The Curious Explorer's Illustrated Guide to Exotic Animals A to Z by Marc Martin

Start here with my previous post "Meet the Illustrator Marc Martin".

Now back to The Curious Explorer's Illustrated Guide to Exotic Animals A to Z. Begin with the title - curious - this book is sure to lead children and adults to want to discover more about the, well curious, animals in this huge format book. Illustrated - yes the illustrations are wonderful - each a work of art to linger over. Guide - each animal also has the Latin name and there is a small fact box for each on the final spread. Exotic animals (from around the world) - such as the loris; quetzal; armadillo; ibex; macaw; narwhal; and hippopotamus. There are several Australian animals (Marc Martin is an Australian illustrator) - kangaroo; Tasmanian devil; and yellow-tailed black cockatoo. And A to Z of course adds a layer of organisation to this book which is always appealing especially to a Teacher-Librarian. I previously talked about alphabet books on this video for IBBY Australia. 

Electric Eel and Flamingo

Owl and Quetzal

Bookseller blurb: From armadillo to zebras, chameleons to quetzals, these exotic animals will surprise and delight. No curious explorer should be without Marc Martin's stunning celebration of strange and beautiful creatures from all over the world. Here is a book of wonder, a unique and breathtaking treasure from one of Australia's most outstanding new talents.

The Curious Explorer's Guide to Exotic Animals A to Z was published in 2013 so it might be difficult to buy a new copy but I am certain you will be able to find this book in many school and public libraries. In 2013 this book was included as a Standing Order title from Scholastic (see the teachers notes). If I had room on my own shelves I would love to add a copy of this beautiful book.

So much more than an alphabet book, this delightful children’s picture book shares the inspiration its creator finds in the world around him. Each letter of the alphabet depicts an animal interpreted through graphic design-style illustration. Those are the facts, but the reality is that each individual illustration uses art techniques and lush textures that sets them apart. Just so stories

Today I am heading off to meet Marc Martin. His newest book Dawn will be featured at an event at Gleebooks Kids. Last week I was shelving some books in a library where I am doing some volunteer work and I spied the Curious Explorer's Guide. Here is the cover of his new book Dawn.

When I was a very young child someone gifted me this animal alphabet book published in 1961. This goes part of the way towards explain my fascination with this topic.

Meet the illustrator Sami Bayly

Image source: Sami Bayly web page

Here in Australia we are so LUCKY to have a talent like Sami Bayly. And we are so lucky she has applied her amazing illustration skills to the production of the most fabulous nonfiction books about animals of all shapes and sizes. Every reader, young or old, is sure to discover an animal that they have never ever heard of in one of her books. These book are sure to spark curiosity and they are a fabulous resource for a classroom. Sami is also a fabulous presenter. I heard her speak to a huge crowd of children and teachers at an event last year and she totally captured the attention of everyone.

In this interview Sami Bayly talks about her processes. Her web page contains a wealth of materials to explore. 

Sami's first book, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ugly Animals, won the Children's Indie Book of the Year Award and the Australian Book Design Award for Younger Readers. It was a CBCA Honour Book and was shortlisted for an ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children and longlisted for the ABA Booksellers' Choice 2020 Book of the Year Awards. Her second book, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dangerous Animals, was a CBCA Honour Book, an ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children, won an Australian Book Design Award for Younger Readers and was shortlisted for the Children's Indie Book of the Year 2020. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Peculiar Pairs was shortlisted for the CBCA Eve Pownall Award and longlisted for Children's Indie Book of the Year Award.

I visited a school library today planning to borrow The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals by Sami Bayly partly because it is a 2025 CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Eve Pownall (Non Fiction) Notable or long list title. In my hurry I picked up the wrong book - a companion volume The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ugly Animals and this turns out to be Sami's very first book.

You can see inside this book here.

