Animal Antipodes

Antipodes are opposite points on Earth, and this book features them through the lens of the animals that live there. Each spread features a new set of antipodes, and readers must flip the book upside down to read what's on the other side, so we go from the North Pole to the South Pole in one spread, Desert National Park in India to Easter Island on another, and so on. Every location comes with a sentence or two about the animals that live there, and there's a tiny map of Earth in the middle of each spread to help readers remain oriented. The illustrations are as colorful as they are informative. They feature neon colors and geometric shapes to a point where learning the facts on the page feels organic and fun. In addition to all the spreads of antipodes there are a few spreads that talk about things like why the way Earth rotates the way it does and how readers can find their own antipodes (spoiler alert: it's probably in an ocean!). The back endpapers feature the entire cast of animals from the book and their Latin names on what looks like graph paper, and the illustrations are done in colored pencil and ink to look a hand-drawn animal journal.-- "Let's Talk Picture Books"
The condors of Santiago, Chile, are to the pandas of Xi'an, China as the polar bears of the North Pole are to the penguins of the South Pole: they are animal antipodes, meaning they are pairs of animals that reside exactly on opposite sides of the Earth from one another. Explore this world of amazing creatures and their geographic counterparts through layered, geometrically-influenced illustrations that showcase an array of creatures and their unique habitats.-- "Foreward Reviews"
After a clear pronunciation guide on the title page, readers learn examples of antipodes on Earth--and a few respective animal inhabitants--and why they never share daylight hours. Offering a clear definition of antipodes, the introductory double-page spread features a huge, stylized rendition of Earth in outer space, setting up the idea that there are amazing animals living in places that are exactly opposite each other on the globe. Each creature has evolved and adapted to live in their own special place in the world. The double-page spread that follows starts a pattern that holds for the next 10 page turns: There's a small amount of information in graceful language (The North Pole. Under the northern lights, polar bears roam by icy waves); vivid, colorful, collagelike art across the top halves of the pages; and the unique fun of turning each spread upside-down to access the art and text describing the right-side-up's antipode. . . The final pages clearly explain the planet's rotation, revolution, and tilt--again accompanied by striking artwork. The endpapers offer additional delight, with labeled, colored-pencil renditions of animals that readers may (or may not) have noticed during their first read. An attractive addition to natural-science shelves.-- "Kirkus Reviews"
This animal book is so cool - the author explores two different animals on each layout that live on opposite sides of the globe. With a quick description that usually has something to do with why it lives in that location, this book is perfect to use when discussing animal adaptations. In the center of each page there is a picture of the globe (although it is one sided and it's often difficult to understand what location it is pointing at) so you can see how the animals really do live on opposite ends of the globe.--Michele Knott "Mrs. Knott's Book Nook"