The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Weird, Wild Names

by Matthew Murrie, Steve Murrie, Julie Benbassat (Illustrator)

Overview

A fascinating compendium featuring over 70 unusual animal species.

What's in a name? This lively, illustrated celebration is jam-packed with creatures notable for their bizarre, baffling, and just-plain-funny names. 

Meet the White-Bellied Go-Away Bird, whose cry sounds like someone screaming, "Go away!" Or the Aye-Aye, whose name means "I don't know" in Malagasy because no one wants anything to do with this bad-luck creature. 

Some are obvious, if still weird––guess what the Fried Egg Jellyfish looks like. Others sound like an inside joke: It's easy to figure out what was on the taxonomist's mind when he christened a fly he discovered Pieza Pie. 

Along the way you'll learn all about these curiously named animals' just-as-curious habits, appearances, and abilities. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781523510900
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	63 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Matthew Murrie is a former public school teacher, curriculum writer, and private academy instructor. His father, Steve Murrie, is a retired science teacher with 40 years teaching experience. Matthew and Steve are the coauthors of Every Minute on Earth and Guide to the Planet.

Editorial Reviews

"This book is irresistible...The plentiful full-color illustrations and photos are especially compelling, and, in addition to giggling and snorting (bluefooted booby! monkeyface prickleback!) readers will learn a great deal. This fun romp will delight animal-lovers and liven up STEM collections." —Booklist, starred review

"Like its title, this is sure to be a scream." —Kirkus Reviews

"... a fun choice for supplementing science lessons at home or at school." —Foreword Reviews

From the Publisher

09/01/2020

Gr 3–6—As the title implies, this compendium of critters with wacky names provides information about more than 70 animals, representing all walks of the animal kingdom. The introduction discusses the importance of names, both for identification purposes and accuracy. It also covers the difference between scientific names and common ones. The book is organized thematically by name; chapters include "Funny Names," "Delicious Names," and "Magical Names." A single chapter might examine insects, mammals, and reptiles. Entries are two or three pages, include drawings and occasional photographs, and share details about habitat, lifespan, and how the creatures got their unusual names. The writing is accessible, funny, and scientific but never excessively silly. Each entry uses a different color background. The eye-catching layouts make the book a great choice for casual browsing and cover-to-cover reading. End matter includes an extensive glossary, a name generator for readers to create their own amusing names, and notes about animal conservation. VERDICT An engaging resource for animal-loving kids and a strong purchase for most libraries. This one will circulate.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill Sch., Cambridge, MA

School Library Journal

2020-03-29
Would a rose by any other name taste as delicious as a chocolate dip damselfish sounds?

The sparklemuffin peacock spider, the headless chicken monster, the fried egg jellyfish, and the bone-eating snot flower worm are just a few of the distinctively named creatures explored in this informative, fun, and funny look at animal names. Through the lens of how and why animal species get their names—whether funny, fierce, magical, delicious-sounding, or just plain weird—it highlights the features leading to these names while explaining the common and scientific naming process and exploring animal taxonomy. In catalog style, each featured animal’s description ties its defining features to its common name with illustrations and photos. Text sidebars include scientific name, habitat, and a particular fact for each creature. Knowing what will likely fascinate their audience, like yeti crabs eating the bacteria that grows on their hairlike spines or unicorn fish eating other animals’ poop (not as magical a behavior as the name sounds), the authors adopt an engaging and casual tone, filled with humor that matches the book’s focus, but never sacrifice information for a joke. Included are extension activities on how readers might go about discovering a new animal species, a name generator that could keep one busy for hours, and resources focused on conservation.

Like its title, this is sure to be a scream. (glossary, further reading) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews