Whose Furry Butt Is That?

Description: Readers will love this interactive book that asks them to guess animals' identities based on photographs of their backsides and helpful clues.

Brief description: Christianne Jones grew up in a small town with three sisters, no cable, and parents who were teachers. After college, Christianne became an editor at a children's book company and began writing. She has found her niche in the picture book genre and has written many popular titles, including Donut Worry, Miles McHale, Tattletale, Harrison P. Spader, Personal Space Invader, and Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker. Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker won a 2013 Gelett Burgess Award and was a Midwest Book Award finalist. Christianne lives in Mankato, Minnesota, with her husband and three daughters.

Review Quotes: This animal guessing game series uses a simple and effective format. Three written clues accompany a circle-framed photo of the animal or object. A page turn reveals the answer along with a few related facts. The visual and written hints work together neatly. The image of giraffe poop, for example, will usually require the hints about its height, range, and tongue for successful guesses. The answer page includes a large photo of the animal and a fact or two directly related to the book's theme. For instance, readers learn different uses for each animal's tail in Whose Furry Butt Is That? An additional "fun fact" inset adds another interesting detail that is sometimes, but not always, related to the main topic. For example, "Pigs don't sweat" isn't related to butts or tails (Whose Furry Butt Is That?) while "Polar bears have partially webbed toes" is related to tracks in Whose Tricky Tracks Are Those? VERDICT A fun interactive series with just enough information to engage younger learners.--Steven Engelfried, West Linn PL, OR "School Library Journal"