Simms Taback's Safari Animals (Giant Fold-Out Book) [Hardcover]

Simms Taback (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2008 | Age Level: 2 and up | Series: Giant Fold-Out Book

Here's a book that's also a guessing game! Turn the page for your first clue: "I have a huge mane." Open the flap and you'll see another: "I can roar." Open one more, and you'll see the answer to the riddle: "It's a lion!" In this colorful book of safari animals, the award-winning art of Simms Taback becomes a fun, interactive guessing game.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K—This book is boldly illustrated and cheerful, with foldout pages that contain guessing games. On the first verso, "Who am I?" is written in a childlike, chunky font next to a pair of huge gray legs with pink-toed feet. The facing page is black, with the words "I have big feet" in white letters. Open it upward and a larger view of the animal is unveiled, this time exposing four gray legs, a curled-up trunk, and orange tusks. The newly opened flap is a vivid blue and contains the words, "I have a l-o-n-g nose." The page folds out once again to reveal the whole animal in an eye-catching green setting: "I'm an ELEPHANT!" That's the formula for six creatures—but the formula doesn't begin to describe the wonder of opening up each page into a satisfyingly enormous illustration in the master designer/illustrator's typically pleasing shapes with thick, black outlines and wildly contrasting colors. One particularly enjoyable spread shows a golden-brown hippo with yellow eyes, a pink polka-dot mouth, and a fabulously purple background. Young children will have a blast, over and over again, opening the pages, looking at the pictures, and identifying the animals.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
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About the Author

Simms Taback won a Caldecott Honor Award for There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly and the Caldecott Medal for Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, of which Horn Book wrote, "The art sings with color and movement and humor and personality." He has collaborated with Harriet Ziefert for more than twenty years; working together, they have produced more than a dozen books, including When I First Came to This Land (Putnam) and Two Little Witches (Candlewick). He currently lives in Southern California.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 20 pages
• Publisher: Blue Apple Books; Ill edition (April 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934706191
• ISBN-13: 978-1934706190
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #918,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Simms Taback grew up in the Bronx and graduated from Cooper Union. He has worked as an art director and a graphic designer, and has taught at the School of Visual Arts and Syracause University. He has illustrated many children's books, including I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Viking), Spacy Riddles, Snakey Riddles, Buggy Riddles, and Fishy Riddles (all written by Katy Hall and lIsa Eisenberg, Dial). His work has won many awards, including the Caldecott Honor Award Medal for I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book. A father of three and grandfather of three, Mr. Taback lives with his wife in Willow, New York copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Colorful animals and wonderful idea, February 16, 2012

By 

Anyn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simms Taback's Safari Animals (Giant Fold-Out Book) (Hardcover)

We enjoy the awesome pictures in this book! It is wonderful. My one regret is that there is not a wonderful story to accompany these images, so after looking at it a few times, there isn't a story to keep my daughter returning to it. But we do enjoy looking at the pictures while we read other books about these animals.

The author was a wonderful artist.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Youngsters!, December 10, 2010

By 

StarLight (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simms Taback's Safari Animals (Giant Fold-Out Book) (Hardcover)

This children's book is adorable, really. It allows your child to try to figure out which safari animal is in the large fold-out page by giving clues. Your child can help to open the pages and answer the question: WHO AM I?

You'll find that there is an elephant, a zebra, a hippo, an ostrich, a lion, and a giraffe hidden inside this book for your child to find. The clues are not very difficult, and even if your child does not know the facts, the picture becomes clearer with each clue, and surely they will figure it out. How exciting!

Example: WHO AM I? I HAVE A BIG, FURRY MANE. I CAN ROAR. I'M A LION! (accompanied by an adorable picture, of course)

This is a good buy. Enjoy. :-)

5.0 out of 5 stars great for little ones!, February 22, 2010

By 

Amy C. (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simms Taback's Safari Animals (Giant Fold-Out Book) (Hardcover)

Our baby loves this book! She pulls out the book for us to read and she squeals with delight as we open the fold out pages.