Animal Snackers [Hardcover]

Betsy Lewin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

The ostrich eyes with eager glint
a stone-his after-dinner mint.
It is a snack that he must swallow
so indigestion does not follow.

A Classic about animals' favorite treats-
republished with all new illustrations

We all know that animals never eat at tables, and they don't eat the same treats as we do, but where and what do animals eat? Well, tick birds eat on the backs of rhinos. And platypuses?

Do you know what porcupines eat? Find out that and more in Betsy Lewin's whimsical account of the eating habits of some exotic creatures.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–In this reworking of her 1980 poetry collection of the same name (Dodd, Mead; o.p.), Lewin presents the eating habits of gorillas, ostriches, koalas, tickbirds, and sea otters, among others. On each spread, four lines of verse face a watercolor in her signature style of a dining creature. These poems, which are largely rhymed couplets, range from the delightfully clever ("The ostrich eyes with eager glint/a stone–his after-dinner mint") to the pedantically ordinary ("Tickbirds ride the rhino's back,/looking for a tasty snack"). While Lewin does not demonstrate the same playful use of language as Douglas Florian does in his animal verse, her poems have a greater simplicity, making them more accessible to a younger audience. Whereas Lewin's original bread-dough illustrations wryly fit the theme and title of the text, the new art offers clearer and more naturalistic images of the snacking creatures. Collections that have the earlier edition may want to purchase this version as well because of its radically different feel. It will be especially useful as a tie-in for science lessons. An "Animal Facts" section is included.–Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
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Review

"It's a light brush with natural history that will leave young readers and listeners rolling in the aisles." --Kirkus

"...cheerful new watercolors serve up the rhymes from the 1980 edition as a delectable new entrée." --Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (August 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805067485
• ISBN-13: 978-0805067484
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,515,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute Children's Book: "Animal Snackers", November 9, 2004

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Animal Snackers (Hardcover)

Using colorful pictures and text, this updated children's book for readers age 4-8 is sure to captivate adults and children alike. Everyone knows what humans eat. But what do the animals eat? As the author puts it in rhyme at the beginning:


"Just Imagine

Imagine if we all could eat/nothing but our favorite treat, /eating where and when we're able, / never seated at a table."


From learning that Gorillas prefer bamboo, that Koala's will only eat eucalyptus leave, to the tickbird that eats pests off the Rhino's back, we find out some of the items that various birds and animals like to eat. The information is present in small rhyming poems of four lines using simple words that children can understand.

At the same time, with the rhyming text on one side, there are colorful illustrations on the facing pages featuring the animal or bird described in text. Painted by the author, the illustrations are vibrant and colorful in a friendly way with no creatures being depicted in a frightening way. Like the text, which is cheerful and bright, so are the illustrations.

To further enhance the reading experience for the young child, there are small definitions of the twelve creatures covered in the book at the back. Listed in alphabetical order, each animal or bird is briefly described as it its natural habitat and some characteristics. The definitions serve as an exclamation point on this wonderful children's book.

Book Facts:

Animal Snackers
By Betsy Lewin
Henry Holt and Company
www.henryholt.com
2004
ISBN # 0-8050-6748-5
Hardback
$15.95 US
$22.95 Canada



Kevin R. Tipple © 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Love to read, September 1, 2011

By 

Pat (FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Animal Snackers (Hardcover)

We bought this book for our grandson's 1st birthday. 3 years later we're still enjoying it with him. It's a cute book that gets kids thinking. He often points out the different types of teeth animals have now when we're at a zoo or museum. It has proven to be a valuable addition to his personal library.