Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 13 Jan 2026

Remarkable Animals by Tony Meeuwissen

I am a big fan of picture books that actively encourage young readers to physically manipulate the illustrations on each page. All successful books rely on collaboration with readers and this format encourages undivided attention and the use of imagination along the way.

Originally published in 1997, this award-winning graphic artist and designer has devised pages divided into three parts that show ten real life animals. As the reader interacts with the book, it is possible to flip these illustrated parts into 1,000 remarkable creatures as their heads, bodies and tails are swopped. The accompanying text on each facing page then recreates the names and characteristics of each new animal according to the new combination.

When I recently shared it with a group of five-year-olds, they were entranced with the strange combinations and eager to try all the different heads on the same body and tail. They were also interested in how the names of each creature changed marginally and used their emerging phonics skills to carefully decode each one. In this way we encountered: a Tratypus; Batypus; Allatypus and Watypus plus several other weird looking animals. After finishing reading and playing with this fascinating picture book, the children were inspired to create their own mixed- up creatures. We also had a go at guessing which animals might be the components of various mix-ups: for example, an Allaboosh (a combination of Alligator/ Baboon/Trunkfish) – although this was much harder as the creatures aren’t all well known. It might be an extension activity for older readers to find out more about these unusual creatures

I strongly recommend this beautifully designed book published by Otter-Barry Books. It should be available to buy from your local independent bookshop who will happily order it if not already on their shelves.

Karen Argent

January 2026