Beavers, the first book in the new middle-grade nonfiction Superhero Field Guide series by Rachel Poliquin and award-winning illustrator Nicholas John Frith, is a delightfully informative, laugh-out-loud full-colour look at the most unsuspecting of animal heroes, perfect for readers who like their facts served with a large dose of humour.
Meet Elmer, an ordinary beaver. He may not be as mighty as a lion or as dangerous as a shark. He may be squat and brown. But never underestimate a beaver. I can almost hear you saying, But aren’t beavers just lumpy rodents with buck teeth and funny flat tails? Yes, they are! And believe it or not, those buck teeth and funny flat tails are just a few of the things that make beavers extraordinary. Humorous and engaging, Beavers is the first book in the new highly illustrated nonfiction Superpower Field Guide series, inspiring readers to laugh, think, and view the world around them with new eyes. AGES: 7 to 10 AUTHOR: Rachel Poliquin is a freelance writer and curator engaged in all things orderly and disorderly in the natural world. With a cross-disciplinary background in visual arts, cultural history and natural history, she holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of British Columbia and a Post-Doctoral Degree in History from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her book The Breathless Zoo: Taxidermy and the Cultures of Longing (2012) was included in The New York Times 2012 Holiday Gift Guide, and her Beaver, part of Reaktion Books’ Animal Series (for grown-ups) published in May 2015. Poliquin has also written for Science Friday, Canada’s History, and The New York Times and is a regular contributor to The Believer Magazine.