The CBCA judges said:

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals by Sami Bayly is a visually stunning and deeply moving tribute to the species lost to extinction. The book’s vintage-style design, with its fabric spine and tactile cover, evokes a sense of nostalgia, while the carefully structured content delivers an urgent message about conservation. The four-page contents section immediately sets a somber tone, featuring grey symbolic images of each extinct creature. However, the true artistry lies in the detailed double-page spreads that follow, where Bayly’s exquisite watercolor illustrations bring each animal to life. The inclusion of size comparisons, from the diminutive Yunnan Lake Newt to the imposing Megalania, provides readers with a tangible sense of scale. Each entry follows a consistent format, offering scientific classification, description, diet, extinction status, and habitat, along with an engaging 'fun facts' section. The meticulous organization makes the book both an accessible reference and an immersive reading experience. With an introduction dedicated to lost species and a call to conservation, this book is not only an informative resource but also a powerful reminder of humanity’s impact on the natural world. A beautifully crafted and thought-provoking addition to Bayly’s series, it is an essential title for young readers and educators alike. 

Readings in Melbourne list three reasons why you should read this book about extinct animals and read this one from Kids' Book Review.  

Bookseller blurb: Marvel as you enter the fascinating hidden world of ugly animals in this encyclopedia of the animal kingdom's most unusual and beauty-challenged species. It's time for ugly animals to shine! With more than sixty ugly animals to explore, this compendium of the unusual celebrates the beauty in 'ugliness'. Children and adults alike will pore over the breathtaking scientific illustrations of unusual animals, debating their relative ugliness and merits, learning about science and nature along the way. Featuring illustrations and facts about the thorniest species the animal kingdom has to offer, from the naked mole rat to the goblin shark, aye-aye, sphinx cat, blobfish and many more 'ugly' beauties.

This might sound odd but I feel a little sorry for the ugly animals. I love that Sami Bayly says her book is a celebration of "the beauty in ugliness". Actually, a few of these creatures are somewhat appealing - the American Manatee; the Aye-aye; the Saiga Antelope; and the Helmeted Hornbill. You can see art from this book here. 

Image source: Sydney Morning Herald

A companion book could be Blob The Ugliest animal in the World by Joy Sorman illustrated by Olivier Talle.

In September Sami will release her new book:

Featuring facts and astonishing illustrations about sixty amazing fast and slow animals, including the super speedy black marlin, the cheetah and the gentoo penguin, and the oh-so-slow dwarf seahorse, the gila monster and the immortal jellyfish.

Here is an interview where Sami Bayly talked about her book 

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Peculiar Pairs.

It made me laugh to once again see that in the US our Australian books have different titles and different covers!

You might also have seen these two books by Sami Bayly. I am sure they will be in many school and public libraries.

Paws, Claws, Tails and Roars illustrated by Brian Wildsmith

Brian Wildsmith's breathtaking animal paintings are accompanied by new lyrical text, inviting readers to pause a while and linger over the glorious wild animals, birds, and fishes within. Whether already a fan of Brian Wildsmith, or discovering his work for the first time, readers will cherish this book for a lifetime.

I previously talked about the wonderful Brian Wildsmith exhibition in Barnsley, UK. The featured book at the exhibition was Paws, Claws, Tails and Roars but over 90 pages and in hardcover this book was way too heavy for my luggage. Now my copy has arrived.

The art in this book comes from works by Brian Wildsmith Wild Animals (1967); Birds (1967); and Fishes (1968).

If you are looking for a very special gift for a child perhaps when they are born or for a christening gift Paws, Claws, Tails and Roars [9780192784216] would be perfect. It is a large format book to treasure and revisit.

In his introduction Michael Rosen talks about his first experience of art by Brian Wildsmith in the Oxford Book of Children's Poetry: "Again and again, either the subject or the background flooded out from the book: the pictures didn't obey the margins. They weren't contained by convention. It was as if the luxuriousness of the colours was too rich to be confined by something as mundane as a page."

"The pictures tell us that the Earth and its creatures are precious. ... I'm as delighted as his jolly hedgehog ... I hope you enjoy (this book) and that you and the children in your life snuffle through these pages with the many feelings this vibrant art conjures up."

The other wonderful thing that your child will experience reading this book is the encounter with familiar and unfamiliar animals. I well remember my childhood alphabet book contained a Yak - a creature that fascinated me. In this book there are less well known animals (especially to children here in Australia) - raccoon; badger; hedgehog; pheasant; jay; heron; snipe; woodcock; minnow; stickleback and porcupine fish. My favourite illustrations are the tiger; the hedgehog; the robin and the kingfisher.

