Madeline Moser

Nineteen unusual animals are highlighted in this beautifully illustrated picture book, from the titular aardwolf - a member of the hyena family - to the babirusa, a tusked hog from Indonesia. Each animal is briefly described by Madeline Moser, and lovingly reproduced in etchings by Barry Moser. As Miriam, the friend who recommended this title to me, has noted in her own review, children and adults both have a lot to learn from this book. I already knew that the platypus was the only mammal that does not give birth to live young (thank you, Natural History Museum!), but had no idea that the emperor tamarin was named for its resemblance to Emperor William II, or that the pangolin digests its food with the aid of the rocks and pebbles that it likes to eat.

Readers who enjoy learning such tidbits as this, will appreciate Ever Heard of an Aardwolf, while those with an interest in engraving will delight in the painstaking detail of the illustrations. An informative afterword provides a much more detailed examination of each animal, for more advanced readers. All in all, a delightful little book, sure to please budding zoologists - especially those with a taste for the unusual.… (meer)