Trickiest! is just plain fun reading. Steve Jenkins, who has several nonfiction picture books to his credit, introduces us to 19 unusual animals that have developed sneaky adaptations for hunting, luring prey, or thwarting enemies. With a knack for breaking down information in a way kids can easily grasp, Jenkins explains why these animals have such deceptive appearances and behaviors and how those "tricks" help them survive.

My favorite tricky animal might be the fork-tailed drongo, a Machiavellian bird that cries out when it spots a predator as a warning to other animals—but sometimes does it just to steal a worm dropped in fright. I also loved the imitative animals, such as the satanic leaf-tailed gecko, which looks uncannily like a curly dried leaf complete with a tail that's veiny, ragged, and torn-looking.

Although Jenkins' illustrations are beautiful, some of them can't capture the details that make many of these animals so breathtakingly unique (the above-cited gecko is one of several animals you really have to see photos of to fully appreciate). Readers who investigate further on Google Images will be rewarded. But we do get a good sense of the animals' general appearance, size, and habitat. Each chapter features a globe image that shows where the animal lives, and there's a nifty visual aid showing the animal next to a silhouette of a tiny human hand for scale.

The book ends with a useful diagram breaking down the different types of adaptations and which animals use them. The back matter includes a glossary and bibliography (which, amusingly, includes two of Jenkins' own books). The copyright page at the back gives interesting facts about the design of the book, such as the fonts used and the unique style of illustration, which was done in torn- and cut-paper collage. ( )

Beautiful art, exceptional layout. This one for younger children. ( )