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MY FIRST BOOK OF WILD ANIMALS

Name: MY FIRST BOOK OF WILD ANIMALS
Author: National Wildlife Federation
ISBN: 978-1-62354-029-6

From the National Wildlife Federation series

by National Wildlife Federation ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014

While full images of all of the animals would have been preferable, this is a simple and useful introduction with...

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Lions, tigers, bears and more for the youngest readers.

A howling wolf, a herd of wildebeest and a stampeding rhinoceros are among the others shown on single- or double-page spreads accompanied by simple labels in a bold, high-contrast type. Many of the images, credited to a long list of wildlife photographers in the backmatter, are quite breathtaking, such as the eagle in flight and a dolphin leaping through the waves. Some pictures are strangely cropped, particularly the hippo, the tiger and gray whale, and unfortunately do not give little ones a sense of the entire animal. The companion book, My First Book of Baby Animals, is almost identical in form and structure, but it lists the name for each baby animal (kit, cub, calf, etc.) along with the animal’s name in the caption. Some of the same animals are repeated in both books, such as lion, panda, polar bear, elephant, kangaroo and gorilla. Several of the critters are shown with a parent; a cygnet rides on a grown swan’s back, and a foal is nicely framed by a full-size zebra.

While full images of all of the animals would have been preferable, this is a simple and useful introduction with eye-catching images. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)

Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62354-029-6

Page Count: 22

Publisher: Imagine Publishing

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST BOOK OF ANIMAL OPPOSITES
by National Wildlife Federation

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST BOOK OF FUNNY ANIMALS
by National Wildlife Federation ; photographed by National Wildlife Federation

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

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Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.

This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)