Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Quirky Creatures #3

The World's Most Atrocious Animals

Rate this book
This witty, quirky, colourfully illustrated and fact-filled book features some of the most terrifying and shocking animals on the planet! 

The third title in the series from the hilarious Philip Bunting is filled with facts about some of the  scariest creatures in the natural world .

Meet the enormous murder hornets of east and southeast Asia, the poisonous blue-ringed octopus , Africa's hungry but deadly hippos and some truly shocking electric eels,  among many more truly scary creatures!

The antagonist voice (speaking though cheeky annotations) points out the  most frightening aspects of each creature's characteristics , while the narrator's voice describes engaging, factual information about each animal's seemingly scary characteristics. Are they really as scary as they seem?

With hilarious text throughout and bright, contemporary illustrations , this guide to terrifying animals contains funny labelled diagrams and fabulous facts. It will help teach kids about the animals we fear and whether their gruesome reputation is deserved!

Quirky Creatures is a series dedicated to seeking out the weird and wonderful denizens of the natural world and explaining why they are so strange, from the ridiculous to the truly terrifying. Also available in this series is  The World's Most Ridiculous Animals  and The World's Most Pointless Animals.

80 pages, Hardcover

Published July 11, 2023

4 people are currently reading
78 people want to read

About the author

Philip Bunting

94 books56 followers
Philip Bunting's work deliberately encourages playful interaction between the reader and child, allowing his books to create a platform for genuine intergenerational engagement, and fun.
Philip's books have been translated into multiple languages, and published in over 25 countries around the world. Since his first title was published in 2017, Philip has received multiple accolades, including Honours from the Children's Book Council of Australia, and making the list for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2018. His titles include Mopoke and How Did I Get Here?

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
56 (61%)
4 stars
26 (28%)
3 stars
9 (9%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Ankit Saxena.
855 reviews234 followers
September 30, 2023
This is the fearsome book offered as an arc by Quarto Publishing Group. Well, that is factually fearsome but as no such animal going to came out alive from the book like in 'Inkheart by Cornelia Funke', so keep calm.

Here author covered many or say almost every kind of atrocious and terrifying animals from their kingdom. There were hippos, octopus, eels, panther etc.. One need to learn about all these animals. Never knew that there are kinds of jellyfish too that can be dangerous to humans.

My Netgalley review
Profile Image for Reading Rachel .
224 reviews44 followers
April 28, 2023
Wonderful book about deadly animals. The pictures were vivid and enjoyable. I liked all the facts about the animals. I think children will enjoy the wording. The animals represented was also nice. Lots of familiar favorites and a few unique choices. I think this would be a good book for a five to ten year old.
Profile Image for Becky Loader.
2,212 reviews29 followers
September 18, 2024
These books are addicting! So many puns!
The author alters the scientific names. For example, the Great Horned Owl is now "Hornus Hootus." Yes.
Profile Image for Samantha.
459 reviews
July 28, 2024
This is a fun juvenile non fiction book. I love the artwork.
Profile Image for Sharon Tyler.
2,815 reviews40 followers
June 26, 2023
The World's Most Atrocious Animals is the third title in the series from Philip Bunting. It is currently scheduled for release on July 11 2023 and is filled with facts about some of the scariest creatures in the natural world. Meet the enormous murder hornets of east and southeast Asia, the poisonous blue-ringed octopus, Africa's hungry but deadly hippos and some truly shocking electric eels, among many more truly scary creatures! The antagonist voice (speaking though cheeky annotations) points out the most frightening aspects of each creature's characteristics, while the narrator's voice describes engaging, factual information about each animal's seemingly scary characteristics. Are they really as scary as they seem? With humorous text and bright illustrations, this guide to terrifying animals contains funny labelled diagrams and fabulous facts. It will help teach kids about the animals we fear and whether their gruesome reputation is deserved!

The World's Most Atrocious Animals is another great addition to this series. There is a great balance of humor and information. While there was a good deal of information that I knew, I still learned a good deal. The illustrations are fun, and accurate while still maintaining the humorous tone of the book. There is a wide range of creatures covered here- with plenty of interesting information about each of them. The only things I would have liked to see here that I didn't, is some sources for further reading in the endmatter of the book and some kind of organization for the order of creatures in the book. If there was a reason for the order I missed it, but organizing them by something would have been nice; location, habitat, alphabetically, anything at all would have been helpful to me personally but no one else might be bothered by this at all. Fans of the previous books in this series will not be disappointed, either will readers that like a little fun along side their information.
185 reviews
August 8, 2025
Heb je wel eens gehoord van de ‘galoppi galoppi klapkakius’ of de ‘haaius nietaaiedus’? Ze zijn beter bekend onder de namen nijlpaard en stierhaai, en hebben ook moeilijke Latijnse namen, maar de schrijver van dit boek besloot de dieren wat creatievere namen te geven. Tot grote hilariteit van mijn kinderen, die bij het oplezen van de namen regelmatig hebben gelachen (dikke pluim voor de vertaler!).

