ASTONISHING ANIMALS

A cranked-up collection of animal facts bookended by big, startling pop-ups of toothy ocean predators.

Going for the gusto from first to last, every inch of this souped-up survey is packed with clamorous claims that caption pop-ups or crawl over and under flaps of diverse shape and size. Arranged around a great white shark’s jagged maw, which lurches toward viewers, melodramatic painted images of over a dozen creatures dubbed “MOST DEADLY!” glare up, each identified with titillating menace: “BRAZILIAN WANDERING SPIDER. This is the most venomous spider in the world! It likes to hide in people’s clothes and shoes.” Other topical spreads gather largest to smallest, fastest to slowest, amazing animal senses, “Egg-streme Eggs,” and a closing miscellany of “Weird and Wonderful!” hangers-on highlighted by an in-your-face look at an anglerfish’s jagged dentifrice. It may be loud, it may be overwhelming, but it’s also strangely compelling, and readers may find themselves going back and forth for more: “A Madagascan Hawk Moth’s tongue is four times as long as your middle finger!” Companion Mechanical Marvels publishes simultaneously and with equal volume.

Equally suitable for shared or solitary reading and hard to resist either way.