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 ALL KINDS OF ANIMAL FAMILIES by Sophy Henn Kirkus Star

ALL KINDS OF ANIMAL FAMILIES

by Sophy Henn ; illustrated by Sophy Henn

Pub Date: March 1st, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68464-191-8
Publisher: Kane Miller

There are different kinds of animal families, too?

The text is embraced by rainbow-stripe endpapers and a clear message that even though no two families, human or animal, “are quite the same,” nevertheless “they all have one thing that’s the same…love.” Within, each double-page spread highlights a different animal family with two levels of text; one is a general comment (“Here is a family where Mommy looks after the babies”), and the second offers more parenting facts (“Orangutan mommies look after their young longer than any other animal parent, and they do it on their own. They love their babies, very, very much”). Backmatter notes keyed to thumbnail pictures add additional, general information about each animal in the text. Animals as familiar as the clownfish, elephant, and cheetah are included, as are lesser-known animals such as the albatross, long-tailed tit, and emu. In scenes from diverse ecosystems—the Australian Outback, the oceans, North American woodland, and African savanna and desert—mothers, fathers, mother-and-father pairs, large extended families and communities, grandparents, two mothers, and two fathers raise and protect their young offspring. Spread after spread of boldly colored illustrations of a lush rainforest, a glowing coral reef, golden grasslands, and an icy evergreen branch, among others, make this a storytime winner for all seasons.

Lovingly reinforces the idea that diverse families are a natural part of our large and diverse world. (Informational picture book. 4-8)