When Lunch Fights Back

When Lunch Fights Back:
Wickedly Clever Animal Defenses
by Rebecca L. Johnson

If the cover of this book does not intrigue elementary age students, I'm not sure what will capture their attention. It is not difficult to save the photographs in this book are amazing. It is difficult to say they are not creepy. From the hagfish (a primitive eel-like animal), which can pick "up the scent of a dead whale from more than 1 mile away"and then secrete slimed fibers when attacked to (my favorite...because I am a TCU fan after all) the Texas Horned Lizard (or TCU Horned Frog) which can squirt blood from his eye into the mouth of a predator when threatened. The following animals are also included in the book: African Hairy Frog, the Spanish Ribbed Newt, Neocapritermes Taracua Termites, Hoopoe, Fulmar, the Peacock Mantis Shrimp (which is pictured on the cover of the book), the Two-Spot Astyanax, and Black Mustard.

The descriptions of each of the animals and their defenses is fabulous, but the best part is the "Science Behind the Story" which follows each of the animals in order to give the reader the why and not just the how. Each animal spotlighted has a color photograph and an information box with the scientific name, distribution (where they live), the habitat, and size of the animal.

There is a table of contents, a note from the author, source notes, a glossary, selected biography, a more to explore section with additional book, web, and video resources, and an index.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Lerner Publishing Group has provided a complimentary digital copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.