The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts by Maja Safstrom

This book is fascinating. Safstrom has made illustrations of some of her favorite animals and selected some amazing facts about them to share.

The illustrations are delightful. They are pen and ink drawings, simple yet clearly representing the animal. I can see young people being inspired to create similar drawings.

The amazing facts are, well, amazing. Did you know that some butterflies do not have mouths and never eat? They have to rely on what they've stored as caterpillars. Did you know an octopus has more brain cells than a human? (No comment.) Do you know if zebras are black on white or white on black? (You have to read the book.) Do whales have belly buttons? (Read the book.) Did you know the heads of wild turkeys change color depending on their mood? Did you know the skin of polar bears is black? Those are only a few of the many fascinating facts contained in this book. I shared some of the amazing facts with a middle school science teacher and she was surprised at what she learned.

I recommend this book to those who are interested in unusual facts about animals and enjoy unique illustrations. It's a great book to have sitting around. Kids and adults alike will pick it up and have a good time reading it. They'll be entertained while learning some amazing facts about animals.

You can see more of her work on Instragram. 

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Maja Safstrom is a Stockholm based architect and illustrator who has gained international recognition for her quirky animal drawings. For more of her works see www.majasbok.se.

Ten Speed Press, 120 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.