View source for Creaturepedia by Adrienne Barman

{{infobox2
|title=Creaturepedia
|author=Adrienne Barman
|reviewer=Louise Jones
|genre=Animals and Wildlife
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-1847806345
|pages=216
|publisher=Wide Eyed Editions
|date=March 2015
|aznuk=1847806341
|aznus=1847806341
|cover=1847806341
|website=http://www.adrienne.ch/?p=2558
|summary=A beautifully illustrated menagerie of animals provide a visual treat for young readers.
}}
''Creaturepedia'' welcomes young readers to the greatest show on earth, showcasing more than 600 different creatures within its pages. Rather than listing the animals in traditional alphabetical order, this book groups creatures according to a variety of criteria, including colour, habits and outstanding physical characteristics. Of course, there is a handy index at the end to keep the traditionalists happy too. There are a few unusual categories thrown in, such as mythical beats and extinct animals, as well as endangered species that sadly, may become extinct very soon.

I am a sucker for a high-quality book and this one does not disappoint. The thick cover gives the book weight and substance and the little details, like the feel of the indented title as I rub my finger over it, and the shiny fluorescent orange ribbon bookmark, make all the difference. Wide Eyed Editions are getting a reputation for producing books that are more than just a little bit special.

The illustrations themselves are bright, appealing and surprisingly detailed given their cartoon-like style. This is the kind of book that will have readers discovering exciting new details every time they open the book. Most of the illustrations are humorous, but some can also be heartbreaking, like the crying animals in the 'Endangered' section. Hopefully, this will encourage children to do further research and find out ways in which we can help these critically endangered species.

Although the book is visually flawless, I found it a little lacking in substance. The blurb promises that ''Every page of this unique encyclopaedia is packed with fascinating facts...'' This is not strictly true. Some pictures are accompanied by minimal text, such as a single fact, but most have no information at all. If someone is buying this book hoping for an animal encyclopaedia full of facts, they will be disappointed. However, as a simple picture book it ticks all the boxes and I believe that the target audience would probably be age 3-7.

I enjoyed looking at the 'big mouths'. 'the redheads', 'the prickly ones' and the 'pretty-in-pinks', as well as the many other wild and wacky creatures in this book. Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy."

For another great example of Wide Eyed Editions' innovative publishing style, try [[Atlas of Adventures by Lucy Letherland]], which has a gorgeous touchy-feely hardback cover!  If you appreciate this, you're likely to love [[Illuminature by Rachel Williams and Carnovsky]].

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[[Category:Children's Non-Fiction]]