Apex Predators

 Apex Predators

Bibliography

Jenkins, Steve. 2017. APEX PREDATORS. Ill. by Steve Jenkins. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780544671607

Plot Summary

Apex Predators gives readers some facts and graphics about some of the deadliest hunters, extinct ones and ones still living today. Jenkins has drawn the creatures and briefly describes how they kill their prey and what makes them so powerful, along with a size graphic that shows just how big or small these animals are compared to us. Readers will be in awe of these amazing creatures in this factual book.

Critical Analysis

Steve Jenkin's factual and interesting read, Apex Predators, give readers some insight into some of the worlds' deadliest creatures that are on the top of their food chains. From the now extinct T-Rex to the modern and terrifying Great White Shark, Jenkins presents these animals with smooth illustrations, a few facts about their hunting techniques, and their size compared to humans (or in his words, the deadliest apex predator).

While Jenkins provides only a few sentences for each beast, he proves his accurate research in his bibliography at the end of the book, which includes multiple books and websites. Each page is organized in the same fashion, which makes this book easy to follow. The design of the book is simple but made colorful with Jenkin's illustrations of each animal, which are very detailed and textured. This book, while good for an average browse, would be made a little more engaging if Jenkins provided a few more facts about each animal.

Nevertheless, Apex Predators does its job in bringing awareness to some mighty and pretty scary creatures (and thank God some of them are gone for good).

Review Excerpts

Kirkus Reviews: "No red—but lots of tooth and claw on display."

Publishers Weekly: "Pithy headlines introduce each animal (a marsupial saber-tooth earns the headline “Fangs—and a pouch”), followed by short descriptive passages: “It was probably an ambush hunter, leaping on a deer or other grazing animal and stabbing it to death with its curved canine teeth.” The intricacy of Jenkins’s distinctive artwork will capture readers’ imaginations, as will the predator face-offs he stages between pairs of predators."

Booklist: "Making good use of his trademark paper-collage style, Jenkins focuses his attention on one specific facet of the animal kingdom: apex predators, of both the modern world and the prehistoric."

Connections

More by Steve Jenkins: What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?

                                       Animals in Flight

                                      How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships

More about Animals: Forgotten Beasts by Mike Sewell

                                   Animal Smackdown by Emily Krieger

                                  Tooth and Claw: Top Predators of the World by Robert M. Johnson III, Sharon L.                                    Gilman, and Daniel c. Abel

Activity: Research an animal predator and tell us some fun facts about it.