If the World Were 100 Animals: A Visual Guide to Earth’s Amazing Creatures focuses on 100 of the Earth’s most amazing creatures, using statistics to demonstrate that all the animals of the Earth need to be safeguarded. The book asks and answers the questions kids want to know (if there were only 100 mammals in the entire world, how many of them would still be wild?), in a way that will have them poring over the pages.

The language is clear, concise, and compelling. The featured facts are emphasized through clean graphics and bright, colorful illustrations. The slightly oversized dimensions of the book (approx. 9.5” x 11”) and the full-bleed, double-page spreads are used to full effect.

Animal-loving fact addicts (the ones who greet you with the cheetah’s top speed) from kindergarten through fourth grade (and possibly older) will find this browsable picture book fascinating. The organization of information, combined with the illustrations and graphics, allows the reader to picture concepts that otherwise might be difficult to grasp.

If the World Were 100 Animals dials in on compelling facts across the broad category of animals on Earth. Students researching endangered animals or a particular sub-group (such as invertebrates) will unearth interesting factoids but this would not be the book to turn to for information about one specific animal. A bibliography in the front matter lists the resources used to gather the information used in the book. An annotated bibliography and index would have been very useful as well.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library