Australian Animals [Hardcover]

Caroline Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

The continent of Australia is home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife, and this captivating book highlights many of them.

Tasmanian devils, koalas, and echidnas make their homes in leafy forests and woodlands. Other animals, such as kangaroos and wombats, inhabit dry grasslands. Still more species, like the bilbies, live in the hot desert, while along the coast fairy penguins parade to their burrows in the sand.

Through award-winning author Caroline Arnold's clearly written text, young readers will discover how each animal--from dingo to glider, quoll to platypus--is able to adapt to its own special environment in the wild.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-Arnold divides her well-organized text into sections that cover the four diverse biomes that are found on the Australian continent and focuses on particular creatures that inhabit these areas. The two-paragraph text describing each of the 17 animals is encased in a beige block to set it off from the full-color photographic background. Koalas, quolls, echidnas, dingoes, bilbies, and penguins are some of the animals introduced. Striking, close-up photos complement the author's comments.
Krista Grosick, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Seventeen unusual animals from Australia are introduced with a brief text and a handsome, full-color, close-up photograph. Like Arnold's other titles, African Animals and South American Animals, this one arranges animals by habitat, focusing on animals of the forest, grasslands, desert, and coast. A map in each section shows where each habitat occurs on the continent. Some very odd creatures are presented, including koalas, possums, gliders, quolls, Tasmanian devils, platypuses, echidnas, kangaroos, wombats, dingoes, snakes, bilbies, and penguins. Children will relish the glossy, full-color photographs, and the text will provide a tantalizing introduction, but young researchers will need to look elsewhere for detailed information. No sources are given. The author does not indicate the size of most animals, and the "rabbit-sized" bilbies and the wombat are shown larger that the six-foot, gray kangaroo. Since no scientific names are given, the reader may search unsuccessfully for the thorny devil or quoll. And the popular kookaburra appears in a photograph but nowhere in the text. Handsome for browsing, but limited for school assignments and research. (Nonfiction. 7-9) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688167667
• ISBN-13: 978-0688167660
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #870,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Caroline Arnold is the author of more than 100 books for children. She writes both fiction and nonfiction and recently has illustrated some of her books with striking cut paper art. To see prints and cards of her illustrations, go to www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt. Recent nonfiction titles include A Polar Bear's World, A Bald Eagle's World, Global Warming and the Dinosaurs, A Panda's World, Giant Sea Reptiles of the Dinosaur Age, Super Swimmers, and Easter Island. Her recent fiction books include Wiggle and Waggle, a collection of five stories for beginning readers, and The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers, a tall tale.
Her books have received awards from the American Library Association, the National Science Teachers Association, P.E.N., and SCBWI. Recently she received the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award for her body of work, the Leo Politi Award from California Readers, and from the Children's Literature Council of Southern California, the Best Written and Illustrated Suite of Nonfiction for children.
Caroline's interest in animals and the out-of-doors began when she was a child growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After majoring in art and literature at Grinnell College in Iowa, she received her M.A. in art from the University of Iowa. Some of her new books are illustrated with her own art. Caroline lives in Los Angeles and teaches part-time in the Writer's Program at UCLA Extension.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Echidnas! Wombats! Dingoes! And more!, April 30, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Australian Animals (Hardcover)

"Australian Animals," by Caroline Arnold, is a good introduction to the creatures of Australia. Directed towards younger readers, the book combines a simple text with plentiful full-color photographs. Animals described include koalas, bilbies, Tasmanian devils, and many others.

The book contains many memorable images: a baby wallaby peeking out from the safety of his mother's pouch, a platypus swimming underwater, a thorny devil lizard trekking across the red sand, fairy penguins congregating by the seashore, and more. Overall, a brief but enjoyable book.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Kids Book, February 18, 2008

By 

Chrisitan H. Gunther - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Australian Animals (Hardcover)

This book would be good for very young children but it is pretty limited in its presentation of Australian animals. There are relatively few animals shown in the book. The entire book can be covered in about 20 minutes.