Author & Illustrator Profile
Steve Jenkins
20 Books
Steve Jenkins was an American author and illustrator celebrated for his engaging children's science and nature books. He was particularly famous for his stunning, scientifically accurate cut-paper collage illustrations in works like 'Biggest, Strongest, Fastest' and 'The Animal Book'. His books consistently introduce complex biological and ecological concepts to young readers in an accessible format.
A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest--and Most Surprising--Animals on Earth
Open up a massive world of wildlife right at your fingertips. From tiny insects to enormous elephants, our planet is packed with incredible creatures waiting to be discovered. If you have ever wondered what animals eat, where they live, or how they survive in wild habitats, you will find the answers here.
You can explore fascinating facts about more than three hundred different species from every corner of the globe. Learn how some animals use camouflage to hide from predators while others rely on incredible speed or extreme strength. The stunning, detailed artwork brings each creature to life, letting you examine their unique physical features up close.
Whether you are looking up your favorite animal or discovering a bizarre new species for the very first time, there is always something wild to uncover. Dive into this essential encyclopedia and become an absolute expert on the amazing animals sharing our world.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
213 Pages
How fast does a minute really go? Instead of just watching a clock tick, imagine time by looking at the amazing things happening in nature right now. In a single second, a hummingbird flaps its wings seventy five times, a shrew's tiny heart beats thirteen times, and a cheetah can sprint one hundred feet.
You will travel from a tiny fraction of a second all the way up to a full year, discovering the hidden rhythms of the natural world. See how far the Earth travels around the sun in just one hour, or how many times a bat squeaks to find its way in the dark.
By measuring time through the sudden actions of animals and the steady movement of our planet, you will never look at a ticking clock the same way again. Every single second is packed with incredible action if you know exactly where to look.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
39 Pages
Come face to face with the most incredible creatures that ever walked the Earth, exactly as they looked millions of years ago. Imagine staring straight into the jaws of the largest meat eating dinosaur, or standing next to a terrifying bird that is completely covered in feathers and towers ten feet tall.
You will discover a massive millipede stretching more than six feet long, and even meet a tiny dinosaur that is actually smaller than a modern chicken. Massive fold out pages let you measure yourself against these ancient giants, giving you a true sense of their jaw dropping scale.
Step back into the prehistoric world and see exactly how you measure up to the biggest, strangest, and most awe inspiring beasts of the ancient past.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
41 Pages
It is hard to imagine just how big a giant squid's eye really is until you are staring right at it. Get ready to measure your own hands, feet, and face against some of the most spectacular creatures on the planet, drawn exactly to scale.
You will see the terrifying teeth of a great white shark, the massive foot of an elephant, and a frog so tiny it can easily sit on your fingernail. Some animals are so large that only a single body part can fit on the page, while others are so small you will have to look very closely to spot them.
Experience the extreme scale of the animal kingdom up close and see how you measure up against nature's biggest giants and smallest wonders.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
34 Pages
Meet the most powerful and dangerous hunters on the planet. At the very top of the food chain, apex predators rule their environments with incredible strength, speed, and intelligence. These are the fierce creatures that no other animal dares to hunt.
You will come face to face with terrifying tigers, massive killer whales, and stealthy crocodiles. Discover the brilliant hunting strategies they use to catch their prey, from silent ambushes in the dense jungle to high speed chases across the open savanna.
Learn what makes these dominant animals so vital to keeping nature perfectly balanced. Explore the fierce world of nature's ultimate survivors and witness the awesome power of the wild's absolute greatest hunters.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
Look right into the fascinating eyes of the animal kingdom. From glowing orbs in the deep ocean to sharp, piercing stares in the jungle, animals use their incredible vision to survive in wildly different environments.
You will discover how a chameleon can look in two completely different directions at the exact same time, and why a giant squid needs eyes the size of dinner plates to see in the dark water. Learn how predators use their sharp focus to lock onto prey, and how bugs see the world through hundreds of tiny lenses.
