animals

In the Wild

| Tasha

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In the Wild by David Elliott illlustrated by Holly Meade

This book of poems explores wild animals throughout the world.  Intriguing animals from the lion to the panda to the polar bear are examined through poems that get to the very heart of them.  The poems are brief and at the same time evocative.  Paired with the watercolor and woodcut illustrations, the book is an inviting collection of poems suitable for the young child. 

Elliott writes his poems with a great sense of play and curiosity.  Turn the page, and you will get a contrasting approach with seriousness and grace.  It is this interplay of tone that makes this book so very readable, one never knows just what will happen in the next poem or what the next featured animal will be.  Meade’s illustrations offer a unified look for these ever-changing poems.  She stylishly captures the animals in iconic poses and situations that are made stylized and beautiful through her woodcuts.  The illustrations will project well to a group and offer large two-page spreads that show the animals in their habitats. 

A great pairing of the appeal of animals and the poetic form, this book is a magnificent addition to library collections.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book

| Tasha

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The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book by Jez Alborough

Alborough, author of the Duck in the Truck series, returns with a new cast of animal characters and plenty of mischief to keep young listeners entertained.  Early in the morning, when the farmer was still in bed, Sheep climbed onto the tractor and made the sound that the tractor makes when it’s starting up.  Ba-a-a-a.  Cat comes and can make the sound the engine makes when its starting to move.  Purr. Turkey arrives.  He can make the sound of the tractor when it heads down the road.  The three of them pretend the tractor is starting, running and heading off.  Then Mouse, Goose and Cow arrive with their own noises which combined make all of the sounds of the tractor driving away.  Which is just what the farmer thinks when he hears them all together!

The cacophony of animal sounds is great fun here, especially with the twist of them sounding like the motor, wheels and other parts of a tractor.  Children will love trying to make the noises of the animals sound like machinery.  Alborough excels at making picture books that are friendly and very accessible for children.  His text is simple and fast moving, taking readers directly to the humor and the action.  His bright colored illustrations are zippy and jolly.

Add this to any farm themed toddler story time for plenty of noise making fun.  It will also appeal to children who enjoy machines.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Kane Miller.

 

  

Heads – Pull the Tab, Watch It Move, Laugh Along

| Tasha

Heads by Matthew Van Fleet

I am a huge fan of Van Fleet and his mix of clever tabs with very humorous touches.  Perfect for small hands, his books withstand a lot of play from the smallest children.  This book follows his Tails book.  Here the rollicking rhyme takes readers from one type of head to another.  It features heads to touch, like the woolly and hairy heads.  It also takes a funny look at necks, ears, mouths, tongues, noses and eyes.  A great introduction to the various body parts, what sets this book apart are the pull tabs that bring the illustrations to life.  The terrific part is that even the most jaded adults will be surprised at the artistry and humor here.

Van Fleet excels at writing words that flow and dance in a jaunty jig.  His text can be read aloud effortlessly.  His art is cartoony, silly and even the parts that don’t move have small humorous touches to watch for. 

Ideal for a birthday or holiday present for any toddler, this book is a treat.  The only problem is figuring out which child gets to pull the next pull tab!  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Wonder Horse

| Tasha

 

Wonder Horse: the True Story of the World’s Smartest Horse by Emily Arnold McCully

“Doc” Bill Key was born a slave and always had a knack with animals.  When Emancipation came, he became a veterinarian and a businessman.  After purchasing an Arabian mare from a circus, Doc bred her hoping to have a fast racehorse.  But the foal was born with twisted legs and worse, the mare died after giving birth.  It was a bit before Doc realized how intelligent the foal, Jim, was.  Soon Jim had moved into the house to sleep and had learned to open the paddock lock and also find where Doc kept the apples.  Doc wondered what else Jim could learn to do.  Slowly, Jim learned the alphabet and colors.  Doc and Jim performed for audiences until their act was questioned as a fraud.  An independent panel came in and tested Jim without Doc in the room, proving that Jim indeed was able to read, spell, do arithmetic, and knew his colors.  The two continued to travel together and perform, demonstrating the intelligence of animals and that kindness is the key to learning.

This book is ideal for animal lovers who will root for Doc and Jim from the beginning.  The fact that it is a true story makes it a far more interesting read.  McCully manages to offer a vast amount of information and insight in a picture book format without losing the ease of phrase that is necessary for this age group.  Young readers will delight in how and what Jim learned as well as the relationship between trainer and animal.  The book does not turn away from the racism leveled at Doc.  McCully addresses it with frankness and subtlety, allowing the book to be read and understood at different levels.

McCully’s paintings capture the connection and relationship of Doc and Jim as well as the beauty of the horse.  The author’s note at the end is also of interest.  It offers a photograph of Doc and Jim where readers will be pleased to see how close a resemblance they have to the illustrations in the book.

A celebration of trainer and animal as well as kindness and perseverance, this book will delight young horse fans.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

More Life-Size Zoo

| Tasha

More Life-Size Zoo by Teruyuki Komiya

A gorgeous combination of life-sized animal photographs and interesting facts on each creature.  Readers will be wowed by the enormous lion that folds out to its full size that is cleverly combined with a lion cub so that the growth can be understood.  The bottomless black of the eyes of a seal will draw readers in.  The amazing color of an orangutan’s coat will have small hands rubbing the photograph.  The final photo of the glory of a hippopotamus and its coarse hairs and moist skin finishes the collection on a high note.  This book will be shared between children and appeals to a wide range of ages.  Make sure you have the first book Life-Size Zoo at hand too.

