Eduardo Bustos, illustrated by Lucho Rodríguez,
Wild Animals!
Tundra Books, 2009

Rating: E*

Wild animals! Allows readers to stare into the eyes of eleven wild animals from around the world, such as the Fennec Fox that can walk on hot desert sands because the fur on its paws protect him from the heat, and the Hyena from Africa that makes noises that sound like laughter. There are two views of each animal in this book. The close-up of the animal faces appear on the right hand page, and a smaller full body view can be seen on the left hand page, above each animal’s introduction. Standing (or hanging) amongst a small piece of their natural environment, these second illustrations allow the illustrator to incorporate more details from the text such as the leopard’s short legs and the sloth’s unique growth of fur.

The solid black backgrounds make the animals seem to burst off the page and increase the intensity of the other colors. The color of the text complements the colors seen on the animals and although the text is only two to three sentences in length, the author provides quite a few facts about each animal. Here is what he says about the Koala: "My home is in Australia. My fur is soft and my ways are gentle. I carry my babies on my back as we feast on the leaves of the eucalyptus tree. Just like hands, my fingers grip the branches to keep me safe". Questions provided in a few of the write-ups encourage independent thinking and interaction with the storyteller. For example the author asks the reader if the fox looks like a dog and if it looks like the Spectacled Bear is wearing glasses.

This would be a great non-fiction picture book for toddlers and preschoolers. Dramatic colors, attention-grabbing use of graphics and shapes and short interactive passages will keep young readers interested; especially since these wild animals look like they are interested in us! Parents and teachers could include information about how some of these animals are harmed by humans to provide a more complete picture of how these animals live. In addition, on the reverse side of the book jacket, there is a poster featuring the lion from the book bordered on one side by all the other animals that appear in the story. Adults could point out on a map where each of these animals live.

Eduardo Bustos has a background in biology and education. Born in Mexico, Eduardo works as a violin director in his spare time.

Award winning illustrator Lucho Rodríguez was born in Columbia. He has worked in advertising and graphic design.

Thematic Links: Wild Animals

Tanya Boudreau
Vol. 15, number 1
October 2009

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.