Forget the lions and tigers and bears. Brooke Hartman (All Aboard the Alaska Train) will have readers gasping "oh my" over owls and otters and frogs in her nonfiction picture book Cute Animals That Could Kill You Dead. The title is slightly misleading since not every creature described is capable of hurting humans, but they do all have some kind of killer instinct. Illustrator María García enhances the cuteness of each deadly critter with her adorably cartoonish art.
Hartman's array of creatures spans the animal kingdom: insects, mammals, fish, reptiles. And each subject includes a rating on two scales: an "aww-dorable level" and an "aaaah!-some level" (though there's no indication how the ratings are determined). Readers learn each animal's scientific name, size, habitat, favorite food, and conservation status in a text box that is followed by a humorous, pun-filled description of its deadly nature. Every page is packed with fascinating details that animal lovers will devour, like the fact that sea bunnies are covered in papillae, "which are sensory organs like the taste buds on your tongue. That means sea bunnies are constantly tasting the water around them to see if it contains something yummy."
Accompanying all the playfully intriguing information is García's sweetly cute Photoshop artwork in predominantly pastel colors. Starry eyes and innocent smiles adorn the faces on each species' first page, while the second page reveals more of their killer emotions. Cute Animals That Could Kill You Dead is entertaining and informative, giving young animal lovers and future biologists plenty to explore. Hartman and García have produced a book that makes learning about killers a delight. --Jen Forbus, freelancer