animals

Book Review: The Watcher by Jeanette Winter

| Tasha

watcherwinter

The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter

Follow Jane Goodall’s life in this vivid picture book.  The book follows Jane from her childhood where she spent a lot of time watching the animals around her, including having a robin nest built on her bookcase in her room.  Jane left home soon after graduating from school, heading to Kenya.  There she met Louis Leakey who was looking for someone to observe chimpanzees.  Jane headed into the jungle to watch the chimpanzees, spending time out near them just quietly viewing them.  She learned all sorts of things that no one had ever discovered before.  Jane spent many years with the chimpanzees learning, but then people began to threaten the chimpanzee habitat, so Jane had to leave them and become their voice, speaking out to assure their survival. 

Winter has created a book that speaks to the heart of what Goodall has done, all of her accomplishments and discoveries pale in the book and in life to her dedication to the animals themselves.  Goodall is a perfect subject for a picture book.  She is a brave woman who braved living alone in the wilderness to do what she felt she was meant to do with her life.  Winter captures all of this in few words, allowing Goodall’s life to speak for itself.

Winter’s illustrations are done in acrylic paint and pen.  They have strong forms, deep colors, and a childlike quality that make the book even more approachable for children.  I especially enjoy the cover image with the reflection of the chimpanzees in the lenses of her binoculars.  It sums up the book delightfully.

There is something special about a book that tells children to follow their hearts, but this one is even more special because it also shows children the value of watching and learning too.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House Children’s Books.

Book Review: Woof Meow Tweet-Tweet by Cecile Boyer

| Tasha

woofmeowtweet

Woof Meow Tweet-Tweet by Cecile Boyer

Released June 1, 2011.

This inventive picture book begins by asking if readers can tell the difference between a dog, a cat and a bird.  The book goes on to explain the differences, such as a the dog lives outside during the day and the bird hates its cage.  But instead of an illustration of the animals, Boyer has replaced them with the word for the noise they make: woof, meow, and tweet-tweet.  The book continues showing the differences between the animals and eventually explores what happens when they meet each other, with great effect, lots of fighting and pouncing.  A word-filled elegant picture book that will have readers looking at the world in a new way.

Boyer’s text is brief, and matter-of-fact, allowing the attention to rest mainly on the illustrations themselves.  The art is filled with strong lines, graphic elements, and lots of color.  Even the choice of fonts for the three different animals says something about them.  Woof is done in a deep brown, thick font.  Meow is elegant and even slinky.  Tweet-tweet is narrow and light.  The words play beautifully against the background that is elegantly minimalist. 

Boyer has created a book filled with wordplay that both children and adults will enjoy.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from ARC received from Seven Footer Press.

Book Review: No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont

| Tasha

nosleepforthesheep

No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic

A very silly read-aloud that follows in the tradition of funny bedtime stories set on farms.  Here, the sheep is very tired and wants nothing more than to go to sleep.  But one by one, he is bothered by animals.  First a duck, then a goat, a pig, a cow, and even a horse.  And no one leaves for their own bed, but instead joins the sheep where he sleeps.  And in the end, just when the sheep finally is able to fall asleep, there is one last noisy animal to wake him up.  This time with a COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!

Beaumont has created a text that reads aloud beautifully.  It has a rollicking rhythm and a pattern that repeats again and again.  This makes it ideal for toddlers and young preschoolers, who will enjoy the repetition.  The humor of the text is delightfully simple, made from the silliness of animal noises and interruptions. 

Urbanovic’s art adds a jolly tone to the book.  The fuzzy and increasingly manic sheep, the rotund pink pig, and the mounds of sleeping animals add to the fun.  The facial expressions of the animals are funny all on their own as well.

Add this to any farm story time or any bedtime story times you do.  It will be enjoyed by small children with big senses of humor looking to avoid going to bed.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Time to Eat: Nature and Nibbles

| Tasha

timetoeat

Time to Eat by Steven Jenkins and Robin Page

Jenkins and Page continue their collaboration with a new series of nature books for young children.  The other two books in the series are Time for a Bath (coming in May) and Time to Sleep (just released).  In this book, readers learn about the many strange and different things that animals eat.  From the rocks that an ostrich has to eat to chew its food to the tapping thin fingers of an aye-aye looking for lunch, the facts are fascinating. 

Those facts are paired with Jenkins’ illustrations done in paper collage.  As always, his collage work captures the texture of fur, the softness of feathers, and the smoothness of skin.  They manage to be simple yet demonstrate the complexity of the animals. 

Make sure to turn to the end of the book for more details about the featured animals.  The facts included in the body of the book read aloud very well, offering just enough detail to be interesting and yet to move along quickly. 

This is a great book to add to any library’s nature section and to keep on hand for any nature or animal story times you will be doing.  The dung beetle alone is sure to get children intrigued!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Out of Sight: Sophisticated Popup

| Tasha

OutofSight 

Out of Sight by Francesco Pittau and Gervais

This intriguing lift-the-flap and pop up book is really a fun guessing game.  From one page to the next, the book changes.  First it is silhouettes of animals.  Lift the flap and you get the answer of what animal it is plus a fact about that animal.  There are also sections where you guess the animal from their tracks, their fur, and their tails.  The book is great fun for young science and animal lovers.

out-of-sight-interior

The large format of the book will make it challenging on library shelves, but I wouldn’t expect it to sit there for long anyway.  Nicely, the flaps and pop ups are sturdy enough to stand up to library use.  The concept is a very strong one with plenty of appeal thanks to the strong design elements.  Each page is visually attractive and well designed. 

