A couple weeks ago, we received a package with two books from the Animal Planet Animal Bites series in the mail. We were on our way to gymnastics practice, so I handed the books to my youngest daughter to read on the way there. The books we received were:
Animals on the Move and
Baby Animals. Little J had the Baby Animals. For the next 20 minutes during the drive, all I heard coming from the back seat was a series of "Awwws!" and "Oh my goodness look at this cute little animal!" I was laughing out loud from her dramatic reaction to the images in the book. She was smitten with the cute and cuddly creatures. She just couldn't get enough of those adorable little babies. When we got home, my oldest grabbed both books and spent hours reading all the tidbits and facts contained within the books. I love it when I discover books that capture both my daughters' attention, books that have enough interesting information to keep my ten-year-old intrigued and enough vibrant photos to keep my youngest enthralled. What makes these books even more fantastic is that they a packed full of scientific information- which is exactly what a scientist mamma wants to be providing for her daughters.
Sunday marked the beginning of National Park Week, and Saturday is Earth Day. I felt that this week would be the best time to share with you, my readers, these latest awesome and amazing additions to the Animal Planet Animal Bites series.
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| Hiking at Red Top Mountain State Park |
We have been celebrating nature and science these past couple of weeks
by hiking at state and national parks, visiting ZooAtlanta, and on
Saturday participatin in the March for Science.
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| Looking out over Lake Allatoona at the birds |
It is great getting the kids out into nature, and we are lucky to live within a short drive of some great places to spot wildlife.
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| Pretending to be the Lorax at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield National Park |
My daughters even insisted on bringing their new Animal Planet books to ZooAtlanta to check out if they saw any of the animals featured in the book.
While the elephants were on the move, the kangaroos had no interest in moving in the hot Atlanta sun.
We even went up to
Amicalola Falls and attended a science lesson about birds of prey to learn more way animals move.
So, I guess you can safely say, my kids loved the books and made sure they were part of our adventures.
Age Range: 7 - 10 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Lexile Measure: 870
(What's this?)
Series: Animal Bites
Flexibound: 80 pages
Publisher: Animal Planet (March 7, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1618931792
ISBN-13: 978-1618931795
About the Book
With more than 200 gorgeous photos of animals in their natural habitats, there's action and adventure on every page of
Animal Planet Animals on the Move. This fast-moving addition to the
Animal Bites
series provides kids in the first years of schooling with the perfect
bite-sized view of their favorite animals. Arranged thematically with a
focus on animal behavior and family relationships, young readers will
explore sections about migration, fast and slow, hunting and playing,
and animal movement on land, in the air, and in water, Special book
features designed for this age group include simple graphics and 'Just
Like Me' sidebars with fascinating animal facts for young readers to
learn more about themselves and the amazing animals that share our
world.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of books in the
Animal Bites series benefits the principal partners of R.O.A.R. (Reach Out. Act. Respond.),
Animal Planet's initiative dedicated to improving the lives of animals in our communities and in the wild.
My Review
Animals on the Move combines beautiful photography with eye popping graphics that will capture the attention of a wide age range of children. Whether it is flying squirrels or lizards running over the surface of water, the author and designers of this series of books do a fantastic job of honing in on the quirky facts about animals that will get kids excited about science. In addition to the content, the book contains a glossary, index, list of resources, and a couple of activities.
I wish a review could do justice to the photography in the book, but there are really no words for how amazing animals look when captured in flight or on the run.
There are a couple of things I would add, if I had my way, to help answer questions my children had when reading the books. First, there are "Info Bites" sections that include information about specific animals. It would be really helpful to have not only the home listed but to also include a small map of the world with the location of the animals highlighted. The second thing I would add periodically throughout the book would be ways that kids could help protect the animals or animal homes. My kids are always asking me how they could help animals, and it helps to have simple steps kids could take to make a difference, like clipping the plastic that comes around soda cans.
Animal Planet Baby Animals (Animal Bites Series)
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Lexile Measure: 800 (What's this?)
Series: Animal Bites
Flexibound: 80 pages
Publisher: Animal Planet (March 7, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1618931784
ISBN-13: 978-1618931788
About the Book
With more than 200 adorable photos of baby animals and their families, there's serious "aw" factor on every page of Animal Planet Baby Animals.
This fun addition to the Animal Bites series provides kids in the first
years of schooling with the perfect bite-sized view of their favorite
animals. Arranged thematically with a focus on animal behavior and
family relationships, young readers will explore sections about life
cycles, feeding, play time, conservation, getting around, and much more.
Special book features designed for this age group include simple
infographics and 'All Grown Up' animal facts to help kids learn more
about how young and adult animals differ-just like humans!
A
portion of the proceeds from the sale of books in the Animal Bites
series benefits the principal partners of R.O.A.R. (Reach Out. Act.
Respond.), Animal Planet's initiative dedicated to improving the lives
of animals in our communities and in the wild.
My Review
Honestly, you can NEVER go wrong with a book full of baby animals. Children and adults, alike, love to see just how cute animals are before they grow up. This book kept my four-year-old entertained for hours. She kept saying, "Aww!" on every page. My older daughter loved reading about how mothers take care of their young. Just like the other books in the Animal Bites series, in addition to the content, the book contains a glossary, index, list of resources, and a couple of activities.
My absolute favorite photo in the book is of a duck-billed platypus nursing her young. The shot is amazing and information provided in the caption of the photo was intriguing. It is hard to imagine such a seemingly hardy animal like that gently holding multiple infants and nursing them!
Not only did both my daughters find this book to be thoroughly engaging, but I did as well. I cannot say enough for the photography that Animal Planet includes in this series of books.
Want to join in the fun and get a sneak peek on how awesome this series of books are? Check out this activity packet that
goes with the books.
What a copy of these books? I am thrilled to announce thatTime Inc. books is giving away not one or two, but all six books in the series to one lucky reader! Leave a comment letting me know how you celebrate Earth Day.
FTC Required Disclosures:
*I
received review copies from the publisher free of charge. All opinions
expressed in this review represent my honest opinions about the book.
**This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase the
books through these links, I receive a small portion of the payment,
which I use to support this blog. Thanks for your support!
I love children's books that are illustrated with watercolors. There is something that is reminiscent of a classic children's story anytime the soft colors are splashed onto a page. It reminds me of being little and pouring over Beatrix Potter books or A Child's Garden of Verses. And for that reason, I was drawn into the book. Meilo So's soulful artwork, of which I have always admired, in this book wraps around you like a warm blanket. Her people are imperfectly shaped, like real people. The characters have blended looks, not locking them into any one race or ethnicity. You float through the pages, which is perfect because Lauren McLaughlin's lyrical story floats above the page and carries you through the story. You witness one family becoming whole with the adoption of a baby they have waited so long for her arrival; but ironically you do not feel sadness for the mother who gives the baby to the family. The way the story is told, the lady in blue, as the birth mother is referred to, is seen as an almost spirit whose purpose is to find the right family for her baby. The story pours over with love in a way, that I hope, will leave adoptive children not feeling abandoned by their birth parents, but instead loved completely at each stage of the process. I cannot recommend this book enough as a gift to adoptive parents or for parents to purchase for their adopted children. Wonderful You left me feeling warm inside and desperate for another read through of the book. 