Stare down these magnificent creatures and uncover the brilliant science behind how animals see the beautiful and dangerous world around them.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
Some animals are incredibly dangerous in ways you would never expect. You already know to stay far away from a roaring lion or a hissing rattlesnake, but nature is full of hidden hazards that are just as deadly.
You will discover why you should never stare directly at a monkey, why touching a beautiful cone snail can be a massive mistake, and why you must avoid petting a cute, fluffy caterpillar. Learn about the secret weapons these animals use to defend themselves when they feel threatened, trapped, or completely surprised.
Uncover the surprising survival rules of the wild and find out exactly what not to do when you encounter nature's most deceptively dangerous creatures.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
37 Pages
Step into the incredible, crawling world of nature's most successful insects. Beetles come in nearly every shape, size, and vibrant color imaginable, and they can be found living in almost every corner of the Earth.
You will discover beetles with massive, terrifying jaws, beetles that glow brilliantly in the dark, and beetles that can roll up into a perfect, armored ball. Explore their fascinating life cycles, uncover what they eat to survive, and see the heavy armor that protects them from hungry predators in the wild.
Take a close look at these tough, tiny survivors and find out exactly what makes them the most spectacular and diverse insects on the entire planet.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
43 Pages
Plunge deep into the darkest, most mysterious waters on Earth. Starting from the bright, sunlit surface where seabirds dive for fish, you will journey down through the shadowy layers of the ocean to the completely pitch black bottom.
As you travel deeper, you will meet increasingly bizarre creatures built to survive incredible pressure and freezing cold. Discover glowing jellyfish, terrifying anglerfish with massive teeth, and strange tubeworms living next to boiling thermal vents on the ocean floor.
Explore this alien world hiding right beneath the waves and uncover the brilliant, strange, and glowing animals that call the deepest parts of the ocean their home.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
45 Pages
Look right past the skin and dive straight into the fascinating framework that holds you and the animal kingdom together. Bones are brilliant structures that allow creatures to run, jump, fly, and survive.
You will compare your own skeleton to some of the wildest boney structures in nature, many shown at their actual size. See the shocking differences between a human hand and a spider monkey's grip, and compare the massive weight of an elephant's heavy leg bone to the feather light leg of a stork.
Uncover rib-tickling facts about completely boneless creatures and incredibly flexible snakes. Discover exactly how many bones are working inside your own body in this ultimate boneyard adventure.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
44 Pages
Get ready to swing, dance, leap, and slide through the wild. Every animal has its own completely unique way of getting from place to place, whether they are hunting for a quick meal or escaping a hungry predator.
You will follow incredible creatures as they slither across the sand, float gently on the ocean breeze, and launch themselves high into the air. Try to guess which animal is moving next as you discover the fun, fascinating, and sometimes totally weird ways that wildlife travels.
Jump right into the action and explore the wonderful mechanics of motion in this playful adventure through the busy animal kingdom.
6-8 Years
31 Pages
Nature is full of brilliant hiding places if you know exactly how to look. Hidden deep in different habitats around the world, amazing animals use clever camouflage to blend right into their surroundings and stay perfectly invisible.
You will travel from the hot desert to the dense forest, searching for a camouflaged oystercatcher, a speedy elephant shrew, and a fierce snapping turtle waiting quietly in the water. First, study the beautiful landscape carefully and try to spot all the hidden creatures. Then, turn the page to reveal exactly where they were hiding all along.
Test your sharp eyesight with this fantastic interactive adventure and see if you can find every single master of disguise hiding in the wild.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Discover the wild world of animal teamwork where unusual friendships happen every day. In nature, surviving is a lot easier when you have a helpful partner by your side. You might be surprised to learn why a mongoose comes running the moment a warthog lies down in the dirt.
You will meet incredible pairs that seem completely unmatched, like a scuttling crab helping out a tough iguana, or clever ravens following closely behind a pack of wolves. These fascinating partnerships show how different creatures rely on one another to stay clean, find food, and stay safe from danger.
Explore the brilliant ways animals work together and witness the absolute coolest partnerships biology has to offer.
