From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3--The African elephant, the blue-tongued skink, and the zebra butterfly are among the numerous creatures whose different traits are revealed by their popular names. This simple survey begins with the proposition that there's much to discover in an animal's name. Many possibilities are posed in single pages or double-spread views. Some creatures are named for how they move around, some for their habitat, some for their unique features. Informative color portraits group these beings on plain backgrounds or show them in their habitat. Concluding pages revisit each one with a quick set of facts about its size, behavior, and country of habitation. Finally, 18 additional animals with interesting names are introduced, accompanied by black-and-white sketches. The concept is simple and appealing, and children will marvel at the names and the variety.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Ages 5-9. There's nothing random about what we call animals, says DuQuette, author of
Hotel Animal (1994) and
The House Book (1999). In his latest, he invites children to learn something about a species just by paying attention to its names. DuQuette's handsome, realistically detailed illustrations pair with brief examples of names that give information about an animal's habitat ("polar bear"), how it moves ("grasshopper"), what it sounds like ("howler monkey"), and so on. Unusual species are included along with familiar ones, which will please animal fans eager to learn more, and a concluding section offers additional information on each species. Quirky and informative, this offers a satisfying combination of wordplay and breezy animal facts for zoologists in the making.
Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