Children will also discover the intriguing names we use as collective nouns: a cete of badgers; a round of robins; a walk of snipe; a party of rainbow fish; and a corps of giraffes. 

You can see all books by Brian Wildsmith here. And if you are unfamiliar with his work take a look at this blog post. 

There is quiet knowledge in the design of each spread. The colours are vivid or subtle in accord with the animals’ own colours and the worlds they inhabit and the brush strokes splash, smear and wash the settings for each animal, evoking swirling waters bursting with flying fish, iridescent bubbles reflecting the many colours of the angelfish, the mottled camouflage of the woodcock. Paws, Claws, Tails and Roars: Brian Wildsmith’s Animal Kingdom is a book to be shared over and over again, joyfully, with readers of any age. Just Imagine

What I love about his work is that behind all the wondrous colour, pattern and texture there always lies the fundamental essence of whatever he’s depicting. Words and Pics

"This is a book I'd like to see in every classroom from the foundation stage upwards as well as on family bookshelves. And, what a wonderful present it would make." - Jill Bennett, Red Reading Hub

Except Antarctica! by Todd Sturgell

You need to add this book to your school library. It is a perfect text for all your science units about animals, animal classification and habitats plus it is SO funny. The only question you might have to ask yourself is just where to shelve this book? Is it just a picture book about a crazy turtle who sets out to disprove the theory that turtles live on every continent except antarctica? Well yes. Turtle gathers all his friends, who also apparently do not live in Antarctica, and the team set off to check this out for themselves. So far this could just be a funny romp, a story, but the final pages - eight of them - are filled with animal facts - like a non-fiction book. Oh, and the end papers are world maps and a useful map of Antarctica showing all the research stations.

The swiftly rising, maniacal tone is highlighted by different, boldfaced types assigned to the narrator and the animals. Vivid, wildly imaginative illustrations add wonder and excitement to the proceedings. Readers will laugh out loud at the animals’ recalcitrance and the narrator’s frustrations, all the while absorbing a great deal of information. Delightful and hilarious. Kirkus Star review

This nature-documentary-gone-wrong is a gleefully funny lesson in determination, and includes educational backmatter and lots of animal fun facts! Penguin Books

Now think about the animals that travel with our hero - an owl, a dung beetle, a snake, a mouse, a bee, and a frog. Yes nearly every animal group is covered - birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians. Only one group is missing - can your readers work this out and then can they talk about why.

Here are a few fun facts from the final pages in this book:

• The oldest turtle in the world lived to be 255 and was named Adwaita.
• Burrowing owls love to eat dung beetles.
• Dung beetles navigate using the Milky Way.
• Snakes smell with their tongues.
• Bees love the colour blue.
• Mice eat fifteen to twenty times a day.
• Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords.

Except Antarctica was published in 2021. It is still available and I found a copy for a good price but you might need to act quickly because I imagine their stock might be limited. Here are a set of teaching ideas from the publisher. 

This book is also an example of breaking the fourth wall - you will hear the voice of the off stage narrator trying to advise the turtle his mission is impossible. 

Here are some companion books:

Todd Sturgell is an illustrator, author, and freelance art & creative director. In his previous career as a corporate advertising art director, he worked with national brands including The Home Depot, Hyundai, Red Lobster, and 7-11; in his current role, he focuses on local and regional clients including universities, museums, and music, food, arts, and wine festivals. He lives, hikes, draws, and watches nature documentaries in the North Carolina Mountains with his wife, daughters, and dog Max (named for a certain famous picture book character). He has not yet been to Antarctica.

The Circus Ship by Chris van Dusen

 

"Five miles off the coast of Maine and sightly overdue, a circus ship was steaming south in fog as thick as stew."

You could use this opening sentence as a way to begin your exploration of this book. If you are reading this in Australia, you will need a map to locate Maine. Then talk about what 'slightly overdue' might mean and the ramifications of this phrase. The fog is thick - how will that make an impact. What should the captain of the ship do? OH, and wait a minute what is a circus ship? Who or what might be onboard?

