THE MOST IMPORTANT ANIMAL OF ALL

Which animal is most important? Seven children offer different opinions.

Following a semester of zoological studies, a teacher asks their students to name the most important animal. Tan-skinned George proposes elephants (“Even their poo is useful!”), brown-skinned Nimmie goes for bees because they’re “like fairies for farmers,” and five other classmates chime in with candidates of their own: sharks, beavers, bats, tigers, and krill. In the end, Worms leaves it up to readers to decide, but as the chosen creatures are all keystone species and the children make compelling cases for their choices, a definitive answer isn’t obvious, and they are not likely to actually settle on one…but readers will be inspired to mull the topic themselves. To keep the conversation going, the author introduces four more keystone species at the end (wolves, sea otters, corals, and sea stars). Bailey places painted images of a diverse class led by a brown-skinned teacher in a tiger suit and renditions of wildlife in natural settings alongside bright, clear photographic portraits (of the animals) and adds helpful schematic views of flower parts next to three bee species and an Antarctic marine food web. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Tailor-made for sparking animal study and lively discussions.