This comprehensive encyclopaedia of animals should be useful for all the family. Using a highly visual approach with photographs and artworks of animals in action, "The Kingfisher Illustrated Animal Encyclopaedia" combines hard facts about a particular animal with details of its lifestyle, behaviour, other members of its family, and habitat and conservation. Each entry specifies the class, order, family, genus and species of the animal and describes its characteristics. The encyclopaedia contains details of more than 2000 animals of all types, from armadillos and wallabies to sea cucumbers and fish eagles, arranged thematically from the smallest animal to the biggest.

The book is divided into two main parts. In "Invertebrates", the sections are simple animals, cnidarians and comb jellies, flatworms, roundworms and ribbon worms, segmented worms, molluscs, arthropods and echinoderms. In "Vertebrates", the sections are fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. There are also special features scattered throughout the book that focus on general animal subjects such as hibernation, aestivation, colour and camouflage.

More than half the entries are illustrated by photographs or artwork. The design and layout of information in "The Kingfisher Illustrated Animal Encyclopaedia" is intended to be clear, modern and should appeal to child and adult alike.