7 How to Promenade with a Python (And Not Get Eaten)

Lively, colorful and using wacky humor, this nonfiction book about pythons will attract newly independent readers and even younger listeners. They'll meet Celeste, a cockroach guide, and Frank, a 300-pound python, for a lighthearted look at how to escape the "polite predators" in nature, the sly or sneaky ones...in this case, the snake. Celeste's zany commentary about ways you, the reader, can avoid being eaten spring from the characteristics that enable Frank's successful hunting habits: he's slow (and sneaky), well camouflaged, his M.O. is to ambush, capture and squeeze his prey, he swallows it whole, and he can sense prey in the dark. When Celeste runs out of ideas, most of which she admits were 'very bad' anyway, the reader is left rooting for her escape too.

The well-spaced text has a simple font, with colored upper case used for emphasis. The comic book design with animated illustrations (Frank has a suitably sly expression) makes learning the science of pythons fun and memorable. A double-spread drawing of a python with labelled body parts helps with an overall understanding of its capabilities. It's easy to visualize the length of some reticulated pythons (the world's longest snake) when compared to a school bus. It's also easy to see how python catch prey with a 5-step description sketching the ambush, the strike, the wrap, the squeeze and the swallow. For this younger readership, concepts such as camouflage aren't merely explained, they're shown: e.g. Celeste advises you to paint Frank with stripes, polka dots, various colors and patterns to make him stand out. Curious about how a snake swallows huge prey items? There's a clear drawing of the snake's jawbone hinged to open to 180 degrees, with an expanding lower jaw allowing it to stretch sideways as well. One comical solution to avoid being eaten: wear an upside down lampshade on your head.

How to Promenade with a Python (And Not Get Eaten) is a clever and entertaining approach to discovering the pertinent factual aspects of pythons while enjoying a goofy, easy-to- read story.