The Wildlife Winter Games (Wildlife Games) - Hardcover

"With an emphasis placed on natural history, Turner invites readers to award gold, silver, and bronze medals to three animal contestants in each of 10 actual Olympics events. Some choices are no-brainers (against the albatross, the snowshoe hare and the arctic wolf really have no chance in ski jumping), but more are tough: in ice hockey, for instance, the social penguins bring speed and teamwork; the polar bears get a leg up (so to speak) in defending the goal, because of their huge paws; and the wolverines are fierce and tenacious. Clifford's illustrations are as riveting as the competitions themselves: he depicts a host of arctic and antarctic creatures in fine, naturalistic detail but places them in action poses, sporting athletic gear and game faces. Highlights include the balletic puffin figure skater, the colossal squid curling team, and the opening and closing ceremonies. If the premise is a bit more artificial than that of Martin Jenkins' The Animal Awards (2019), the combination of basic animal facts and dramatic scenarios still adds up to a winner." --John Peters, Booklist

Readers are given simple, informative descriptions for ten sporting events featuring a range of dynamically illustrated creature competitors. Fun summaries describe the unique skills each creature would bring to the sports and invite readers to predict who will win the gold, silver, and bronze medals. This whimsical yet fact-filled book teaches children about the attributes of various animal species and encourages them to apply critical thinking to choose possible winners.