My Presentation Today Is About the Anaconda

Starred review from November 4, 2024
The dread (or excitement) of a class presentation isn’t exclusive to young humans, as evidenced in this humorous all-dialogue collection by previous collaborators Tak and van Haeringen (Leave a Message in the Sand), who give voice to an animal cast 20 strong, each giving an oral address on a species of their choice. While Earthworm prioritizes education over pontification—their lecture on the anaconda glows with admiration—most presenters use the spotlight to vent, dish, brag (Snow Leopard presents on its own species), or provoke the scholastically disinclined and often heckling crowd. Fox’s report on geese relishes the subjects’ deliciousness in graphic detail, prompting an actual goose to retort: “How can you sleep after all the murders you’ve committed of members of my family?” Howler Monkey’s unicorn presentation sparks accusations of fabrication while other comments frequently masquerade as questions: after Fruit Fly’s talk on scarlet lily beetles, Donkey declares, “If I had to choose between walking under a poop blanket or dying, I think I’d rather die.” Irreverent text nails the mood of a classroom discussion in free fall, while mixed-media sketches offer stylish visual contrast to the comedic chaos. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from December 1, 2024
Hilarity ensues when animals give presentations about other animals in this translated Dutch import by two award-winning creators. Upending the assumptions of readers who are used to seeing animals through a human lens, a variety of animals highlight other species in a version of class presentations. A cleaner fish speaks about sharks, in the process providing just as much information on the habits of cleaner fish themselves. A blackbird gives a presentation on the rose-ringed parakeet, before the verbose rose-ringed parakeet runs hilariously overtime in a talk about songbirds. The raucous speakers, who aren't always identified, often interrupt one another with questions and comments, creating a Greek chorus effect. Tensions arise; the animals attempt to shut down the Gila monster out of fear of his "breath of death." Cleverly, in defending himself, he manages to convey an abundance of information. The characters' personalities sometimes emerge in ways that will disrupt readers' expectations. The creatures represent a global mix--a southern cassowary from Australia presents on hummingbirds of the Americas. The sections are interconnected through satisfying allusions that help create anticipation. Humorous, charming, childlike illustrations of the animals match the off-kilter tone of the text. Rounding out this stellar package, the ending integrates the index--put together by an earthworm and a midwife toad--into the story, while seamlessly and amusingly introducing young readers to how an index functions. A brilliant use of anthropomorphic animals, serving up facts and entertainment.(Nonfiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2025
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* In a series of presentations that teachers will find as hilarious as their young charges will, an earthworm, a zebra, and 18 more animals deliver oral reports on . . . other animals. Each report has a distinctly individual voice and character, but some students really go for the gusto: the fox raves about the tastiness of goose (to the outrage of a feathered classmate), and a midwife toad notes that when koalas mate, some of the male's semen plugs up the female to prevent intercourse with other males. A seemingly staid barn owl's discourse on the Tasmanian devil is likewise riveting: "He can rip the skin off a kangaroo with the greatest of ease, and break the bones of a wallaby as if they were twigs." Whoa. As counterexamples, a snow leopard's off-the-cuff remarks on, well, snow leopards show every sign of zero research, and a howler monkey's on the unicorn hint that someone wasn't listening when the assignment was handed out. Questions and reactions to each talk from the multispecies audience add further opportunities for banter and fact-dropping so that, along with fairly substantial doses of actual natural history, receptive readers will effortlessly absorb practical advice about researching, organizing, and delivering effective oral presentations of their own. Van Haeringen adds tongue-in-cheek portraits of each animal student and subject done in a wide variety of styles and media.

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