Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I honestly cannot get enough learning about animals. This was an amazing book. I loved the illustrations and I loved all of the information provided.

Fantastic book full of discoveries from the animal kingdom!

We are in a historical moment in which our city children spend a lot of time indoors and are disconnecting from nature. The educational content on the natural world is not only important since we are part of it and we evolve within it, but it is essential to appreciate and preserve it in the face of this mass extinction crisis that we are currently facing.

The content vocabulary is rich for literacy development, contains many wonderful examples and scientific data, shows a lot of information about animal intelligence and the importance of the adaptive capacity for success of species throughout the hierarchy.

The author Anna Claybourne, provides educational material with interesting and attractive information. Steff Murphy's illustrations are colorful, medium acrylic type handmade, detailed and beautiful. Furthermore, through children learning and identifying with many of the complex behaviors of animals, they recognize themselves as valuable members of the animal kingdom, feel interconnected, and facilitate their development of empathy and respect towards them.
A very delightful read with my son, to become a homeschooling favorite.


My sincere appreciation to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book

4.5 stars.

This was a good read and informational read for children. It covered a variety of topics and the artstyle is very cute and the arrangement of the text was lovely.

The only thing I hated is the constant comparison of the animal's actions to human's.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of factoids for science books. If you don't have the patience or interest for a full-focused volume of non-fiction, little digestible chucks of information are easier to take. Especially when they fall into the categories fascinating and/or unusual. This book is nicely organized by aspects of daily life, each section consisting of a dozen or so interesting tidbits, many of which were new to me.

The Surprising Lives of Animals: How They Can Laugh, Play and Misbehave! by Anna Claybourne is a non fiction children's book currently scheduled for release on February 4 2020. Did you know that some animals giggle and play just like us? Or that certain animals build their homes, stockpile their food, and use tools? In this book you’ll learn about the things that humans and animals have in common. From team work, exercise, and self-care to dancing and getting into trouble, you’ll discover that, actually, animals are a lot like you! Visiting underground burrows and grassy savannas, watery realms, and towering tree tops, this book will take you around the world on a journey of discovery. Meet the monkeys who love to take baths, or the penguins who toboggan for fun. Hear the stories of escaping honey badgers, sneaky spiders, and clever crows. Or find out if animals can really talk. You’ll see plenty of Earth’s creatures, from creepy crawlies to mega mammals, and you’ll learn about their lives, habitats, characteristics, and behaviors–and uncover what makes each of them so surprisingly similar to us humans. Look out for ‘Scientist Spotlight’ boxes too, to learn about some important scientists and conservationists, such as Sir David Attenborough and Dame Jane Goodall.

The Surprising Lives of Animals is a wonderful nonfiction book that shows just how smart, and like people, animals can be in their lives. There was a good deal of information that was new to me, and I like that it was organized by type of behavior rather than animal, which I felt shows just how universal emotion and some behaviors really are. I found the wide variety of animals, and the variety of climates and locations that they are found, further showed the universal nature I was talking about. I found the information about the animals, their behavior, and the spotlights on scientists that work in the field to all be well written and engaging. I think that the illustrations are well done and add both further details and interest to each page. I found myself studying some of the images for details referred to in the nearby text or just enjoying the skill that went into them. I also like that they took the time to include a glossary and resources for further reading. I can think of many readers, children and adults, that would enjoy this read.

The Surprising Lives of Animals is a wonderful look at just how much the behavior of animals mirrors human behavior. It teaches a great deal about the animals and the behaviors covered, and could be a good tool to encourage empathy and care for all creatures.

What a fascinating and informative way to look at animals! There is a plethora of nonfiction books about animals, but this one stands out with its superb organization, gorgeous illustrations, and so much information not found in most books. I loved the way Anna Claybourne organizes the book into sections that just as easily describe humans, emphasizing our interconnectedness and reminding readers subtly that humans are animals too. Having Fun, Thinking and Feeling, Everyday Life, Living Together, and Settling Down sections are further divided into subcategories such as Dancing, Solving Problems, Being a Parent, and Sending Messages. Each of these spreads highlight several animals’ specific behaviors, along with those amazing drawn pictures and aesthetically pleasing color palettes. There are also several Scientist Spotlights throughout the book, a helpful Glossary at the back, and a well-organized list of books for Further Reading. I will definitely add this to my classroom library, and recommend it for our school library.

