Karen O'Callaghan

I LOVE this book. It seems outdated at first glance, and in many ways it kind of is, but it actually gives really great information and images about a really wide ranging spectrum of animals.

Two very white little kids, a boy and girl, are shown on each page surrounded by labeled animals. Occasionally there is dialogue, but only in ways pertinent to the species' information. For instance, in one scene, the kids are at school and one says something like, "These animals live free around the world," and points to animals like elephants and lions, etc. The other kid says something like, "These animals might live around my home," and points to animals like cows, chickens, dogs, etc.

The aspect I like most is that it gives names you don't hear that often anymore, and it doesn't sugarcoat the animals names so that they're dumbed down to only the most basic species. I also love that so many different animals are listed, like the lynx, puma, tortoise, limpets, whelks. Also, on one set of pages, 6 different types of animals are arranged in adult male, adult female, adolescent order. It never specifically says that the animals are 'dad' and 'mom' order, but it's actually really useful to know. e.g., Stallion, mare, foal; ram, ewe, lamb, etc. (Though I don't know who calls a male chicken a cockerel now....Like i said, in some ways it is a little outdated.)… (mere)