The next page helps a little. On board there are fifteen animals, and the ship is heading to perform in Boston. Over the page and yes, the captain - Mr Carrington - does think the ship should wait for things to clear but the aptly named Mr Paine, the circus boss, disagrees and so the ship continues on its journey but of course disaster strikes. The ship hits a reef and everyone, animals too, is thrown overboard. Luckily all of the animals can swim and so they make it safely to shore landing in a small village.

"They pulled themselves up on the shore - bedraggled, cold and beat - then staggered to the village on weary, wobbly feet."

The village people are amazed to find all of these exotic animals surrounding their houses. That night a building catches on fire. The circus tiger has been trained to jump through fire. He dives in and bravely rescues little Emma Rose. 

"The tiger's risky rescue changed everybody's mind - the animals weren't bothersome; the animals were kind."

That could be the end of this story BUT the circus owner is coming. He wants his animals back. The people of the village hatch a cunning plan. You will need to look very closely at this double page scene. Can you spot the fifteen animals? Luckily Mr Paine is not at all observant. 

This book is based on a true story. In 1836 a ship named The Royal Tar was sailing from St. John New Brunswick to Portland Maine. There were 103 passengers and the circus - a elephant, two lions, a tiger, a leopard, six horses, two camels, a gnu, two pelicans, snakes, birds and a full band. There was a disaster. The boiler overheated and the ship went up in flames. Many people and most of the animals perished but there is evidence that the elephant did end up on a nearby island and exotic snakes were also seen on a different island many years after the wreck.  I found this podcast (15 minutes) which recounts these events.

The Circus Ship was published in 2009 but the paperback version [9780763655921] is still available. Here is the webpage for Chris van Dusen. Read more about how he creates his art. If you haven't discovered his work, I highly recommend all of these:

With an older group of students aged 10+ The Circus Ship could be a terrific way to introduce this Australian middle grade book:

Evie and Rhino

When you pick up this book make sure you share the title page with your class or young reading companion. It's a terrific example of why fonts are important. 

Children will pore over panoramic spreads that invite them to find each of the 15 animals and celebrate a denouement that serves up Mr. Paine’s just deserts. Splendid! Kirkus Star review

I like Animals ... What Jobs are there? by Steve Martin illustrated by Roberto Belfari

 

This book is brilliant!  It is from a series of nine titles called That's a Job? and if I was still in my school library I would want to collect all of them (although sadly I think nearly all of them are now out of print). These books will be enjoyed by readers aged 7+.  Highly, highly recommended. 

Plenty of details to absorb while engaging readers to discover their own perfect careers. Kirkus

I like animals - what are some jobs? I well remember a wonderful student who right from her first days in Kindergarten knew she wanted to be a vet. Last year I found out her dream did come true and she is now studying Veterinary Science at university.  She would have adored this book!  There are the obvious jobs explained here like vet of course and pet shop owner but what about these. There are twenty-five possibilities in this book:

• Dog groomer
• Police dog handler
• Zoo Keeper
• Wildlife film maker
• Marine biologist
• Guide dog trainer
• Pet photographer
• Entomologist
• Animal actor agent
• Pet portrait artist

Each job has a firsthand, first-person description of the role over a day and a best and worst parts of the job information box. At the back of the book you can use a skill, qualities and interest flow chart to find your perfect animal job. 

Aimed at animal loving readers aged 7 and older the illustrated narrative approach tells the story of each career and helps introduce children to the world of work in a playful, engaging way. When they've finished reading, children will have gained an overview of each of the featured jobs and will have discovered that you can turn a passion, an interest or a hobby into a rewarding career. Bookseller blurb

These books were originally published in the UK by Ivy Kids an imprint of The Quarto Group. In the US they are published by Kane Miller. Roberto Blefari is an illustrator and visual designer based in Turin, Italy.  It is interesting the way the books all have a similar style of illustration even though there are several illustrators who have worked on this series. Tom Woolley is one for example and he is an illustrator based in Birmingham, UK. Here are the other books in the series.

I can see Nature's Rainbow by Vicky Woodgate

 

"Some creatures use colour to camouflage themselves, others to send a warning or to attract a mate. While plants can't talk, their colours are often designed to say 'Eat me!' to animals. From red monkeys and white whales to green sloths and purple snails, discover the amazing rainbow world we are so lucky to live in."

