Reptiles everywhere by Camilla de la Bedoyere, illustrated by Britta Teckentrup

  Britta Teckentrup's unique art explores a wide variety of reptiles in this book from the Big Picture imprint. Previous titles in this series include fish and bugs. This imprint produces books that are more in the nature of browsing, since they do not include any back matter.

Squares in bold colors highlight blocky illustrations, starting with the definition and anatomy of reptiles, then moving on to their habitats, adaptations, and behavior. Readers will explore reptiles who live in a desert, reptiles in a rainforest, and many more. Some pages focus on a particular creature, like an almost full spread on komodo dragons, with panels down the right side showing their relatives, the extinct megalania, venomous gila monster, and shy Mexican beaded lizard.

Some spreads are vertical, like a deep blue one showing the life cycle of sea turtles, from the beach into the ocean. The final spread talks about the conservation challenges facing reptiles and the back spread shows an endangered gecko, who is hidden somewhere in the book.

Teckentrup's illustrations, and the crowded layout of the book do not lend themselves to storytime; she tends toward a muted palette, and the words can be difficult to read against the dark backgrounds. However, young fans of reptiles will have a great deal of fun browsing through the book and looking at all the interesting illustrations, which include diagrams and vibrant collage art. Older elementary students can pick through the facts scattered throughout, learning about the crocodilians' death roll, or the movement of sidewinders.

Verdict: If, like me, you are looking to fill in your elementary reptile collection, this is a fun browsing choice with attractive illustrations and is sure to fly off your shelves to young reptile readers.

ISBN: 9781536217070; Published April 2021 by Big Picture Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library