Inside in X-rays of nature's hidden world

Van 't Riet, an artist from the Netherlands, uses his own X-ray machine to create fascinating photographs of animals in this Dutch import. Arranged into broad categories, including birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and arthropods and mollusks, the animals are occasionally posed alongside flora, which may be color tinted for appeal, but none of the X-rays are digitally enhanced. Schutten's sophisticated text complements the photographs, drawing attention to various anatomy, describing how the anatomy benefits the animal, and comparing and contrasting traits among similarly shaped animals. For instance, the X-ray of a mole shows what appears to be six fingers, but the author explains that this extra "finger" is really an overgrown wrist bone that helps with digging. And if it weren't for the fins in the X-ray of an eel, Schutten points out, one could easily mistake it for a cobra or boa constrictor. A concluding section with invented dialogue gives a brief history of German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of the X-ray. A visually intriguing book that will attract all kinds of readers.

What can you see by looking inside an animal? This unusual title combines X-ray photographs of once-living animals with a chatty, relatively lengthy accompanying narrative about the subject and what can be seen. These images are the attraction. Photographer van 't Riet, a former medical physicist, has posed his subjects carefully, often among leaves and flowers that have touches of color. In traditional X-rays, solid parts show up white; here, most images have been reversed so that the animal and its innards appear in grayscale on a white page. The occasional use of original images on black backgrounds provides variety. Introductory sections describe how the images were made and what an X-ray photograph actually is. Since it's not easy to obtain dead animals for this purpose, what's presented clearly reflects availability, but the emphasis is not on learning about these creatures but on marveling at the intricacies of their insides--how similar they are and how different. There are six sections: arthropods and mollusks, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. In general, each of the 50 animals gets a spread. A conclusion describes the discovery of X-rays. Originally published in the Netherlands in 2017, the text has been ably translated from the original Dutch by Watkinson, and there is an unusually detailed index that includes the questions that have been answered for each animal. For readers and browsers, another way to encourage a sense of wonder. (Nonfiction. 8-15) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.