The focus of this book is, of course, on snakes and other cold-blooded reptiles, and it is very informative and interesting. Our girls used to enjoy these books about as much as they loked the fictional tales featuring Jack and Annie.
The black-and-white illustrations by Sal Murdocca and the photos really complement the narrative.
I don't remember reading this book with our girls, but we did read books about snakes and their favorite was always the Eastern Hognose Smake (featured on pp. 56-57) because it plays dead. We would always mimic it, saying, 'Hey! Can't you see I'm dead over here?!?' in a terrible New Jersey accent. It would crack us up and then we'd do it all over again. Fun times, fun times.
interesting quotes:
"Snakes are not the only animals with Jacobson's organs. Elephants, lions, and other reptiles have them, too." (p. 31)
"In its lifetime, a crocodilian goes through as many as three thousand teeth." (p. 85)
"Leatherback sea turtles have softer, lighter, and more flexible shells. They sometimes dive 3,000 feet underwater. If their shells were hard, the water pressure would crush them. " (p. 95)...more
Somewhat dated, this book covers myriad school subjects from A to Z. Basic science, history, math, language, and literature topics are briefly explainSomewhat dated, this book covers myriad school subjects from A to Z. Basic science, history, math, language, and literature topics are briefly explained and most entries are in a list format....more
I discovered this book on a display of 'Banned Books' at our local library. The LGBT theme and same-sex marriage is the trigger for the request to banI discovered this book on a display of 'Banned Books' at our local library. The LGBT theme and same-sex marriage is the trigger for the request to ban the book, and I am sad that books like this are still considered controversial.
The narrative is fun and humorous and the mixed media illustrations are colorful and whimsical, if a bit rudimentary.
I was charmed by Princess Dolly, of course, and loved how she danced with crown kitty in the church aisle during the wedding, even if she did not capture the prince's affection.
Overall, it was an entertaining take on the classic story of the prince searching for his true love. Not nearly as good as I'd hoped, but well worth a read.
Our oldest commented that she wasn't a fan of the queen who puts her son down, comparing him to all the other princes and insisting that he marry right away. I understand her concern, but this kind of plot/dialogue is a traditional part of this kind of 'the prince must marry' tale....more
Fascinating look at the mummies preserved in the dry arctic cold of Greenland for over 500 years. The narrative is fairly detailed and covered many asFascinating look at the mummies preserved in the dry arctic cold of Greenland for over 500 years. The narrative is fairly detailed and covered many aspect of Inuit life. The narrative is accompanied by colorful photographs of the preserved mummies as well as representations of the clothing, cultural tattoing, and techniques in recovering artifacts.
We recently read Musk Ox Counts by Erin Cabatingan and Matthew Myers and we really liked it. When posting my review for that book here, we discovered We recently read Musk Ox Counts by Erin Cabatingan and Matthew Myers and we really liked it. When posting my review for that book here, we discovered that this team also collaborated on this book. So we definitely wanted to read this one as well.
This is a humorous alphabet book, again featuring a musk ox (named Joseph) and a zebra. The narrative is very humorous and our girls loved the dialogue between the zebra and musk ox.
I loved that the book also teaches about musk oxen, such as where they live, what they eat, their unique body characteristics, and the fact that they've been around since the times of the Wooly mammoths. It doesn't hurt that the illustrations are hilarious, too. Overall, we really enjoyed reading this book together. ...more
This is an entertaining and informative book about polar bears. The narrative isn't too long and the quantity of information isn't overwhelming. The bThis is an entertaining and informative book about polar bears. The narrative isn't too long and the quantity of information isn't overwhelming. The book can be read with children of all ages, although I think it's best suited for elementary school-age children.
The story definitely has an ecological focus, with a dire warning about the fate of polar bears as the ice caps are melting. The photographs are big and colorful and show the bears in different poses - the babies are so cute. We really enjoyed reading this book together. ...more
We really enjoy Brian P. Cleary's books. He makes learning fun, and this is a silly and humorous rhyming book about adjectives. His books really enterWe really enjoy Brian P. Cleary's books. He makes learning fun, and this is a silly and humorous rhyming book about adjectives. His books really entertain children while teaching them basic concepts; our girls really like them. The illustrations by Brian Gable are cartoony and cute, too - we love the cats.
We've read several of the books in the Words are CATegorical series and we've really enjoyed them. We will certainly look for more books by this author/illustrator team at our local library.
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