An exciting journey into the animal queendom. The dramatic, colourful cover sets the tone for what is to follow. As the introduction says, “It’s time to forget everything you think you know about female animals so get ready to dive headfirst into the wonders of the animal queendom!” The pages are most attractive with stunning pictures in bright colours and a good balance between text and illustration. All the information has been fact-checked and written with advice from the University of Cambridge. I loved the reticulated python with eggs twice the size of a chicken’s eggs. The alpha female meercat is described as “the queen of mean” and shows no mercy to other meerkats, even babies. Female bonobos bond together. “Groups of females use physical force, like biting, to show they are in control. Males always back down after being faced with a collective display of female power!” We meet a diverse range of animals including great white sharks, bottle-nose dolphins, green turtles, leafcutter ants, common vampire bats, African bush elephants, ring-tailed lemurs, small-tooth sawfish and many more in the 37 spreads.
Throughout the text is accessible and user-friendly. The Conclusion invites the reader to take up the baton by being curious about female animals and developing our appreciation of the natural world. I enjoyed the section on female champions – trailblazing women who helped our understanding of the animal queendom.
A superb celebration of female animals, many of whom have been ignored or underestimated. Informative and inspiring, there is a comprehensive glossary and index. A most impressive book.
Brenda Marshall
The Animal Queendom by Catherine Blackledge
Illustrated by Kasia Bogdanska
Nosy Crow in association with the University of Cambridge
ISBN 9781805135456
£16.99
Published 2026