Maar dat is niet het enige grappige aan dit boek. Want hoewel dit een non-fictie boek is waarbij je van alles leert over monsterlijke (👻) dieren, zijn er ook genoeg grappige weetjes te vertellen. Zo hebben we geleerd dat er geen tandartsen meer zijn in piranhaland, is de wrattensteenvis een dodelijk legoblokje van Moeder Natuur en kruipt de haarkikker één keer per jaar in je bil (mag jij raden op welke dag 🐸).

Het boek is verder visueel geweldig! Ook de illustraties zijn humoristisch en het boek heeft een leuke opzet. Om het dier heen staan korte feitjes/grapjes en daarnaast staan er tekstvlakken met uitgebreidere (serieuze) informatie. Alle dieren hebben ronde witten ogen met een kleine zwarte pupil. Dat geeft de monsterlijke dieren wat aandoenlijks (behalve de spinnen, daar moest ik echt een blaadje overheen leggen, anders kon ik die bladzijde niet voorlezen 😆), en M. zei hier al giechelend het volgende over: hihi, dit dier heeft grappige ogen mama! 🤭

Toen ik het boek ging opvoeren in Goodreads kwam ik er achter dat dit het derde deel is in de ‘Quirky Creatures’-serie. Met mijn verzamelwoede en bovenstaande lovende recensie zal het jullie vast niet verbazen dat de eerste twee boeken nu hoog op mijn wensenlijstje staan 🤪 (al is er helaas maar één vertaald) (voor de geïnteresseerden onder jullie: ‘The World’s Most Pointless (Wonderful) Animals’ en ‘The World’s Most Ridiculous (Marvellous) Animals’ (deze is vertaald)).

Hartelijk dank voor dit recensie-exemplaar @pelckmans.be!
Profile Image for The Sassy Bookworm.
4,073 reviews2,873 followers
July 2, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The book “The World’s Most Atrocious Animals” by Philip Bunting is a delightful and informative guide to some of the scariest creatures on Earth. From the enormous murder hornets of east and southeast Asia to the poisonous blue-ringed octopus, Africa’s hungry but deadly hippos, and shocking electric eels, this book introduces readers to a wide range of truly scary animals.

What sets this book apart is its clever use of an antagonist voice, expressed through cheeky annotations, which highlights the most frightening aspects of each creature’s characteristics. This adds a fun and engaging twist to the narrative. In contrast, the narrator’s voice provides factual information about each animal’s seemingly scary traits.

“The World’s Most Atrocious Animals” belongs to the Quirky Creatures series, which aims to discover and explain why certain creatures in the natural world are so strange. This series covers everything from the ridiculous to the truly terrifying. Other books in this series include “The World’s Most Ridiculous Animals” and “The World’s Most Pointless Animals.”

Overall, I found this book to be absolutely adorable in every way. From its eye-catching cover to its cheeky annotations, it was perfection throughout. Packed with interesting facts and accompanied by colorful and fun illustrations, it will undoubtedly be a colossal hit with young readers.

**ARC Via NetGalley**
Profile Image for Pauline Stout.
285 reviews8 followers
May 1, 2023
It’s been a while since I’ve read any kind of children’s book but this caught my eye and I decided I need to read it. This is basically a run down of different types of “dangerous” animals with a small bio about each and why they were included.

This book is adorable and I loved reading it. There are a wide range of animals from all over the globe used in this (from insects all the way up to primates) and I loved all of the representation included. The illustrations for each animal in the book are very well done. I like the art style used for each. The information sections about each animal is quite short (this is a children’s book after all). but there is a ton of well, information packed into each one. There were even a couple things I didn’t know. There is also small fun facts and notes/jokes written into each section designed to look like a reader is making notes in the book and it was quite funny at times. Some of the jokes are obviously aimed at adults that may be reading this to a child and I liked that addition.

