Curious Creatures Working With Tools

From apes to otters to clever crows, this beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book tells stories of amazing tool-using animals that use objects in crafty ways.\n"This entertaining and informative title is a delightful read-aloud and a recommended addition to the nonfiction shelves."
—School Library Journal\n"Full of fascinating examples on how animals get around in the world by taking things they find & turning them into tools as well. What a great nonfiction series, I’m excited to see what book comes next!"
—Oh The Books We Love\nIn Earth’s jungles and deserts and deep beneath the sea curious creatures are hard at work. Some resourceful animals use tools to get the job done, just like you do. There are bottlenose dolphins holding sponges to protect their snouts, chimps wielding stone hammers and tailorbirds stitching leaves with spider silk.\nLearn how and why these animals toil with tools, and discover that you have more in common with them than you ever imagined…\nFrom School Library Journal\nK-Gr 3-This fun and educational picture book in the "Curious Creatures" series introduces a variety of animals that use tools in creative and unusual ways. The animals span from the well-known chimpanzee with a stick retrieving insects to the lesser known, and frankly adorable, otter using seaweed to secure a snack to its floating belly. The text is descriptive and active, written in a present tense narrative with onomatopoeia as the animals "tap tap" and "boom boom" their tools. In smaller windows of text, readers learn how animals are "just like you" and what is in each "animal's toolkit." Armstrong covers how animals create and adapt tools, seem to have favorites, and may even learn to use human tools. The spreads in pencil and digital media are entirely endearing, though not overly cartoony or doe-eyed. The color and detail are impeccable, with a purple octopus standing out in particular. The few people depicted accurately represent the diversity in the regions of the shown animals. VERDICT While there is no back matter, this entertaining and informative title is a delightful read-aloud and a recommended addition to the nonfiction shelves.-Clara Hendricksα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.