one great book unplugged

Title: The Wondrous Journals of Dr. Wendell Wellington Wiggins

Author: Lesley M. M. Blume

Target: Grades 3 and up

Series: No

Posted by Ford

What this book is about:

Have you ever heard of a Mirrored Pigradillo? How about a Two-Headed Mammoth Buffalo? Or a Amazonian Umbrella Fish? These are just a sample of the ancient (and unfortunately fictitious) creatures unearthed by (also fictitious) Dr. Wendell Wellington Wiggins. Dr. Wiggins is a paleozoologist (surprisingly, a real branch of science), which means that he studies extremely ancient animals. 

These are the journals of his journey around the world, from Brazil to the North Pole, and of the unique ancient life forms found there. Along his journey, he is accompanied by a fruit bat/alpaca hybrid, a monkey with discipline issues, a bear named Davy Crockett, and the voice of Mother Wiggins, who is intent on staying in his head everywhere he goes.

Why I like this book: 
Each ancient animal has a well thought up history behind it. Almost every chapter details the finding of a new animal and there are 34 animals in total. One very interesting and engaging feature is that there is a moral of some kind taught by the extinction of each  animal. For example, the Bunny Fluffs were so light, that one gust of wind would send them flying for miles. As a result they lived underground. However, when their home became overcrowded, none would go to the surface for fear of being blown away. They all stayed underground and died as a result. This goes to show that taking no risk is the worst risk of all. 

Each lesson is clever and I enjoyed guessing what each one would be as I read a chapter. This is a book that someone of any age can enjoy and I strongly recommend it to all.

You will like this book if you enjoy:
Books about dinosaurs or mythical creatures
The Spiderwick Chronicles