my favorite odd ball animals to read about are chameleons.
I love dogs… They aren’t too oddball, but the little barks and ruffs that my sweet baby girl makes are hilarious!
I absolutely adore the OCD squirrel from “Scaredy Squirrel” by Melanie Watt. His phobias and emergency kit crack up every single time.
We love to see tortoises in books because we have a pet tortoise, Murray, who’s a favorite character around here.
not odd but i love owls!!
Not terribly odd but I love tucans!
Llamas…who knew they were featured so heavily in childrens books!
Ditto on Llamas. I wasn’t into them until my Charlotte became attached to her llama doll.
Other children may sleep with teddy bears, my daughter sleeps with a stuffed llama.
hippos!!!
I love finding bats in picture books, especially when they are portrayed with affection (rather than as spooky and scary)!
I always loved looking for the Cricket and the Spider in Little Critter books.
Maybe it is not that oddball, but I love seeing elephants (or hippos, or rhinos) in swimsuits. Surprisingly, we have at least two books that I can think of right off the top of my head that feature an elephant and a hippo in swimsuits.
I know they are not oddball on any level, but I love seeing elephants in picture books. I think because my nearly 1 year old always laughs outloud when she sees one!
i think penguins are great in children’s books. and seagulls.
Manatees or Platypus’ (although I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a children’s book with platypus’...I’m sure they’re out there, I must start searching). I love seahorses too.
Oh my. If you were to ask my husband what his favorite exhibit is at the zoo, his answer would be the wombats. He will be thrilled when I show him these books. I like the Charlie Harper books you suggested. He uses some uncommon animals in them.
I love the Llama books. The kids love it too
Hedgehogs rank as my number one favorite storyteller main character. Who is the woman who did the hedgehog book with those Amazing Incredible illustratioins?? Oh golly-Jan Brett? That book sealed it for me. Hedgehogs rule.
We love cat in splat
Oddball creature: Aye-aye…. pretty cute… being part of the lemur family…. I do not know if it is something I would love to see in a book but it came to mind first :)
Although pigs are not oddball, my son adores them. And he has received several “Olivia” books which always crack me up, I love the way those crazy pigs look walking upright on their hooves!
elephants are a favorite. Might go back to my favorite Disney movie…Dumbo.
My mom told me she had a book about a couple of cockroaches when she was a kid. Alas, I’ve never seen this book! But I sure would be tickled to find a children’s book featuring cockroaches! (not that I like them in real life ....)
GOATS! It sounds ridiculous, but books about and with goats were my favorite as a little kid—many of which I saved for our baby, due in July! There’s just something so super cute about them!
I love books about kangaroos. They jump! And store things in their pouches! Pure awesome!!
I’m always really excited whenever I find an elephant or a walrus in a picture book! Elephants are my favorite, esp in they’re not too Disney-fied.
I would be tickled pink to find a children’s book about a peacock. I’m sure there must be at least one; I just don’t know about it yet.
I also love stories about beetles. Lady beetles (ladybugs) are cute, but dung beetles are awesome!
Hello! Do you KNOW how much I adore WOMBATS???
Finding a fox in a picture book is wonderful—not quite up there with spotting one in the wild—but still great! One of my favorite picture books is The Tomten and the Fox (Astrid Lindgren), but, alas, I don’t have a copy, and it’s not so easy to come by nowadays.

By on February 08, 2011
I know they are not “oddball”....but I love monkeys. Too cute!