The photographs here are the heart of the book.  It is a pleasure to see photos with such clarity printed in this large a format.  The detail of skin, fur, eyes and mouths is astonishing and invites readers to lean in and really see the animals close up.  The facts with each animal apply both to the specific specimen in the photograph and to the animal in general.  The section about the close up offer small details that children will enjoy looking for in the photos. 

Guaranteed to get appreciative exclamations from young readers who will turn to the photos again and again.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from book received from Seven Footer Press.

Dancing Feet

| Tasha

Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig, illustrated by Marc Brown

This bright, fun book is sure to have toddler toes tapping in no time.  In alternating double-page spreads, children see the feet of an animal and then get to guess what it is.  When the page is turned, the answer is revealed.  The rhyme and rhythm here are great, adding to the dancing theme.  Each set of animal feet make a noise from Tippity! Tippity! to Thumpity! Thumpity!  This engaging picture book is ideal for toddler story time where children need to get their wiggles out.

Craig’s verses are filled with infectious rhythms.  The sound words she has selected make for book that will get kids moving and enjoying the guessing game.  Brown’s collage is filled with vibrant color made even more interesting with textures.  The illustrations are large and will project well to a group of children.

Toddlers who are wiggly will enjoy doing movements to this book, making animal noises and even using instruments to follow the rhythm of each type of foot step.  With so many animals inside, it is sure to find a place on your go-to shelf for toddler storytimes.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Knopf.

Also reviewed by:

How to Clean a Hippopotamus

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How to Clean a Hippopotamus by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

A fascinating tour through symbiotic relationships in the animal kingdom, this book uses comic book frames and short text bubbles to become incredibly appealing to reluctant readers.  Filled with Jenkins’ paperwork illustrations that offer clarity beyond that of photographs, this book is a visual treat.  It is also filled with interesting facts, and is sure to surprise even the most informed reader with several of the relationships inside.  Journey through symbiotic relationships where one animal cleans another one to others where enemies become friends and supporters for a time.  Get this one into the hands of children who love animals and struggle with books, they are sure to feel right at home here.

Jenkins’ art is done with such confidence and cleverness.  His use of fuzzy papers to get the feel of fur, of color to get the feel of skin, and of pattern to get the texture right really take him beyond most other paper artists in children’s books today.  The fact that he manages to capture what an animal actually looks like is amazing.  Animals have a light in their eyes, a focus and in this book a relationship with each other, all captured with paper. 

The facts here are done with just the right amount of text and a playful, interested tone.  The book invites readers in and marvels alongside them.  The design here is wonderfully done, breaking what could have been paragraphs of text to wade through into windows of color filled with bite-sized bits of text that get readers wanting more.

Highly recommended, every library needs this book on their shelves.  Guaranteed to go home over and over again.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Check out another review at A Patchwork of Books.

Animal Soup

| Tasha

Animal Soup by Todd H. Doodler

This book is pure silliness.  Pure.  There is not an educational item here, just lots of giggles and guesses.  Take one animal, add another and the result is a mixture of the two.  The book begins with “What would I be if I had wings to fly…” with a picture of a bird.  “…but walked very slowly instead?” with a picture of a turtle.  Then one lifts the flap to see the answer which is: Bird + Turtle = Birdle along with the image of the bird wearing a turtle’s shell.  Turn the page and it begins again and it is impossible to stop opening the flaps to see the silly combinations. 

Doodler has hit upon a winning combination here of humor and surprise.  His pairing of unlikely animals (who could resist finding out what a squirrel and a whale combine to become) along with the humorous names he calls them will have children laughing out loud.  His simple colorful art adds to the humor.  The animals are all googly eyed and the combination images are delightful. 

Hand this to a reluctant young reader and they will read it again and again.  It is an ideal choice for libraries with flaps that will stand up to most use and for storytimes where children are restless.  This will have them laughing and entranced in no time.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Golden Books.

Sick Day for Amos McGee

| Tasha

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead.

I was utterly charmed by this book.  It has a gentle humor, a sweetness and an inherent loveliness that really makes it special.

Amos McGee got up early every morning, changed into his uniform, and headed to work at the City Zoo.  Even though he had a busy work schedule, he always had time to visit his friends.  He played chess with the elephant, ran races with the tortoise, sat quietly with the shy penguin, wiped the rhino’s runny nose, and read books to the owl who was afraid of the dark.  But one morning, Amos woke up and didn’t feel well enough to go to the zoo.  His friends waited for him, but when Amos didn’t come they set out to visit him instead.  The elephant played chess with him.  The turtle played hide and seek instead of running races.  The penguin kept Amos’ feet warm.  The rhino always had a handkerchief ready when Amos sneezed.  And at bedtime, the owl read them all a book.

The husband and wife team who created this book really worked well together.  Philip’s tone of writing has a gentle feel that matches his wife’s art perfectly.  Philip’s writing is very readable and works well aloud.  The small touches of detail make the world more convincing, including the elephant taking a lot of time to make his move in chess and the spoonfuls of sugar Amos uses at breakfast.  It is these little facts that really invite one to linger longer in the book.

Erin’s art is delightfully realistic for such a fantastical story.  The animals are very true to life except for their hobbies.  Her art uses delicate lines and subtle colors.  I especially enjoyed Erin’s two-page wordless spreads as the animals head to Amos’ home.  Again with her art, the small touches add so much: the elephant lining up his chess pieces while waiting for Amos and the socks on the feet of the penguin.  Small details but very important to the tone and feel of the book.

Highly recommended, this book will be embraced by all who read it.  Share it for units on zoos, colds or save it for a great bedtime read.  Now all I need to find is a shy penguin to keep my feet warm…

Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Also reviewed by The Reading Tub.