6-8 Years
45 Pages
Look up at the sky and watch nature's most brilliant aviators take off. Long before airplanes were ever invented, all kinds of incredible creatures mastered the art of flying, gliding, and fluttering through the air.
You will discover exactly how delicate butterfly wings work, how massive prehistoric dinosaurs propelled themselves into the clouds, and how modern backyard birds glide perfectly on the wind. Learn the fascinating science behind feathers, hollow bones, and aerodynamic shapes that make taking flight entirely possible.
Soar through the history of animal flight and explore the brilliant biology that allows insects, birds, and even some mammals to conquer the open skies.
6-8 Years
36 Pages
Meet the ultimate record breakers of the animal kingdom. Some creatures are built for extreme speed, while others rely on massive size or pure muscle to survive in the wild. If you want to know which animal takes the gold medal in nature, you are in the right place.
You will discover the absolute largest animal to ever live on Earth, find out which land creature can sprint faster than a car on the highway, and see which incredibly strong beast can carry massive weights. Bold, striking illustrations show off exactly what makes these animals so unique and powerful.
Compare their impressive skills and uncover the fascinating reasons why these spectacular animals hold the top titles in the wild world.
6-8 Years
36 Pages
The first twenty four hours of an animal's life are packed with massive surprises and brave new challenges. From the moment they arrive in the world, baby animals have to figure out how to survive.
You will see how different creatures handle their very first day on Earth. Some babies can walk, run, or even swim just minutes after being born. Others stay completely hidden, relying entirely on their parents to keep them safe and warm in their nests.
Explore these amazing beginnings and discover the incredible instincts that help young wildlife navigate a giant, unfamiliar world right from the absolute start.
6-8 Years
37 Pages
Look closely at some of the most bizarre and wonderful faces in the animal kingdom. You might wonder why a monkey has such a massive nose, or why a certain frog looks like it is covered in thick green moss. In the wild, looking strange is actually a brilliant way to stay alive.
You will meet animals with giant glowing eyes, bizarre horns, and incredibly weird snouts. Every funny or terrifying facial feature has a specific purpose, whether it is used to scare away hungry predators, attract a mate, or hunt for food in the dark depths of the ocean.
Stare right into the fascinating faces of these unusual creatures and find out the clever survival secrets hiding right on their strange mugs.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
37 Pages
Animals use their body parts in ways you would never expect. Before you turn each page, look closely at the mystery noses, ears, tails, eyes, and feet, and try to guess which creature they belong to.
You will be amazed to discover a bird with bright blue feet that does a special dance, or a lizard that actually shoots blood out of its eyes to scare away danger. Learn how some animals use their massive ears to stay cool in the hot desert, and how others use their sticky feet to walk upside down.
Test your wildlife knowledge with this interactive guessing game and uncover the weird and wonderful ways creatures survive using their spectacular bodies.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Just like humans, animals have all kinds of wild relationships with their siblings. Sometimes they are best friends, and sometimes they are fierce rivals fighting for survival. In the animal kingdom, having brothers and sisters can completely change how you grow up.
You will learn how young peregrine falcons practice hunting by playfully chasing their siblings through the sky, and how elephant sisters help babysit the newest members of their herd. Discover why wild turkey brothers stick together for their entire lives, while a giant anteater enjoys being an only child.
Explore the fascinating family dynamics of the wild and see how animal brothers and sisters help each other survive, play, and grow in nature.
6-8 Years
44 Pages
When Steve and Derek adopted a tiny, adorable piglet named Esther, they thought she would stay perfectly small forever. But Esther had a massive surprise in store for her new family. She kept growing, and growing, and growing, until she was not a mini pig at all.
Soon, Esther was entirely too big for her comfortable bed and their small apartment. She loved causing mischief, sneaking into the neighbor's garden, and eating everything in sight. Because they loved her so much, her dads made a huge decision. They moved out to a big farm where Esther could roam free, which eventually turned into a magical sanctuary for all kinds of rescued animals.
Discover the true, hilarious, and heartwarming story of the famous wonder pig who changed her family's life forever.
6-8 Years
41 Pages
