Know Your Rodent

Insects, fishes, birds: London-based French illustrator Thibaud Herem has made charming books devoted to these facets of the animal kingdom, depicting standout species in whimsical, personable drawings, rendered simply in black ink and watercolor. In his work, each animal displays its characteristic traits while also looking for all the world like it might turn and start speaking to the viewer at any moment. For his next book, it was only natural that Herem would move up another rung on the evolutionary ladder to those most lowly and mistrusted of mammals: rodents. Yet Know Your Rodent just may change a few people's minds about the furry creatures. It turns out that there's a lot more to rodents than subway rats, kitchen mice and the ubiquitous short-lived childhood gerbil. Out of the thousands of rodent species that scamper over nearly every habitat on earth, Herem has picked 20 distinctive varieties to depict here, from the giant Capybara of South America to the tiny Pygmy Jerboa of the Asian deserts. Factual texts describe the weird and wonderful habits of each creature, while Herem's illustrations bring the animals alive on the page. At once fascinatingly informative and oddly humorous, this offbeat little book brings together the marvels of nature and the marvels of beautiful design in a way that will appeal to adults and children alike.