School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Playful illustrations and an interesting mishmash of facts highlight these animal comparisons. Each title introduces six creatures, listing size, habitat, and a particularly notable feature of each animal, along with a nickname (the hippopotamus is the "The Muddy Maniac" in Who's the Deadliest?). The animals pair off into three separate "battles." Criteria for victory varies based on the animals: it's number of colors in "Chameleon vs. Garter Snake" (Who's the Brightest?), for instance, and a tunnel race in "Ferret vs. Cat" (Who's the Bendiest?). There's plenty of humor in the expressive cartoon animal drawings, aided by word balloons, varied fonts, and enthusiastic narration by a raccoon referee. At the same time, the comparisons present intriguing facts in an engaging manner. A spot photograph of each animal provides more accurate visual context. Closing pages offer quick facts about four more animals, a quiz, and an activity related to the animals' features. VERDICT A fun and useful series for fans of Jerry Pallotta's "Who Would Win?" books.