In 11 chapters, this book introduces you to creatures that inhabit many of the planet’s ecological niches. From the mountains, to the deep ocean, the poles, and everywhere in between, the author fills readers in on animals as little known as the cave glowworm and as well known as the blue whale. Most entries have fun “Did You Know” fact boxes and a quiz question.

The book covered a whole bunch of topics about different places and the animals that live there. I learned a lot about all sorts of animals. For example, I learned that the humpback whale can fling its huge body almost all the way out of the water. It’s called breaching. Cool. And I learned that the mouse is the state of Maine’s official animal.

What I liked about the book was the amount of information given on the animals and learning where they live. I liked the picture of the red panda the most. You would think pandas are big, but the red panda is only the size of a raccoon. I also enjoyed the little quiz in the corner of each page. The book was a fun read, although it did have a lot of pages in it and it took a little time to read, but it always kept me interested.

The one thing I didn’t like was some of the photos. Some of the animal pictures don’t show what the animal actually looks like (the cave glowworm, for example). I wanted to see what the worm looked like because the information was interesting.

My overall impression of the book was that at first I wasn’t sure I would like to read it all, but I changed my mind. I learned so many new things. Out of 10, I give this book a score of 9.99. In one word, the book is “unique.” If you like animals as I do, read this book.

(Originally published in the May/June 2010 issue of YES Mag.)