The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and 76 Other Animals with Weird, Wild Names

by Matthew Murrie and Steve Murrie

Julie Benbassat (Illustrator)

A fascinating compendium featuring over 70 unusual animal species. What's in a name? This lively, illustrated celebration is jam-packed with creatures notable for their bizarre, baffling, and just-plain-funny names. Meet the White-Bellied Go-Away Bird, whose cry sounds like someone screaming, "Go away!" Or the Aye-Aye, whose name means "I don't know" in Malagasy because no one wants anything to do with this bad-luck creature. Some are obvious, if still weird––guess what the Fried Egg Jellyfish looks like. Others sound like an inside joke: It's easy to figure out what was on the taxonomist's mind when he christened a fly he discovered Pieza Pie. Along the way you'll learn all about these curiously named animals' just-as-curious habits, appearances, and abilities.

• ISBN10: 1523508116
• ISBN13: 9781523508112
• Publish Date: 15 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 1 September 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Workman Children's
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 176
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo is a fun illustrated book of weird animal names (and facts). Due out 15th Sept 2020 from Workman Publishing, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a bestiary with a collection of animals whose common names are out of the ordinary. The authors have arranged them roughly thematically: funny names, magical names, fierce names, delicious (food related) names, and just-plain-weird names. All of the animals included have a 2 page spread with the common (funny) name, the proper taxonomic (Latin) name, habitat and range, special characteristics, and a description with lots of interesting info. Each of the entries also contains a color picture and lots of rendered drawings. The book is full of colorful graphics and sidebars with easily digested information.

The book will certainly appeal to all ages, but is ostensibly aimed at younger readers aged approximately 7-10 years old. The authors have included a useful abbreviated glossary as well as a links list for further reading and conservation information.

Well written, engaging, and factually accurate, this would make a superlative selection for school or classroom library, home library, or gift for a young reader who likes all sorts of exotic animals. This book would have attracted 7 year old me in an instant.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.