged and confident that they are fully understanding what is going on. The warm, smiley art is so sweet with engaging, handsome colors. Informative back matter stays concise and accessible for children who want to dig a bit deeper. 5 stars!
February 13, 2022
This book is one my son would love even though he's much older than most board book readers. It is the real life images that are vibrant and inviting to this new and different world that will bring readers back to this book time and time again. Often young kids read about ducks, pigs, cows, and geese. In these pages they can learn about the glass frog and anglerfish. So very fascinating!
March 31, 2022
How can you not pick up this book with an eye-catching cover like that?
This illustration style is vibrant and gorgeous!
We're introduced to 8 odd animals in short rhyming text that highlights their unusual feature, then at the end we get a short factual bit about each one.
- Pangolin
- Ocean Sunfish (I didn't know they got THAT big!)
- Glass Frog (green bones?!)
- Anglerfish
- Long-Horned Orb-Weaver Spider (Ugh I hate spiders, but I don't think I've ever seen that one before. I begrudgingly admit it's interesting.)
- Eastern Long-Necked Turtle
- Bush Baby
- Giant Jumping Stick
Lots of fun!
This illustration style is vibrant and gorgeous!
We're introduced to 8 odd animals in short rhyming text that highlights their unusual feature, then at the end we get a short factual bit about each one.
- Pangolin
- Ocean Sunfish (I didn't know they got THAT big!)
- Glass Frog (green bones?!)
- Anglerfish
- Long-Horned Orb-Weaver Spider (Ugh I hate spiders, but I don't think I've ever seen that one before. I begrudgingly admit it's interesting.)
- Eastern Long-Necked Turtle
- Bush Baby
- Giant Jumping Stick
Lots of fun!
May 13, 2022
So fun! This book takes a look at creatures with unusual features - from a frog with see-through skin to a spider with two long horns (shudder). The book works for a wide range of ages - younger kids can stick with the simple rhyming text with stunning artwork, while older kids can explore fascinating back matter and photographs of these animals. An intriguing book in a bite-sized format!
November 12, 2022
In this board book are eight odd-looking real animals found in our world. In the back is a brief information blurb about each one. Nicely illustrated.
Included are: pangolin, ocean sunfish, glass frog, anglerfish, long-horned orb-weaver spider, eastern long-necked turtle, bush baby, giant jumping stick.
Included are: pangolin, ocean sunfish, glass frog, anglerfish, long-horned orb-weaver spider, eastern long-necked turtle, bush baby, giant jumping stick.
November 2, 2021
Striking illustrations pair with minimal text to introduce unusual animals to lap readers. Backmatter shares a photo of each animal along with a few key facts in support of the previous statements. A refreshing change of pace from backyard and barnyard beasts!
October 23, 2022
I love learning about weird animals and this book takes the reader on a journey to meet some of the strangest of creatures! A fascinating way to learn more about the living creatures around us. A must-have for every classroom bookshelf!
May 13, 2022
Loved the illustrations.
June 15, 2022
3.5
The best part of this book is the information about each animal in the back.
The best part of this book is the information about each animal in the back.
April 23, 2023
ang ganda nang pagguhit at kulay pero yung pagbanggit ng “zoo” sa huli ay higit na nakakadismaya lalo na’t hindi naman ito kinakailangan.
August 27, 2023
Gorgeous illustrations but this may be a bit advanced for most toddlers.
October 16, 2024
Two of my grandsons were fascinated by this book and I enjoyed it too!
December 15, 2024
This was really cute and made me miss my kids being the target age for these books.
August 26, 2025
This one was just as delightful as the Odd Birds one. Loved again the tiny bits of information we got at the end.
February 8, 2023
A fun board book for beginning readers. It discusses unique characteristics of unique animals.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews