Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday is hosted today by Wrapped in Foil.

My selection is "Amazing animals :the remarkable things that creatures do" written by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by W. Allan Hancock.

Ruurs introduces young readers to a variety of creatures ranging from the ostrich (which can run at speeds of 44 miles per hour) to the black ant (capable of lifting ten to twenty times its own weight) as she offers brief discussions of their most remarkable qualities.  Size, strength, speed, diet, and how they care for their young are some of the interesting details provided in thumbnail descriptions that offer the curious reader glimpses into the unusual or bizarre side of animal life --

• The heart of a blue whale weights almost as much as a small car. 
• A slug has three noses.
• The sturgeon can live over one hundred years. 
• The giant Pacific octopus can grow to a length of thirty feet.  
• An earthworm has no eyes, no nose, no ears, and no lungs, but it has five hearts.

Hancock's paintings offer a realistic look at his subjects rather than sensationalizing the creatures he portrays which compliments Ruurs' straight forward narrative.