What do you actually know about orangutans, elephants, alligators, zebras, lions, and just wild animals in general? In this book, you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about those and other animals. It is chock full of elaborate, real photographs and information of all the animals you only hear about but don't get to see unless you embark on an African safari! This is a short but highly interesting book. Kids will love it because the pictures are so well done. Adults will love it because it has great information. And everyone else in between will love it because it's just plain interesting!
Personal Impressions
Wow, this book truly has amazing photos. Steve Grubman, how do you do it?! This is an amazing informational text about wild animals. Some of the information was even brand new to me! I personally have a thing for elephants, and I learned something new about them even! My daughter was fascinated by the orangutan because she related it to Curious George, her favorite show right now. Even my 21-month-old son had his eyes glued to the pictures. I really think almost anyone would enjoy this book, but I would probably place it at grades 3 and up. It would also be a good book for teachers to have on hand, as it contains some unique facts about the animal world that might be used for the sake of research. I definitely recommend the book and think the pictures are the best part.
Professional Reviews
Booklist (August 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 22))
Grades 2-4. “Kangaroos can’t hop backward, but they can hop forward as fast as 30 miles per hour!” The artfully selected facts and observations in this handsomely produced photo gallery are practically guaranteed to rivet budding naturalists, and Grubman’s 13 sharply detailed studio portraits of large wild animals placed against plain, pale backgrounds put on a show that’s every bit as engaging as the accompanying commentary. Grubman brings the challenges of animal photography to the fore by leading off with a nontechnical description of how the indoor shots were set up and by adding amusing comments on every spread about each photo session. A section of additional pictures and facts caps this broadly appealing introduction to a photographer and his sometimes unpredictable subjects.
Library Uses
Why not pair with the science teacher and send the students on an animal scavenger hunt? The teacher could provide the guidelines, the librarian could house the books, and the students could document facts about their favorite animals! It would be an excellent way to introduce such topics as the animal kingdom, food chain, or even just nature in general. Each student could be told to write down ten facts about a certain animal (either one assigned or chosen, but where each student selects a different animal). They could draw pictures of their animals to accompany the facts, and the pages could be bound into a book.
References
Grubman, S. and Davis, J. (2010). Orangutans are ticklish: Fun facts from an animal photographer. New York, NY: Schwartz and Wade
Peters, J. (2010). Orangutans are ticklish: Fun facts from an animal photographer [Review]. Booklist, 106(22), 50. Retrieved 12 November 2012 from www.booklistonline.com
Why not pair with the science teacher and send the students on an animal scavenger hunt? The teacher could provide the guidelines, the librarian could house the books, and the students could document facts about their favorite animals! It would be an excellent way to introduce such topics as the animal kingdom, food chain, or even just nature in general. Each student could be told to write down ten facts about a certain animal (either one assigned or chosen, but where each student selects a different animal). They could draw pictures of their animals to accompany the facts, and the pages could be bound into a book.
References
Grubman, S. and Davis, J. (2010). Orangutans are ticklish: Fun facts from an animal photographer. New York, NY: Schwartz and Wade
Peters, J. (2010). Orangutans are ticklish: Fun facts from an animal photographer [Review]. Booklist, 106(22), 50. Retrieved 12 November 2012 from www.booklistonline.com
No comments:
Post a Comment