At times, the illustrations can be a bit off, making guessing more frustrating.  The facts about the animals are random and unrelated to one another, so the occasionally book lacks cohesion.

A great book for reluctant readers, this is less of an informational book and more of an inviting and sophisticated introduction to animals and their variety.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Jean Little Library.

Gumption!

| Tasha

gumption-233x300

Gumption! by Elise Broach, illustrated by Richard Egielski

When Peter’s favorite uncles asks him to join him on an African safari, Peter is eager to accept.  Once in Africa, Uncle Nigel decides that they will search for the Zimbobo Mountain Gorilla.  Their trek takes them through a dense thicket.  When Peter has trouble, Uncle Nigel declares that all it takes is “a bit of gumption.”  While Uncle Nigel pulls out his knife, Peter is helped out of the thicket by a friendly snake.  Uncle Nigel then notices a snake skin on the ground and tells Peter to “look sharp” there are snakes about!  This pattern continues through the book as they reach one obstacle after another, gumption is needed, Peter is helped by another animal, and Uncle Nigel remains fairly oblivious to it all.  Children will delight in the clueless but brave adult and the hijinks he is missing out on. 

Broach has captured just the right feel with her text, hearkening back to the days of exploration with little phrases like “I say!” “That’s ace!” and “Are you zonked?”  Her prose has a nice bounce and style, demanding to be read aloud.  Egielski’s illustrations are bright colored and filled with action.  The places where the animals help Peter are done in almost wordless two-page spreads that have four picture panels to show the action.  Egielski has incorporated borders on the illustrations made from twining vines that bloom by the end of the book.

Add this one to your preschool storytime stack right away.  It’s a natural fit with any adventure story time, and can also be used for gorillas, elephants, crocodiles, and snakes!  Oh my!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

Enhanced by Zemanta

ZooBorns

| Tasha

73239963

ZooBorns! Zoo Babies from around the World by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland

Even without the tie-in to a popular animal blog, this book will fly off your shelves.  Pair gorgeous close-ups of baby animals with clear, concise text and you get lots of appeal.  The book offers a glimpse of animals in a way that is very approachable.  Each pair of pages has five lines of text in a large font and one full-page image of the animals.  Adding to the appeal is the fact that each of the animals is named and offered as an individual.  The fennec fox image alone is worth picking up the book for:

The animals range from the cuddly like foxes and tigers to the strange like aardvarks, hippos and anteaters.  In the rear of the book is more information on each of the animals, though even that will most likely not satisfy a child whose interest is peaked by the book.  I see lots of fennec fox research in my future.

A charming and approachable book that is sure to be enjoyed by many children, this book is appropriate for children aged 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Nic Bishop Lizards: A Beauty of a Science Book

| Tasha

lizards

Nic Bishop Lizards by Nic Bishop

Nic Bishop books combine fascinating science with exquisite photographs.  They are magnets for reluctant readers who love animals and nonfiction.   His latest book on lizards continues with the high quality standard he has set with previous books.  See a lizard hatching, so close that you can almost feel the rubbery egg.  Look right into the eyes of a bright-green baby chameleon.  Marvel at the skin of the thorny devil.  Run across water with a basilisk in a series of stunning shots.  Gawk at the geckos in all of their diversity.  Linger with lizards here in this book that makes science accessible, fascinating and beautiful.

Bishop excels at creating nonfiction for children.  His writing turns scientific facts into accessible and fascinating prose that points readers to reasons for wonder.  With his stunning photographs accompanying his prose, it is too easy to ignore the fact that his writing works so well.  And of course, you have his amazing gift for photography.  Photography that is crystal clear and brings readers so close to the subjects.  Make sure you read his author notes at the end for details about what it took to get the photographs you see in the book.

Highly recommended, this belongs in every school and public library along with Bishop’s other titles.  Get this in the hands of animal lovers, both reluctant readers and non.  But beware, bring it home and you too may be looking into a pet gecko for Christmas.  I hear his name is going to be Bob.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

That’s Not Funny

| Tasha

51B9LfsKHCL._SS500_

That’s Not Funny! by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Adrian Reynolds

When Hyena put a banana peel in Giraffe’s path, he set off a chain of events that he found extremely funny.  When Giraffe slips on the banana peel, he knocked into a tree.  Which in turn caused a coconut to fall onto Hippo’s head.  Hyena kept laughing and laughing, even as Hippo stumbled around very dizzy and stepped on Snake.  Snake bit Ostrich, Ostrich kicked Rhino, and it went on and on.  Until finally Hyena was laughing so hard that he stepped on his own banana peel, hit the same tree, bonked himself on the head with a coconut and fell into a pile of Elephant’s poo!  Now it was the turn of all of the other animals to laugh at Hyena who doesn’t see what was so funny.  Action-filled and bright-colored, this book has huge child-appeal right down to the stinky ending.

Willis may let the gag run on a little long, but her timing is great.  The book offers a huge dose of humor for the preschool set, designed with plenty of sight gags to keep them eagerly listening.  Reynolds’ illustrations are large, bright and very child-friendly.  His illustrations add to the hilarity of the book nicely.

This book is one that children will enjoy again and again.  It will also make a star of a book for a story time and with so many different animals in it, it will fit easily into different programs.  Appropriate for 3-5 year olds.

Reviewed from copy received from Andersen Press USA.