This book is from the UK, but it does contain animals from around the world including our Australian Quokka and Kangaroo. I think this book would be a popular one in your school or preschool library - I imagine it might have been offered on Scholastic Book Club in 2023 as they are the publisher. 

A few discoveries from this book:

Blue - Blue Tang (fish) change colour depending on their mood; No land mammals are completely blue but some have blue faces such as the Golden Snub-nosed monkey; Blue Whales eat up to 40 million kril each day.

Green - The (green) Northern Birdwing butterfly can measure more than 22cm; a green toadstool is the Parrot Waxcap; algae grow on the fur of the sloth turning it green.

Brown - The ring-tailed cat is a cousin of the racoon; Brown bears can outrun a horse.

Red - Red foxes have whiskers on their legs and retractable claws; a very poisonous plant is the Bleeding Heart.

Purple - I had not heard of the Purple Frog, Purple Lubber Grasshopper, Purple Martin (bird) or the Lilac-Breasted Roller (bird).

Image source: Project Noah

Pink - I'd love to see a pink-spotted Lady Beetle. 

Orange - The Zombie Frog is orange; and so is the Baboon Tarantula.

Yellow - this page includes a flower I always associate with a book - the Black-eyed Susan; the yellow in the eye of a lion helps it see better at night.

White - Mute Swan; Dwarf Hotot Rabbit; Snow Petrel; Giant Leopard Moth; Beluga Whale.

Grey - the collective noun for mushrooms is a troop; you need to know I am frightened of Geckos and now I discover one called a Grey Gargoyle Gecko.

Black - Polar bears have black skin; I like the name Chimney Sweeper Moth; the Dracula Orchid.

Chimney Sweeper Moth image source: Stewkley Wildlife Reserve

My favourite page in this book is near the end - it is filled with rocks and minerals of every colour. There is a full index and a page of projects at the back too.

Here is the web page for Vicky Woodgate.

Despite only having 32 pages, I Can See Nature’s Rainbow, is absolutely full to the brim with images and words explaining how diverse things are in the natural world. This will appeal to inquisitive children, in early years and KS1, who prefer information books. Just Imagine

If the World were 100 Animals by Miranda Smith illustrated by Aaron Cushley

Here we go again - another groundbreaking fantastic nonfiction book with an idea that is fresh and original and so appealing. This is a book that is certainly going to spark the curiosity of your young reading companion or class of students. AND as a bonus, if you work with a group of older students, do take time to look at the very extensive reference list included at the beginning of this book - this could be such a brilliant way to talk about referencing and using websites with the right level of authority and also the importance of deep research. You will see websites such as CSIRO, Save the Koala, UNESCO, National Geographic and World Wildlife Fund.

There are 20,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 20 quintillion or 20 billion billion individual animals on earth but if you think of this as just 100 then ... 

6 are vertebrates; 94 are invertebrates = 100

Let's look at the vertebrates 23 are birds; 11 are amphibians; 9 are mammals; 14 are reptiles; and 43 are fish = 100

Drill down further to the Mammals 94 are placental; 5 are marsupials; 1 is a monotreme = 100

YES, those Monotremes are ours - one platypus and four species of echidna.

And what about pets? 33 are dogs; 6 are birds; 23 are cats; 12 are fish; 26 are other animals = 100

Image source: Bookwagon

Other topics explored in this book are deadly animals (81 are mosquitoes); extinct animals (90 are extinct); animals in danger (54 are fish) and the final double spread explores the big questions.

Big Questions:

• What can we do to stop the animals' habitats and ecosystems being destroyed?
• What can we do to reduce our use of plastic and recycle plastic that already exists?
• How do we make people think about the connections between animals and the food on their plates?

Now for the really amazing news - this book from 2022 is only AUS$20. It is a book that should be added to every school and public library. If the World were 100 Animals is also a NSW Premier's Reading challenge title Years 3-4 (903350). Make sure you spend time exploring all the animals on the end papers. 

