Animal Sidekicks

Ages 8 to 10

A richly illustrated gift purchase about symbiosis in nature, where different animal and plant species form unusual and humorous relationships.

Heard about the fish that clean shark teeth? Or the frog that lives with a tarantula? Welcome to the weird world of symbiosis—where animals form incredible relationships.

Macken Murphy, host of the popular animal podcast Species, introduces his favourite symbiotic relationships in his first kids’ nonfiction book, Animal Sidekicks. Along the way he explains the cool science behind the baffling behaviour of some animals—from friendly alliances to pesky parasites. Alongside him, illustrator Dragan Kordic skillfully brings to life head-scratching relationships in nature, including:

• The crab that wears a sea urchin as a hat

• The bat that goes to bed inside a plant

• The warthog that likes a mongoose massage

You’ll even find out about symbiotic relationships including YOU! (Hint—is your head ever itchy?) By the end of the book you won’t look at nature in the same way again!

About the Author

Macken Murphy is the popular host of the podcast Species, which profiles a different amazing animal each week—from yaks to wood frogs. You can listen to episodes of the show at speciespodcast.com.

Dragan Kordic is an illustrator who lives in Rijeka, Croatia. He loves spending time with his wife, daughter, and friends—real and imaginary—his parrot August, and two dogs. His kids’ books include Wild Goose Chase.