Meet the Mini-Mammals

Written by Melissa Stewart
Illustrated by Brian Lies

Beach Lane Books / Simon & Schuster

ISBN-13: 971-1-6659-4716-9

Step inside a magical museum. . .
and meet the mini-mammals!

These itty-bitty beasts may be some of the world’s smallest mammals, but they live big, fascinating lives.

Come learn about them—and find out which mini-mammal is the teeniest of all!

Reviews:

Publisher’s Weekly: Meticulously painted acrylic and colored pencil spreads by Caldecott Honoree Lies give outsize visual impact to this look at tiny mammals. On the cover, a ferret sporting a bow tie and a formal jacket politely pulls aside a red velvet curtain. “You probably already know a lot about BIG mammals like elephants and hippos and giraffes,” the narrator explains, which is why “this exhibit celebrates small.” Offering visual context, the introductory spread pictures a tiny hedgehog next to an elephant’s massive foot. After defining the word mammal, Stewart (Thank You, Moon) dives into a lively survey, each spread of which views a mini-mammal in close-up on the verso (“Hello, Japanese dwarf flying squirrel!”) with a recto-side view of the animal in its habitat (it “weighs about the same as a small Asian pear”). Nine more mammals of diminishing size are introduced until, at last, readers arrive at the smallest mammal of all (“A Kitti’s hog-nosed bat weighs a little less than four mini marshmallows”). Alongside the gallery of dramatic close-ups, factoid-filled text provides a jumping-off place for conversations about survival and habitat. “Mini-Mammal Small Stats” conclude. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. (Mar.)

Kirkus Reviews, 11-23-2023

Come along on an informative countdown of 10 of the world’s smallest mammals.

Most children are familiar with elephants, cats, and dogs. But what about their smaller cousins? An anthropomorphized ferret, clad in a jaunty bow tie and jacket, takes readers on a museum tour to learn about 10 mini-mammals from all over the world. This newest addition to Stewart’s prolific portfolio of nonfiction picture books is chock-full of riveting information about these smallest of specimens: In the winter, when food is scarce, the Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur consumes insect poop; the Etruscan pygmy shrew takes 40 breaths in the same amount of time a human breathes once. The author also tells an engaging story that makes adept use of humor and alliteration as the furry narrator wrangles the subjects into ranked order, from the (relatively) largest to the very tiniest; the ferret’s asides and questions build suspense (“Is this lively leaper the mini-est mammal of all?”) and add whimsy. Lies’ illustrations, created with acrylic paint and colored pencil, are amazingly lifelike, featuring incredible texture and detail. Each spread depicts a creature gazing out earnestly from a wooden picture frame; the facing page shows the mammal in its natural habitat. That each of the featured animals is portrayed true to size will further delight youngsters. Readers can delve even deeper with the appended “Mini-Mammal Small Stats” section, while a list of selected sources will extend their learning further.

A surefire hit for budding wildlife biologists. (Informational picture book. 4-8)