Puffer Fish

With a name like Weird but Cute, how can this series fail to draw a crowd? Geared toward early readers, each volume introduces an unusual animal through simple text and plentiful color photos. Although each title gives youngsters a clear idea of the animal’s appearance or noteworthy characteristics, some also include information on diet and habitat. Puffer Fish not only shows how these fish can expand but it highlights the puffer’s smooth skin (rather than scaled), skin patterns and color-changing ability, and beaklike teeth. Each book provides a depiction of comparative size—for example, a dwarf gecko is the size of a dime—to help readers visualize the featured creature. A picture glossary and index conclude, making this series a pleasing introduction to quirky animals and the nonfiction format.