Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum

by Melissa Stewart, Brian Lies (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet some of the world’s very smallest mini-mammals in this “interesting and engaging” (School Library Journal, starred review) picture book with actual-size illustrations from Sibert Honoree Melissa Stewart and Caldecott Honoree Brian Lies.

Big mammals like elephants, hippos, and giraffes get a lot of press, but what about the little guys? From pint-sized flying squirrels to itty bitty chipmunks and teeny tiny mouse lemurs, learn all about the mini-est mammals from around the world, depicted at their real-life size.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665947169
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	03/04/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.80(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 150 science books for children, including the celebrated Meet the Mini Mammals, illustrated by Brian Lies, and Can an Aardvark Bark? and Fourteen Monkeys: A Rain Forest Rhyme, both illustrated by Steve Jenkins. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Union College and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University, Melissa worked as a children’s book editor for nine years before becoming a full-time writer. While gathering information for her books, she has explored tropical rain forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. She lives in Acton, Massachusetts.

Brian Lies is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. His books include the Caldecott Honor–winning picture book The Rough Patch and his New York Times bestselling Bat series, which includes Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Library, Bats at the Ballgame, and Bats in the Band. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Brian now lives on the south shore of Massachusetts with his family. Visit him at BrianLies.com.

Editorial Reviews

Teachers and librarians will be able to use this as a mentor text for research projects; young readers and their families will love poring over the pictures and telling friends about the new facts they’ve learned. A must-have for any elementary library.

12/13/24 - School Library Journal

An immensely appealing introduction that entertains as well as it educates.

02/25/2025 - Booklist Online

There’s plenty of potential curriculum use here, and the browsable format allows kids to dip in and out of the book, keying on whatever cool details they find the most fascinating.

February 2025 - BCCB

Chock-full of riveting information about these smallest of specimens . . . . A surefire hit for budding wildlife biologists.

1/1/25 - Kirkus

2024-11-23
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 (“Isthis 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)

Kirkus Reviews