Nonfiction Monday: Cane Toad by Leon Gray

As the subtitle says, this is a book about "The world's biggest toad." It could just have easily have said "World's most disgusting toad." This one will be a sure winner with lovers of the gross and icky. It is delightfully disgusting.

I know, I know, all creatures are beautiful and so on, but really, cane toads are icky! A quick perusal of this 24 page book will inform you that they not only eat bugs and worms, but also small animals like opossums, snakes, and birds. They ooze poison out of their skin so potent that it can kill an animal even after they eat the cane toad. They are an invasive species, especially in Australia and nobody has found a way to stop them yet.

Additional information includes a comparison of the cane toad with other toads, a picture glossary, index, three more titles about toads, and a link to more information online.

This particular series, Even More Super Sized! is directed towards beginning readers and the text is simple with a large font. It compares favorably to Pebble Plus, in my opinion, with more photographs, text, and information without being too wordy or daunting for young readers. You get a lot more for your money with these titles, especially since their library bound editions are inexpensive and contain more information than just a few sentences.

Verdict: This will not only be useful for kids writing their first school reports, but also for those young readers who like everything gross and weird and want to be able to read on their own. If you're looking for more animal titles for young independent readers, I'd recommend this series. Although I wouldn't read this particular title before eating. Especially the page with the toad eating the opossum.

ISBN: 9781617727276; Published 2013 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher; Series added to order list