Overall I just loved this. The art is gorgeous and the book is very informative. Highly recommend for all younger readers.
Profile Image for Laura.
172 reviews55 followers
July 5, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books, and Happy Yak for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is becoming one of my absolute favorite series of books! I recently read The World's Most Pointless Animals also by Philip Bunting and I absolutely loved it! As soon as I saw this book in the read now section I immediately added it to my shelf.

These books are so much fun while also being really educational. I also love the art style for all of the animals that accompany the information about them. The names that help describe the Latin names for all the animals are always amazing and it is one of my favorite parts about reading these books!

I will definitely be adding these books to my physical collection ASAP!!! Highly recommend for animal lovers of all ages!
Profile Image for Sammie.
11 reviews
May 4, 2023
Philip Bunting back at it again with another brilliant & fun educational picture book. An absolute dream for the child, but even better for the adult reading it with said child.
I am 26 years of age & I have so much joy reading Philips books.
Smart, witty & very ‘punny’ !
The Worlds Most Atrocious Animals is definitely a great title for little ones (& 26year olds like myself) to learn about the known ‘scary animals’ in a more fun, lighthearted & humorous way. I have honestly just learnt so many things about these different animals & it’s purely from the quickness of this book!
I cannot recommend Philip Buntings books enough, but especially this!

Thanks NetGalley for providing this to me - a big Philip Bunting Fan!
Profile Image for LaBibliodeCaro.
620 reviews3 followers
May 29, 2023
What an original concept! This is a book about animals with a bad reputation to help the public know them better. It's a fun format too: scribbled notes are peppered on each page offering fun facts on each animal (for example, the Komodo dragon is a "bad parent", but you'll have to read the book to find out why!!). I thought the made-up scientific name for the orca was also spot-on. The humor is a great asset throughout this book, and that will definitely appeal to the adult readers.
Packed with a ton of factual data, it's an interesting read that strays from the usual children's books about wildlife.
Profile Image for Jan.
6,531 reviews100 followers
May 29, 2023
Learning about animals we've heard about is a whole ton of fun!
This book is a hilarious collection of zoological lessons that are illustrated in brilliant colors and closely resemble the real deal. We laughed our sox off while reading it!
The illustrations by the author are delightful, imaginative, striking, and brilliantly colorful.
This book is well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books/Happy Yak via NetGalley. Thank you!
Profile Image for Amberleigh Million • a.millionbooks.
649 reviews23 followers
January 25, 2024
My boys and I loved this entertaining yet educational book about atrocious animals! My kids are 4 and 6 and both love learning about all types of wildlife. This book was unique as it's all about animals that are usually deemed "scary" by children. There's facts about each and they learned things in a humorous and fun way. We loved the illustration as well. This would be a perfect book for young readers at home or in the classroom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books, Happy Yak for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Profile Image for Amy Stacey.
230 reviews
January 13, 2025
Each page is filled with funny illustrations, labelled with puns and facts.
From Komodo dragons to Japanese Man O' War, there are creepy crawlies to manic mammals- all of which have a propensity to kill. Some are venomous, some are poisonous. Some stalk their victims and some snakes play the victim to then attack unassuming birds.
Each of these creatures has interesting information from statistics to facts which would fascinate anyone who is enthusiastic about animals, be it a child or even some adults.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from #netgalley , thank you. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Profile Image for Robyn.
123 reviews9 followers
June 15, 2023
We absolutely devoured The World's Most Atrocious Animals as a family. With a new, interesting creature on each page, it’s an adventure that leaves you educated and laughing. The illustrations are playful and contemporary and despite being full of facts, the book doesn’t feel like an encyclopedia. It’s perfect for older elementary schoolers. The only drawback? Be prepared to discuss tapeworms over breakfast with your 8 year old after they read it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Profile Image for A.L. Renna.
Author 1 book
October 1, 2023
The World’s Most Atrocious Animals offers a fresh take on some of the world’s most interesting (and fearsome) creatures. Told in two different voices—an antagonist who points out the scariest aspects of each creature and the narrator who provides factual, engaging information about each one—this book is sure to delight kids of all ages. Complete with fun, bright illustrations, this book will be a favorite for any animal lover.

