Book details

Macmillan Children's Book

Animal Sidekicks

Amazing Stories of Symbiosis in Animals and Plants

Author: Macken Murphy; illustrated by Dragan Kordic

Animal Sidekicks

Animal Sidekicks

About This Book

A richly illustrated gift book about symbiosis in nature, where animal podcaster Macken Murphy highlights unusual and humorous relationships between different animal and plant species.
Page Count
128
On Sale
04/05/2022
Age Range
8-10

Book Details

An NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students

"Excellently illustrated and providing a treasure trove of interesting information about symbiotic relationships." --Booklist

Heard about the fish that clean shark teeth? Or the frog that lives with a tarantula? Welcome to the weird world of symbiosis—where animals form incredible relationships.


Macken Murphy, host of the popular animal podcast Species, introduces his favourite symbiotic relationships in his first kids’ nonfiction book, Animal Sidekicks. Along the way he explains the cool science behind the baffling behaviour of some animals—from friendly alliances to pesky parasites. Alongside him, illustrator Dragan Kordic skillfully brings to life head-scratching relationships in nature, including:

• The crab that wears a sea urchin as a hat
• The bat that goes to bed inside a plant
• The warthog that likes a mongoose massage

You’ll even find out about symbiotic relationships including YOU! (Hint—is your head ever itchy?) By the end of the book you won’t look at nature in the same way again!

Imprint Publisher

Neon Squid

ISBN

9781684492015

In The News

An NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students

"Animal lovers will be sure to find amazing new facts on every page. . . This is an excellent addition to children's nonfiction collections." -- Booklist

"A rollicking ride through the wonderful world of animal symbiosis. In this remarkable book, Macken Murphy brings us a science lesson wrapped up in lots of fun." -- Children's Book of the Week, Press Association

"A beautifully, brightly illustrated book about symbiosis... presents a nice mix of the scientifically interesting and the downright disgusting that should help to keep children engaged for a decent amount of time — for example, we particularly enjoyed reading about head lice (after having had first-hand experience of them recently), vampire finches feasting on Nazca boobies and woolly bats pooing in pitcher plants." -- Nature

About the Creators

Animal Sidekicks

Animal Sidekicks