THE SCREAMING HAIRY ARMADILLO

Would a rose by any other name taste as delicious as a chocolate dip damselfish sounds?

The sparklemuffin peacock spider, the headless chicken monster, the fried egg jellyfish, and the bone-eating snot flower worm are just a few of the distinctively named creatures explored in this informative, fun, and funny look at animal names. Through the lens of how and why animal species get their names—whether funny, fierce, magical, delicious-sounding, or just plain weird—it highlights the features leading to these names while explaining the common and scientific naming process and exploring animal taxonomy. In catalog style, each featured animal’s description ties its defining features to its common name with illustrations and photos. Text sidebars include scientific name, habitat, and a particular fact for each creature. Knowing what will likely fascinate their audience, like yeti crabs eating the bacteria that grows on their hairlike spines or unicorn fish eating other animals’ poop (not as magical a behavior as the name sounds), the authors adopt an engaging and casual tone, filled with humor that matches the book’s focus, but never sacrifice information for a joke. Included are extension activities on how readers might go about discovering a new animal species, a name generator that could keep one busy for hours, and resources focused on conservation.

Like its title, this is sure to be a scream.