ANIMALS OF LAND, SEA, AND AIR

Attention, animal lovers!

A feast for budding zoologists, this fact-laden French import contains four main sections—“What Is an Animal?” “Animal Life,” Animal Habitats,” and “Observing Animals.” Within sections, each page highlights a different relevant topic; for instance, under “What Is an Animal?” readers will learn about diet, mammals, and metamorphosis. (A final section, “More To Know,” includes dinosaurs, threatened/endangered species, and footprints.) Throughout, rudimentary data are presented via introductory sentences; charming spot-art illustrations of creatures and accoutrements with accompanying captions and labels, picture dictionary–style; and colorful sidebars that expand on the information and include cross-references to related pages elsewhere in the book. A “Let’s Review!” feature concludes each main section and, through questions and picture games, helps reinforce what children have learned. This mini-encyclopedia of sorts for the very young offers much: basic, accessible information about numerous animals; appealing, colorful, cartoon-style illustrations of wide-eyed animals and racially diverse kids; and opportunities for vocabulary enrichment. Some pages are cluttered or confusing; at times the book adopts a hodgepodge approach, particularly in the “Observing Animals” section, which covers perhaps too many bases, including structured animal environments, e.g., a zoo, a safari park, an aquarium, and a pet store, which depicts cats and dogs for sale—a practice falling largely out of favor. Still, flaws aside, it’s an attractive, well-organized volume. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Fun for the smallest critter enthusiasts; will work best as a browser.