Other books by Miranda Smith and books illustrated by Aaron Cushley (he is from Belfast) from this series:

Due for publication in November, 2023

Australia: Country of Colour by Jess Racklyeft

"Australia is the home of vivid red dirt, big blue skies, wild green bushland and warm golden beaches. This very large island has allowed unique, colourful and incredible plants and animals to adapt and grow, many of which can't be found anywhere else in the world."

This is a quote from the opening page of Australia Country of Colour and then there is an extract from the well known poem My Country by Dorothea Mackellar. Here is the famous second verse:

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel-sea,

Her beauty and her terror –

The wide brown land for me!

There are lots of books, old and new, which explore Australian flora and fauna and also many books for children which explore our major geographical features and landscapes but this one is extra special for several reasons. Using colour as a way to organise all of this material is so appealing and means the book is filled with vibrant illustrations. Every double spread, two for each colour, has room for more than a dozen animals and plants so this book goes way beyond the usual A to Z format with one or two examples per letter. Curious readers are given just the right amount of information for each plant or animal including the scientific name and the white background on every page means every creature or plant just pops out at the reader. It is clear that Jess Racklyeft has done an enormous amount of research for her splendid book and I am sure all included plants and animals will be a jumping off point for many children and classrooms to explore our, as the opening words say, 'incredible' creatures and plants.

Image source: Facebook Jess Mess - Illustrations

Here are the colours and sites and one example of an animal that was new to me:

Red and Pink - Uluru - Mount Kapular Pink Slug

Brown and Orange - Purnululu National Park Western Australia - Leichhardt's grasshopper

Yellow - Mount Kosciuszko National Park - Yellow Chat

Green - Tarra-Bulga National Park - Green Catbird

Blue - The Great Barrier Reef - Dollarbird

Violet and Purple - Bruny Island - Peacock Mantis Shrimp

Black and White and Grey - Kati Thanda or Lake Eyre - Pied Monarch bird

You could use this book as a gift; for a science lesson; as art inspiration - the end papers are scrumptious; or in a geography lesson. 

Here is part of the advertisement for this book from one of our large chain stores:

• The first book to explore Australian animals, plants and landscapes through the lens of the colour wheel.
• Jess Racklyeft has methodically collated some of Australia's best-known, as well as little-known, animals, plants, insects and places and presents them in pleasing colour categories, celebrating the veritable rainbow of colour that is Australia's natural world.
• An enjoyable and accessible way for children to learn more about the plants and animals of Australia.

This book is divine! Surprises come with every page and Jess Racklyeft's artwork as always, is stunning.  Kids' Book Review

Every school library should purchase this book. I am certain this book will be a 2024 Children's Book Council of Australia CBCA Notable title and also a short listed book in the Eve Pownall category. 

I Wrote you a Note by Lizi Boyd

A young girl write a note and we watch it take a journey as it encounters all sorts of animals who see this letter in many different ways. Turtle uses the note as a sail for his raft; duck makes a dock for her ducklings; spider uses it as a bridge; squirrel tries to read the note and so did goat but goats can't read; while snail thought it would be a good house and dragonfly had a similar idea. Eventually the wind lifts the note into the sky and when it tumbles back to earth the note finally reaches the intended recipient.

What did the note say? You will need to find the book in a library to discover the answer.

This is another one of those books that I knew nothing about - I had not seen it before and I did not know the author/illustrator BUT the cover really caught my eye. This book was published in 2017 so sadly I do have to say it is now out of print.  Here are some other books illustrated by Lizi Boyd.

Lizi Boyd is an American artist and illustrator who creates children’s books, paintings, sculptures, rugs and various other things. In 2015, ‘Flashlight’ – Lizi’s second picturebook with Chronicle books – won the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award in the Fiction category. Lizi lives in Vermont with her family. Read more about Inside Outside here. It is a wordless or Silent Book (IBBY term). 

Bookshop description: In this charming story, told solely through images, artist Lizi Boyd offers an enchanting exploration of night, nature, and the nocturnal world. One boy's camping adventure gets even better when he shines a light into the shadows and finds all sorts of nighttime creatures, fascinating insects, plants, trees, and streams—all brilliantly illuminated in the beam of his flashlight. See inside this book here.

In this podcast Lizi Boyd talks about her book Big Bear, Little Chair.