Book Review: Jungle Jack’s Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World

Book Review: Jungle Jack’s Wackiest, Weirdest Animals in the World
By: Jack Hanna
Photography by: Rick A. Prebeg

This is a fantastic book for boys ages 8-12 who have gone animal crazy. Due to reading level, this book may be a difficult read for younger audiences and even the children in this age range. However, it does make a good family read aloud with interesting facts that will appeal to not only children, but to adults as well. Jungle Jack’s book features 30 strange (and lesser-known) animals from the Blue-Footed Booby to the Puffer Fish, meaning there is something to catch the interest of every child. Each animal gets its own page with a large, colour photograph as well as 2-3 smaller images. There are facts such as what the animal eats, where they live and how big they get as well as what makes them wacky.Did you know the echidna is one of only two species of mammal that lays eggs?

The book also has a two page glossary at the back for ‘big’ words like keratin, macropod and endangered, making this a good educator resource. The pages are thick, making them less likely to become dog-eared and ripped in a library collection. The cover is bright and appealing, making this a sure pick for youngsters.

The DVD is 20 minutes long and while toted as blunders, bloopers and behind the scenes, it focuses mainly on behind the scenes and blunders. If you are a regular Junge Jack viewer (he has a TV show), I think you will get more out of the DVD than if you have never heard of him before.

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