Editorial Review
Booklist Review for My Body Is Tough and Gray
This entry in the Zoo Clues 2 series presents a series of tantalizing close-up photos, shaped like jigsaw puzzle pieces, of body parts with very brief descriptive clues such as, “My legs are short and strong” and “I have a long, stiff tail.” A full portrait with identifier (“I am a nine-banded armadillo!”) is followed by an easily digestible handful of facts such as the animal’s size, diet, and geographical range, plus print and online sources of further information. Newly independent readers, particularly those slated to encounter armadillos in a zoo or elsewhere, will appreciate the combination of mystery and simplicity. For a more comprehensive account, pair with Dee Phillips’ Armadillo’s Burrow (2013), which adds informative details about this creature’s habits and life cycle to this more interactive text.