Thousand and One Creatures
Thousand and One Creatures
Aino Järvinen & Laura Merz
- Original Title
- Tuhat ja yksi otusta
- Published
- Etana Editions, 2016
- Genre
- Non fiction
- Pages
- 64
- Rights Sold
- Simplified Chinese
Latvian
English (North America) - Tags
- 1001 Creatures, Aino Järvinen, Etana Editions, Laura Merz, Tuhat ja yksi otusta
Thousand and One Creatures
Aino Järvinen & Laura Merz
With fun facts and captivating illustrations, 1,001 Creatures, a 2021 USBBY Outstanding International Book, explores the diversity of the animal world and its ecosystems. Interactive questions allow readers to take their curiosity and imagination off the page and into the real world with prompts to create their own artwork, imitate a camel’s unique walk, and discover the ways in which all creatures are connected on our planet. Laura Merz’s unique ink-drawn illustrations and Aino Järvinen’s humorous style enhance the central message that we’re all in this together—human, jellyfish, and penguin alike.
Other books by the same authors:
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Thousand and One Creatures
Tuhat ja yksi otusta
by Aino Järvinen & Laura Merz
All books, Non fiction -
- Press voices
"This large format children’s book is an artwork in itself.” - Arja Kanerva, children’s book critic.
"In twisty free verse peppered with questions and startling facts, Järvinen and Merz ponder the qualities of 26 assorted creatures: “A blue-whale’s tongue weighs as much as an elephant!” A childlike wonder imbues each exploration, creating a shared sense of discovery (“Inside a squid beats three hearts./ What a special creature!”) as open-ended questions (“Can you use the squid’s tricks when you’re playing hide-and-seek?”) invite engagement. The inky menagerie, conjured from spots, smears, splotches, lines, and brushstrokes—a pooping rhinoceros with a windmilling tail, a wide-eyed whale surfacing for air, and sharp-toothed wolves lolling in packs—is a humorous visual delight. Together, they offer a joyous celebration of “the funny little miracle[s]” of nature, and the curiosity and creativity of one particular creature: “Its name is ‘human.’ ” — Publishers Weekly, Starred review
“Wielding crayons and broad, inked brushes, a Finnish artist offers freestyle images of 26 wild animals of land and sea…. [T]he overall effect is one of lively activity, with occasional surprises, such as a clump of sinuous, scary-looking jellyfish on a vivid blue background—think H.P. Lovecraft à la Henri Matisse.” — Kirkus Reviews
“The text is a bit playful, which is great and makes this so much more interesting than a dry textbook…. The illustrations are a treat …. This is a wonderful way to let young readers learn more about some well-known and lesser known creatures in our world in a way which entertains and delivers information at the same time.… It would make a great read-aloud and [would] definitely open up some fun discussions.” —Tonja Drecker, Bookworm for Kids- Awards
- White Ravens 2017
Selected for the Illustrators Exhibition in Bologna 2019
Shortlisted in the V&A Illustration Awards 2022
USBBY Outstanding International Book 2021