The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference) [Library Binding]

John Farndon (Author), Jon Kirkwood (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Kingfisher First Reference

Witness the lightning-like dart of the chameleon's sticky tongue or the devious devices of the trap-door spider!

The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia is a valuable addition to the Kingfisher First Reference series and the perfect introduction to the enduringly popular subject of both wild and domestic animals. Detailed, full color illustrations and photographs present animals in a variety of settings -- in their natural habitats, hunting prey, feeding offspring, or engaging in other types of typical behavior. Photographs of children interacting with animals and a variety of clearly-explained activities provide examples of animal behavior or physiology and make this an exceptionally child-friendly book.

Special Features:

Hands-on activities to reinforce learning.
Clear, simple text is inviting and accessible to five- and six-year-old children.
Fact boxes and detailed captions provide older children with in-depth information.
Simple alphabetical arrangement.
Bold, clear headwords.
Cross-references.
Index and glossary.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This slim encyclopedia is aimed at satisfying the very young reader's first attempt at animal research. The 155 entries are arranged in alphabetical order, from aardvark to zebra, and are illustrated with just fewer than 1,000 color pictures, including some photographs. The animals are those most likely to be encountered by young children in picture books, zoos, or their own backyards. There are also entries for larger groups (baby animal, mammal, reptile) and for some topics related to animal behavior, such as communication and migration. Each topic is covered in one page, with text consisting of a brief description of the animal in bold type, and captions for each picture. The print size is readable and appealing to the elementary user.

For some animals, such as butterfly and frog, an illustration of the life cycle is provided, with numbers to help students see the various stages in sequence. Each page includes "Find Out More," which functions as a see also reference. Fact boxes contain added facts and figures, but are missing for some animals. Parents, teachers, and librarians will welcome step-by-step activities and projects that are included with animal topics that lend themselves to arts-and-crafts projects. A glossary and index add value to the volume as a reference tool.

Similarly-named volumes, The Kingfisher First Encyclopedia of Animals (1994), with 400 entries, and The Kingfisher Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals [RBB O 15 92], covering more than 2,000 animals, are geared toward older children. Children ages five through eight will have a visual adventure with this new Kingfisher volume, which will answer the basic requirements of animal reports, though further research may be required on most animals. Recommended for school and public libraries.

About the Author

Since 1992. Kingfisher children's books and Larousse reference titles originating in the U.K. and France that are edited/co-published for the North American market. Now a sales division of Houghton Mifflin Company.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 160 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753451352
• ISBN-13: 978-0753451359
• Product Dimensions: 15 x 12 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Children's
  • #100 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Veterinary

More About the Author

LONDON-BASED AUTHOR JOHN FARNDON studied earth sciences and English literature at Cambridge University but has since written on just about every topic imaginable. He has written over 300 books, which have sold millions of copies around the world in most major languages and include many best-sellers, such as the award-winning 'Do Not Open', which became a cult-hit in the USA as well as featuring on the New York Times and Washington Post best-seller lists. In earlier years, he wrote mostly for children, and has been shortlisted a record four times for the junior Science Book prize. But recently he has been writing for adults too.
Many of his books have on popular science, and in particular earth science and nature, and environmental issues, including'How the Earth Works', 'The Wildlife Atlas', 'The Dictionary of the Earth'. He was a major contributor to the Smithsonian's 'Earth' and 'Science' encyclopedias His 'Practical Encyclopedia of Rocks and Minerals' (not as dry as it sounds!) has recently been one of the top 15 selling books for Scientific American. The 'Atlas of Oceans, his big book on endangered life in the oceans, for Yale in the USA (A&C Black in the UK and Australian Geographic in Australia) garnered glowing reports prepublication from major figures in the USA such as the Cousteaus, Carl Safina, and Harm de Blij.
But he has covered a wide range of topics, including many books on contemporary issues such as 'Everything you should know about Iran', 'China Rises') and '101 Facts You Should Know about Food'. He also writes on the history of science and idea. In 2010, his book for Icon 'Do You Think You're Clever?' was a best-seller and was shortlisted for the Society of Authors Education Award. 'The World's Greatest Idea' was selected as one of the top 50 books of the year in South Africa.
He has a growing following on his internet sites, including podcasts and blogs, and is also a playwright and songwriter, whose work has been performed at such theatres as the Donmar and Almeida in London and the Salisbury Playhouse. Songs of his have been selected many times for the Sondheim Singing prize and other showcases.

http://www.johnfarndon.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Preschool Resource, October 24, 2001

By 

"a_mom" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference) (Library Binding)

Before buying this book, I wondered if it covered enough animals to make it worthwhile. It does. Rarely are we disappointed when we reach for this kid-friendly encyclopedia. Some entries cover several similar animals, such as the entry for the Kangaroo and Wallaby.

Each entry contains a nice combination of illustrations/photographs and text. The information is nicely geared toward preschoolers and younger elementary-aged children. So far, it's been able to answer most of the questions of my very inquisitive 3 1/2 year old.

The book contains a very nice table of contents, glossary and index. While finding information on animals, my son has also learned how to use these handy reference tools. However, the book does not contain a map. A map would be a welcome addition since the book often mentions where the animals live. We use a separate map/globe/atlas but it makes the whole process more bulky.

Several of the entries cover animal-related infomation: camoflage, communication, conservation, coral reef, defense, evolution, habitat, migration, and reproduction. There are also separate entries for amphibian, insect, mammal, and reptile.

The book contains some hand-on art and experiments for a few of the entries. The ones we have tried are very age appropriate for my 3 1/2 year old.

We've referred to this book a lot. Judging by the quality of information and the interest my son shows in it, we'll continue to do so for quite some time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but not as good as DK's Animal Encyclopedia, August 10, 2006

By 

B. Troxler - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference) (Library Binding)

We bought this book after already purchasing the Animal Encyclopedia from DK. If I had it to do over again I would have just purchased the book from DK. The real photos and minimum of two to three page spread on each animal make it so much more informative.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best for preschoolers, September 10, 2006

By 

J. Lee "beanies' mommy" (OC, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference) (Library Binding)

I checked out 4 animal encyclopedias for children. They are all great, but three of them were classified by the kinds/habitat/class. The Kingfisher's animal encyclopedia is organized alphabetically and dedicates one or two pages maximum on one animal. My 4 year old likes it the best. When he wants to look up shark, he goes, 'sh, sh,... letter S!' and he can find it easily. In one page, this book sums up what preschoolers and kindergarteners want to know about the shark. This is truely the best first animal encyclopedia for children.