Read the full review: https://travelnitch.org/the-worlds-mo...
Profile Image for Lacey Dungan.
21 reviews5 followers
April 26, 2023
This is such a cute and quirky book on some of the world's most dangerous animals. The illustrations and side comments in the illustrations are absolutely wonderful and would be loved by any young reader. Each animal has a separate write up to go more into detail about what makes them "Atrocious." I've already added this book (and the two others from this series) to my list of books to buy as gifts.
Profile Image for Jessica Deane.
6 reviews
April 29, 2023
The World’s Most Atrocious Animals is a must have for classroom, libraries, and home bookshelves! Engaging illustrations bring to life a variety of animals, some familiar and some perhaps unfamiliar! Children are introduced to larger concepts and vocabulary with helpful explanations that help them understand new ideas or terms! Pages are filled with humor and that’s win for every child when a book is informative and fun!
Profile Image for Mandy Kell.
444 reviews15 followers
May 2, 2023
The World's Most Atrocious Animals by Philip Bunting is such a great children's book! Our whole family enjoyed it from cover to cover. The puns, jokes, sassy descriptions, and hilarious renaming of the scientific names for each animal mad the book fun and interesting. The facts were all well researched and very cool to read about. I loved the bright illustrations and how each animal seemed to come to life on the page! If you're looking for a unique children's book this is the one to get!
Profile Image for Claire.
3,450 reviews45 followers
October 14, 2023
I love these books. They are funny and educational (and education is so important with animals like the ones in this book.) I always learn something from these books too. Amazing illustrations, funny and engaging. One of my favourite jokes has to be on the Estuarine Stonefish where he calls it Mother Nature's deadliest lego brick! It's also interesting the number of animals that have venoms and toxins that we humans don't have antivenom for.
Profile Image for Alex Lynn.
423 reviews
November 16, 2023
I cannot get over how stinking cute and informative this book was! I learned so much about so many different animals as well as my daughter. I loved the illustrations as they were fun, yet still accurate. It also maintained the humorous tone of the book. There is a wide range of creatures covered here- with plenty of interesting/silly information about each of them!
The only thing I wish it would have included was what kind of habitat each animal lived in as well as their country of origin.
Profile Image for Alexis.
51 reviews5 followers
April 27, 2023
The World’s Most Atrocious Animals by Philip Bunting is an educational and witty delight that reveals some of the most feared animals. The illustrations and comments are engaging and show a fun and quirky side to even the scariest animals. This book teaches children and teens that animals have certain traits and qualities for survival even if they are viewed as being scary.
Profile Image for Dawn.
95 reviews3 followers
April 29, 2023
Kids will love to read this book about some of the most deadly animals. Each animal is featured on its own page. The illustrations and side comments are vivid and enjoyable. Kids will enjoy learning about their favorite "atrocious" animals and learn some new ones as well. This series is definitely a great addition to any elementary classroom and library.
Profile Image for Belle.
806 reviews8 followers
May 20, 2023
Absolutely loved it! Genuinely funny and witty.

Common Hippopotamus: Hangreus Chargeus 🦛
Leopard Seal Seafood Diet: See food, eat food.
Tasmanian Devil: Mother Nature's Vacuum Cleaner

Super fun with fantastic illustrations. Animals are the best 🐍 🐺 🦅 Fabulous!

*Temporary access to free e-arc received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for pedro.
159 reviews24 followers
May 25, 2023
What a fascinating book that brings together a list of marvelous animals and the way they must be fearsome in order to survive! It’s full of personality and puns and interactive moments where the reader will be awed by what they just have learned. Perfect for young curious minds eager to know more about the various animals on Earth.
Profile Image for Jenny Blacker.
165 reviews5 followers
May 29, 2023
I loved this book, full of great true facts, and witty 'corrections' (the latin for honey badger being "stinkbombus ferocious" being a favourite)

This would make a lovely gift for a middle-grade kid, or to read with a child

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.
Profile Image for Lisa Gisèle.
769 reviews12 followers
June 6, 2023
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own."


I love this series. It makes learning very entertaining. I also found the fact that you included the tapeworm very entertaining and accurate.

The images are great and accurate.

I'm also ashamed to say I never connected the Siberian tiger to Russia. The name says it all, but I never connected it.
533 reviews2 followers
May 25, 2023
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for letting me review this book. This book had some interesting facts and I even learned a few things along the way. This is a fun read if you have a kid interested in animals.
Profile Image for Chrissy Casey.
101 reviews8 followers
July 5, 2023
This is a great addition to Philip Bunting’s World’s Most books. I love learning all the fun facts about animals. This one tells about some of the most terrifying and shocking animals. My first graders LOVE listening to all the cool and quirky facts. Can’t wait to add this one to my collection.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.