Amazing Poisonous Animals

Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness Juniors series set a high bar for photographic quality and scientific accuracy in children's nonfiction, and this entry on venomous and poisonous creatures delivers on both. Alexandra Parsons explains the difference between venomous and poisonous animals, how venom is used for hunting and defense, and introduces early readers to the creatures most children are fascinated by — Gila monsters, puffer fish, poison dart frogs, sea creatures, and snakes — with photographs that make the subject genuinely thrilling. At 30 pages designed for grades two and three, it keeps young readers engaged without overwhelming them. The honest caveat: published in 1990, some zoological details have been updated by current research. Still a strong nonfiction pick for the six-to-nine set who want real information about dangerous animals.