Do Animals Have Feelings Too? (A Sharing Nature With Children Book) [Paperback]

David L. Rice (Author), Trudy Calvert (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: A Sharing Nature With Children Book

This collection of true stories of animal behavior is not only captivating and thought-provoking, but also a terrific way for teachers and parents to have children to consider feelings--whether animal or human. A young antelope was being dragged into a river by a crocodile. A nearby hippopotamus saw what was happening and charged the croc, which released the antelope. The hippo gently pulled the antelope up the riverbank, comforting and protecting it until it died. Was this compassion? A zoo monkey routinely used a banana to bribe a moose to carry him across a moat designed to keep him confined to a small island. Was this cleverness?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5-McKinney presents the ecological food chain in a rhyming story. Couplets are frequently sketchy or vague. For example, in describing an owl, she writes, "Her wide yellow eyes, designed for the night,/get their glow from the reptile, captured in flight." Some rhymes are forced ("The vulture is known as a great opportunist/that preys on the fallen if finding it soonest") making the explanation of the links in the food chain even more confusing. Wallace's illustrations done in oil paints are large and colorful, showing fine details of birds, mammals, insects, and plants in their natural surroundings. There is no glossary to explain words such as "phytoplankton" and "zooplankton" and the rhymes that constitute the table of contents sacrifice understanding ("Link Number One-Born in the Sun"). Rice investigates the question of whether animals experience feelings such as compassion, loyalty, grief, deceitfulness, and love. Chapters are arranged by attribute. Although Calvert's illustrations are large and colorful, the text on each page is dense and daunting. Three out of 13 sources cited in the bibliography are old Reader's Digest articles (1964-79) with incomplete references. There is no table of contents, index, or glossary. All in all, there is not much coherent information in these titles.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

. . .an excellent resource for parents and teachers looking for ways to initiate discussions with children about what qualities are important to us. --Bookselling This Week

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dawn Pubns (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584690046
• ISBN-13: 978-1584690047
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > General
  • #98 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Zoology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compassion Compounded, October 7, 2000

By 

"j-huber" (Nashville, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do Animals Have Feelings Too? (A Sharing Nature With Children Book) (Hardcover)

Although I'm 57, not 13, I love the new book-for-all-ages DO ANIMALS HAVE FEELINGS, TOO? This remarkable book is required reading for everyone who loves animals, and also for those who need lessons in compassion. I can't imagine a better Christmas gift for Grandma, Aunt Susie, or a favorite teacher. (Maybe a child's LEAST favorite teacher should have one, too.) Superbly illustrated by Trudy Calvert, a noted wilflife artist, the book begs to be petted; your fingers will automatically run over every hair of these delightful animals. The author has managed to teach a valuable lesson of compassion for all living things, incredibly important in this sometimes emotionally barren world. Long after you close the book, the illustrations and the message haunt you. What more can you ask of a unique, loving book?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encourages discussing feelings & opinions, December 30, 2002

By 

Ark Lady (Diana L Guerrero) "ArkLady" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do Animals Have Feelings Too? (A Sharing Nature With Children Book) (Paperback)

by Diana Guerrero
This book is a good tool to get kids to discuss feelings and to describe their views and own experiences. It presents emotional themes such as compassion, loyalty, grief, and others, while giving animal examples and then asking questions. Although there are examples of animals choosing the opposite responses to those presented (gorillas in captivity have attacked people, etc.) the book is a good tool for sparking dialog and breaking through the old concept that animals don't have emotions.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, July 1, 2010

By 

E. McNew (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Do Animals Have Feelings Too? (A Sharing Nature With Children Book) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book. The School Library Journal Review on this page is for a different book. This needs to be corrected.