One of my earliest memories of school is when I attended a talk about snakes in the school library. At the end of the talk we were allowed to touch one of the snakes. Even though I was scared, I gently patted this snake and it felt incredible! I’ve been fascinated by them ever since. Because I live in the land of deadly creatures, I have spotted both brown and red-bellied black snakes in my yard but thankfully none have made their way inside my home (that I know of).

The information in this book will entirely freak you out, give you more respect for these cold-blooded creatures, or both. For each of the twenty reptiles featured, you will learn their scientific name and some fun facts, along with details about where they live, and their length and weight. There’s also a Danger Gauge and a Fang File, which includes a description and photograph.

I loved this book! I‘m quoting my favourite fact for each reptile, although there’s plenty more where they come from.

Gila Monster - “Thanks to their fat-storing tails and their ability to digest really slowly, some scientists think these reptiles need to eat only three times a year!”

Gaboon Viper - “Instead of striking and releasing, like other snakes, the gaboon viper sinks its teeth in and holds on - injecting more venom into its victims than any other snake.”

Black Mamba - “These swift serpents are the fastest land snakes in the world, sprinting at speeds of up to 12.5 miles (20 km) per hour.”

American Alligator - “A single alligator can go through 3,000 teeth in its life.”

King Cobra - “While these deadly snakes can inject venom powerful enough to topple an elephant, they prefer to dine on other snakes.”

Rattlesnake - “Every time the rattlesnake sheds its skin, it gets another “ring”.” (on its tail)

Green Iguana - “they can swim underwater for up to 30 minutes.”

Emerald Tree Boa - “You’ll usually find them coiled around a branch in a loop with their head in the middle.”

Inland Taipan - “The inland taipan is considered by many to be the world’s most venomous snake.”

Black Caiman - “Like other crocodilians, the black caiman has a broad snout filled with about 76 teeth.”

Tuatara - “A tuatara has two rows of teeth on the top jaw and one row on the bottom.”

Bush Viper - “This big-eyed snake has rough scales to help it grip the trees it climbs while hunting.”

Red Spitting Cobra - “Despite their name, spitting cobras don’t actually spit - they’re really shooting venom out of tubes in their fangs. The spray can reach up to 8 feet (2.4 m).”

Indian Gharial - “An Indian gharial has about 110 needle-like teeth lining its narrow jaws.”

Boomslang - “If a boomslang thinks it’s been spotted, it will freeze, usually with the front of its body extended off the tree. They’ll even sway slowly, just like a tree branch moving in the breeze.”

Copperhead - “Copperheads have keeled scales, which means each scale has a ridge on it.”

Nile Crocodile - “Most reptiles leave their eggs and babies on their own, but Nile crocodiles guard their nests, help their babies hatch, and even keep an eye on them until they’re about two years old.”

Green Anaconda - “Weighing more than an adult lion and longer than a giraffe is tall, these colossal constrictors have an appetite for big prey.”

Komodo Dragon - “Dragons use their forked yellow tongues to smell, and they can catch the scent of a dead or bleeding animal up to 6 miles away.”

Leatherback Sea Turtle - “Out of 1,000 hatchlings, only one baby turtle will grow to be an adult.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and becker&mayer! kids, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

***This book was reviewed for Quarto Publishing via Netgalley

This nifty little read by LJ Tracosas is a (very) brief introduction to the family of animals known as reptiles. The first few pages look at characteristics of reptiles. Following are twenty different reptiles, with Latin name, region of habitation, stats like length, weight, and relative size to humans, a danger metre, one or two gorgeous photos, and a few interesting facts. Included with each reptile is a Fang File bubble, with a pic of the skull or a close-up of the teeth, and a fact about the creature’s teeth.

Most of the reptiles covered were snakes, followed close by lizards. Much to my surprise and disappointment, only one turtle species was mentioned. There were several beasties I had never heard of, most especially the tuatara. The final brief section covers different diet options. Overall, this book is a wonderful introduction to reptiles from around the world. There are many, many more, to be sure, especially with regards to turtle species- like the Galapagos tortoise, or the alligator snapping turtle.

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This was a fascinating book that was full of great facts and some spectacular images! I used to love getting books like this when I was younger and I can see this one becoming a firm favourite too that can be used as a reference guide to come back to and read again and again - the fact sections are the highlight of the book for me and I learnt quite a bit myself! Five stars from me for this one!

This excellent non-fiction book is part of a series that I am positive kids will enjoy. It is packed full of detailed photos and reptilian profiles that will bring these extraordinary creatures to life right in front of your eyes.

The book highlights twenty infamous reptiles and elaborates on how they use their fangs to crush, pierce, munch or even poison their meals. The photos are very graphic and prove that a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Some of the documented reptiles you will be familiar with and some will be foreign but all in all after reading the book you will understand why those specified are in the top 20 range.

Reptiles have survived for thousands, perhaps million of years, using their unique survival skills to do so. Some of the reptilian species use camouflage to hide in plain sight while others use their brute power and might to live on another day.


This book is very interesting as well as educational and it would be perfect to use as research for a project on reptiles. Kids will return again and again to ogle the magnificence of these cold-blooded, mostly egg-laying, super fascinating creatures. Some will find them creepy, others will find them downright scary, but I am convinced that all kids (and adults) will agree that reptiles are truly amazing to behold.

To be honest, this book had way too many snakes for my taste. However, the kids are going to love it. The pictures are amazing and you get facts you don't see often. Such as the leatherback turtle and its spiny through projections to keep jellyfish down. You might have already guessed, but this book looks at fangs, and what makes each animal unique. Plus it has a danger meter to let you know how scared you should be if you encounter one. My favorite picture is the Red Spitting Cobra. The snakes looks like Erkel ready to say “Did I do that?”

This book is filled with photos of fearsome looking creatures full of fangs and claws, with small diagrams that show what part of the planet to find them, how big they get, and a fang file. There’s also a danger gauge, and even though the Gila monster’s spit is venomous, that only ranks a two. The undisputed winner is the black mamba.
I’m old enough to be surprised when I come across an animal I’ve never heard of, in this case the tuatara. Native to New Zealand, called a living dinosaur, luckily is a 0 on the danger gauge. The gharial I’ve seen, even if I’ve never heard the name. That long skinny snout is a dead giveaway.
Most astounding fact: the green anaconda can grow up to thirty feet! And a book like this can’t end without everyone’s favorite, the Komodo dragon.
But I would have given the leatherback turtle at least a one rather than a zero; those babies can bite!

Book about reptiles with pictures in their own environment.........

Unfortunately couldn’t open file on any device which was disappointing as my son loves reptiles and would have loved this book

Creature Files Reptiles
Come Face-to-Face with 20 Dangerous Reptiles
by L.J. Tracosas
I requested this book from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This book was so creepy! The up close and personal pictures was frightening and fascinating at the same time! Each picture was so clear and perfect! It looked like the reptiles were too close. Each reptile had not only their picture but a lot of information accompanied too such as where they live, how dangerous, venom, and other interesting tidbits. I am not a big reptile fan except turtles but if you like the ones that glide, slide and slither, there are those along with other with big teeth. A great book for those that love nature, reptiles, or great photos! I did enjoy the info and the photos! I know my grand sons would love this book!

Creepy, crawly, fanged, slithery critters-the kind you never want to have a face=t0-face encounter with. Fact-filled, with intimidating color photographs. An engaging book that will fascinate young readers (and may scare a few in the process).