Review by Frank Plowright

A second dose of Survival of the Fittest scours the animal kingdom to show possibilities for medical research with the aim of adapting them for human use. As before, some of Rebecca Donnelly’s suggestions might seem fanciful, but they’re all based on current scientific research, with notes in the back of the book providing online links.

Who Will Come Out on Top? introduced Donnelly’s format, where a talent show host introduces assorted competitors whose skills are judged by a panel of sharks. While that might be a commentary on the nature of TV talent shows, these sharks are largely impressed with what they’re shown. The presentation is as before, where one by one the contestants mention their skill and a winner is eventually selected. The treatment is comedic, but the jokes are sometimes forced.

While guided by current research, Donnelly makes sympathetic cases for largely despised creatures. The mosquito is best known for spreading disease among humans, yet its serrated proboscis enables it to inject humans without as much pain as a pointed needle.

Even allowing for the brief of artist Misa Saburi to keep things simple for young readers, there’s little other than functionality about the art, and it makes for a bland reading experience. The whole idea is to explain the wonders of the animal kingdom, yet that wonder is reduced through the illustrations. There are also times where the storytelling isn’t clear, such as a fake ad sequence toward the end.

There’s a lot of interesting material here, for adults as well as the intended young audience, but the presentation doesn’t always show it at its most fascinating. Race to the Finish follows.