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Sunday, March 21, 2021

When Elephants Listen withTheir Feet: Discover Extraordinary Animal Senses, written by Emmanuelle Grundmann and illustrated by Clemence Dupont. Translated by Erin Woods. Pajama Press, 2021. $23.95 ages 8 and up


"In proportion to its body, a bear's brain 
is three times smaller than a human's. 
However, the part of its brain dedicated
to smell is five times more significant than
ours. In an all-white environment like the 
Arctic, it can be hard to find prey using 
eyesight. But a polar bear can smell a seal
more than 19 miles (30 kilometers) away, 
even if it's under a meter of ice.
"

Our senses - humans and animals - are used for a multitude of good reasons. Just think for a moment to consider what you use your senses for, and how they help you live a full life. The power of the senses differs from species to species; all are extraordinary in the way they are used to make life better, safer, and more productive. 

The tone of the text is conversational, the design well-organized and eye-catching, and the information provided is often quite remarkable. Initially organized according to the senses, the text then moves on to describe vibrations, electromagnetism, and the final part of the book deals with 'superhero animals'. This gives readers a look at some pretty spectacular ways that animals have adapted to their environment. 

"An echidna's muzzle isn't just a mouth
and a nose; it's also an electrical signal 
detector. The long-beaked echidna has
2,000 cells that specialize in this function; 
the short-beaked echidna, which lives in 
drier areas, has 400. They both use their 
detectors to find termites, mice, and 
worms to eat.

Each of the illustrated information boxes offers clear and useful looks at the animals' various abilities. The eight sections open with a boldly-colored facing page, showing a human exploring the presented subject matter to garner attention. Then, the chosen animals are skillfully introduced with their pertinent information.  

Finally, an animal index provides further tidbits of info and page numbers for each to allow readers to return to reread the parts of the book that hold specific interest. 

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