My daughter wants to be a vet, and so this book was perfect for her. She loved all of the pictures and illustrations.

A lovely book to have on hand in any classroom or at home for reference. This is a beautifully illustrated and informative, but written in a way accessible for young readers, guide to animals of different habitats, with fun facts and tidbits to share with friends. The pictures are very sweet and will encourage animal, nature and science lovers.

This Anna Claybourne creation is an amazing resource for children as well parents. I have learnt so many new things about animal lives thanks to this book. It's a great addition to animal study units for children and would be perfect for school libraries.

From animal laughs, their dance routines, feelings and a whole lot of other things are covered in this book. The panels are beautiful in a pastel palette and the font is appealing. Older kids would enjoy reading all the information provided in little capsules, while the little kids would be fascinated with the illustrations.

Another wonderful non fiction from Quarto that will make its way on to our bookshelves

The Surprising Lives of Animals is a delightfully illustrated and informative title for all ages! I really enjoyed all the facts and learned so much - even at my age! My favorite parts are the ‘Super Smart’ and ‘Using Tools’ facts. Animals are truly a wonder!
The text I think would be suitable for a confident reader over age 8, since there are some tough words - but any child would benefit from it being read to them and just taking in all the illustrations.

This is a really enjoyable children's book about animals. It involves many interesting facts, and the illustrations are wonderful - colorful and detailed! The sections are organized so that it's easy to tell similarities between animals and between animals and humans, with categories such as Having Fun - Playing, Making Friends, and Dancing. I actually put a hard copy on my child's Amazon wishlist because he enjoyed exploring it so much! I received an ARC copy through netgalley for free in exchange for my honest review.

A very successful book for the home educator or school library, that shows how other species do very human-like things, such as nursing, dancing, emoting, and so on. It's very nicely illustrated (apart from a huge brown turd on a cloud coming out of David Attenborough's ear), and what short bits of text there are manage to be both scattered about the page but also clearly readable, a feat that defies many another book designer. And while it shies away from how, say, octopuses have managed to evolve to a point where they can undo child-proof medicine bottles, to get a scientist's snack, there is a lot of science here, introduced through very well chosen examples. Finally, one benefit from the way it ties so much animal behaviour into what humans have in common, is hopefully going to be that we increase respect for what is clearly just as special and almost as intelligent as us. This is a well meaning book, and it's a very good one.

This book had so much wonderful information, way more information than I typically see in kid's non-fiction. I think any child that loves animals and learning will enjoy this book.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

What an interesting and delightful read this book is! Full of interesting and intriguing information told in a bright and interesting way bit not overloading for young minds.
My daughter and I both enjoyed this book and both learnt so many new interesting things about animals from what the do when an animal member dies or is sick to ways of communicating.
This is a fantastic book and a great gift for any animal lover.

The Surprising Lives of Animals is a short but very informative read for any fans of animals, young or old. Full of amazing facts to truly shows how intelligent life on this planet is. The illustrations are great too.

This books has many interesting facts that parallels other animals to humans. How the play, protect each other, laugh, etc. this book is more suited for kids ages 8 and up since it is pretty wordy. But, I’m sure any animal lover would enjoy this book.

This book is fascinating. Rather than having different pages for different animals or habitats, the book is organised into the different skills that animals have in common, for example problem solving or making a home. I learnt so many new facts from this book and know that it will become a class favourite. The information is presented in small accessible chunks, but without simplifying the information and the illustrations are beautiful.

Full of fun animal facts, this was a joy to read. I found myself eager to read each page and share what I learned. From odd animal friendships to what animals do when they're ill (African ants will carry a sick mate to safety - so cool!), this book is a sure hit for animal lovers of any age.