Curious critters

Twenty-one familiar North American creatures take the spotlight in this photo book, each shown in a studio-style shot set against plain white. The featured animals include the American bullfrog, American toad, blue jay, Ohio crawfish, goldfish, southern flying squirrel, big brown bat, fox snake, eastern screech-owl, gray treefrog, bush katydid, Virginia opossum, Chinese praying mantis, jumping spider, red flat bark beetle, black swallowtail, eastern spiny softshell turtle, red-eyed vireo, eastern box turtle, spotted salamander, and monarch.

Each creature shares its own account of what makes its life unusual. Striking photographs paired with poetic, flowing text reveal selected details about how these everyday animals live.