Customer Reviews

Animal Lives: Giraffes (Animal Lives (Teacher Created Resources))

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a mere 32 pages this book covers the animal's natural habitat, characteristics, prey and predator and much more. The pictures are simply beautiful and I love that they used bold large font so that kids and parents can read it without squinting. The way the facts are layed out throughout the book seems more like a game so kids won't even think of it as "learning" or "hard work". I purchased the whole set-18 books individually. They are ridiciously cheap on Amazon on other websites they are going for over $200 for the set. Makes a great gift for an animal lover or an excellent way to start an inexpensive animal encyclopedia in your home.

Within an hour of birth baby giraffes are up and running, but only after that first drink of milk! So Sally Morgan tells us in "Giraffes (Animal Lives)," one in a series of eight books about animals in the wild.

As a school librarian, when I find a set of books I think the reading public would like to know about, I review just one in the set. Why did I choose the volume about giraffes instead of Alligators and Crocodiles, Eagles, Bees and Wasps, Bears, Sharks, Tortoises and Turtles, or Orangutans? The answer is so simple, yet so cute.

There is this advertisement featuring a Russian Mafia man, who is so rich he can choose between two identical gold busts--IDENTICAL gold busts--during a buying spree. After he sits on a sofa with his main squeeze, he tells us which television service he has bought, then stretches over to this tiny foot-high giraffe, who, in turn, reaches over to kiss this Mafia dude right on the lips. The Russian, this cool, nouveau-riche person, bounces in his chair, laughing with great happiness. Frankly, I'm a bit envious--about kissing the giraffe, not the Russian.

When I discovered this set among the new books which needed to be processed and put into the system, I chose Giraffes with no hesitation. I had to know more about that darling, foot-high giraffe. What I learned, however, is that a baby giraffe--at birth--is already 6 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds! Amazingly, an adult tail is 8 feet long! That same adult is so tall, he can look into a second floor window!

How does a giraffe drink water? Mostly from water on leaves; however, during dry times, he must drink from the watering hole like everyone else. They spread their legs just so, then bend down, putting him at his most vulnerable. If a crocodile is underwater, then it's goodbye giraffe.

The most surprising fact in the book (in my opinion) is the different marks on a giraffe and their cause. First, giraffes are found only in Africa. The specific location and its plant life determine the markings and coloration. For example, the Masai Giraffe has markings that look like leaves, while the Rothschild from Uganda and Kenya has deep, dark patterns that are rectangular. There are seven more subspecies.

This 32-page book, including Glossary and Index, provides so much more to educate and entertain the child ages 9-12 (and adult) about this wonderful creature. If you can have only one from the set, then "Giraffes" is the one to acquire.