Axolotl, Where's Your Toe? - Terri Tatchell - ★★★★
AUTHOR: Terri Tatchell
ILLUSTRATOR: Ivan Sulima
SERIES: Endangered and Misunderstood, #6
GENRE:Children's Fiction
PUBLICATION DATE: October 8, 2025
RATING: 4 stars.
In a Nutshell: A picture book focussing on the adorable axolotl. Cute story and illustrations. Rhythmic prose. The latest volume of the amazing ‘Endangered and Misunderstood’ series, and just as charming.
Plot Preview:
A young axolotl wonders how the world would be beyond his dark lake. When he sees a beautiful hummingbird flying above the surface of the lake, he gathers all his courage and asks her about the land that is unknown to him. The hummingbird decides that he can be trusted, and takes him around. However, as we all know, some of the creatures on land, especially the biggest two-legged ones, cannot be trusted. Will the hummingbird be able to keep her new friend safe?
The ‘Endangered and Misunderstood’ picture book series always highlights at least one endangered animal that children might not know much about. The star this time is the axolotl, a cute amphibian who is unfortunately getting popular as a pet, leading to a greater risk to its conservation status of ‘critically endangered’.
Through the fictional story, the book conveys several facts related to the axolotl. A few other creatures also pop up in the story, one of whom is endangered as well. The plot incorporates a good message about having courage and keeping calm during trouble. If you are wondering about the ‘toe’ in the title, it is indeed relevant to the story, but I won't go into spoilers.
One thing I didn’t like much was the inclusion of some verses/images showing the hummingbird in a bubble underwater. While the lines do clarify that a fictional story has freedom to take creative license with facts, it might lead to confusion in some younger kids who rely more on pictures to guess what’s happening.
I also wish the story had stressed on the fact that the axolotl isn't pet material, both in terms of conservation and ease of care. Axolotls require very specific conditions, and if these are lacking, they can easily die in captivity. High time humans start using their heads and stop treating these fragile creatures as house accessories.
As is standard in this series, the story is written in rhythmic prose, using the ABCB rhyme scheme. The meter is mostly on point, making the story a good read-aloud option. However, do note that the book is text-intensive, with each page containing between two-six quatrains. The vocabulary is mostly easy, so it should be a good option for kids ages 3-8 years.
Another hallmark of this series is the adorable illustrations. Every page is a riot of colour in the best way possible. The animals and the nature background are all beautifully sketched and coloured.
The book ends with some fun facts about the axolotl and the blue-capped hummingbird. There are also some tips on how we can help endangered animals.
Overall, this is a sweet, educational book. While it could have done better on including some more information about the status of the axolotl as a pet, it still offers a good story about an axolotl who learns some important lessons.
If you are looking for one more compelling reason to buy this book, note that all proceeds from the sale of this book will go directly to axolotl conservation.
Recommended to little animal lovers who want to try a story about an endangered animal.
I purchased this book when it was available as a freebie on Amazon.
The digital version of the entire ‘Endangered and Misunderstood’ series is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.
In case you are interested in this amazing series, here are the other five books in order, though they are all standalone titles. Each book highlights one or two endangered animals.
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