Animals

By Ingela P. Arrhenius
Published September 2016

Why we chose this book:
I've requested selections from Candlewick Press in the past, and the Candlewick Studio imprint provided us with this unsolicited review copy.

Mom's Review

Thirty-two adorable creatures are labelled in this enormous picture book. That's it.

With bright colors, fun fonts, and cute expressions, I'm not sure who enjoyed the whimsical renditions most. If it wouldn't destroy the book, it would be fun to decorate a kiddo's room with the poster-sized pages. My first thought upon seeing this book was, "So cute!" But then I asked myself what T would gain from a book of animals that he mostly already knew. Aside from reinforcing those animals, presenting a few new ones, and introducing the work of a Swedish artist, Animals provides a springboard for games. I recently found out that T never learned that a frog says, "Ribbit," (he does now), so we started with an animal sounds game. He has LOVED this! We just say the animal and then each make the noise if we know it. And if we don't, then I stream a video clip so we can see and hear the real thing. Have you ever heard a meerkat? Now we have! For our next read, we are going on a letter hunt, finding all the letters T can recognize. With a different font for each animal, it should be interesting. I had better expand my assessment of the book to cute and versatile!

Son's Review
(age 3 and 1/2)

Mom: Did you have a favorite animal?

Son: My favorite animal was the bear.

Mom: What did you think was the best thing about this book?

Son: I'll show you. So this is a meerkat. And this is a zebra.

Mom: What's the most important thing to know about this book?

Son: The important thing to know is that some animals bellow.

Mom: What's the best thing about this book?

Son: That flamingos are in the water.

Mom: This would be a good book for people who...?

Son: For G. Because flamingos are orangish reddish pinkish and G likes orange.

Mom: Did this book make you have any questions?

Son: Ummm. Not particularly.

comparing the illustration to Pink Bunny

picking favorite animals from the endpaper