Animals and Their Families

by Barbara Nascimbeni (Illustrator)

Overview

Featuring playful illustrations and small vignettes of text, Animals and their Families crosses continents and habitats to introduce children to nearly three dozen land-, sea-, and tree-dwelling animals including gazelles, penguins, owls, and more.

Each spread is rich with information and will help a child explore the animal kingdom in many simple and accessible ways. A new creature is introduced in silhouette, while the facing page shows that same creature in its natural habitat, playing with, caring for, or teaching its young. All members of the animal family — male and female, adult and baby — are illustrated in warm colors and identified by the proper term. Small bits of text share the sound each animals makes, where it lives, and what it eats with young readers. Animals and their Families is a must-have book for any young child curious about the animal kingdom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781926973326
Publisher:	Owlkids Books
Publication date:	04/10/2012
Pages:	72
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Barbara Nascimbeni is an Italian-born illustrator who studied in Milan. She has done work for publishers internationally and her books are translated into many languages. She now divides her time between Hamburg, Germany and Sorède, France.

Editorial Reviews

Simple in scope and polished in execution, this paper-over-board handbook introduces very young readers to more than 30 animals. There aren’t many surprises among the creatures, which range from dogs and deer to snakes and snails, yet Nascimbeni fits a noteworthy amount of information into each spread. Each animal is shown in silhouette at left along with its name; opposite, adorable animal families cavort; terminology for the adults and offspring are included, as are small panels that reveal each creature’s sound, home, and meal. The illustrations lean toward the anthropomorphic (smiley faces and rosy cheeks abound), giving the book ample charm. Ages 2–6. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Monkey. My sound: I chatter. My home: tropical forest. My meal: fruit, seeds, bird eggs."
— from the book

From the Publisher

This French import introduces 32 various animals to toddlers. On the left page of each two-page spread is a silhouette of the animal; on the right are softly colored illustrations in a playful style, often showing and naming other animals in the family (for example, mare, stallion, foal in the horse family) as well as occasionally showing some of their activities. Along the bottom edge on the right page are three circles, labeled "my sound," "my home," and "my meal," with words and/or simple ink outlines depicting those things. The gazelle, shark, and octopus do not make sounds and consequently their pages lack the circle for sound. Mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, and invertebrates from around the world are included; some will be very familiar to young listeners and others will be new. A few pets and farm animals are included but most of the animals live in the wild. Animals are not grouped by type or habitat. Nascimbeni does not sugarcoat the facts; when appropriate, animal prey is shown in the meal circle. Nor does she shy away from unusual vocabulary, including words like peahen, savannah, shellfish, algae and others not usually found in books for this age. The consistency of the layout is a big plus; without realizing it, youngsters learn something about organizing information. Children will likely return to this book again and again, searching the illustrations, trying out the sounds, and testing their memories. Larger than many board books, its sturdy size and paper will bear frequent use by little hands. Games could be made using the book, showing only the silhouette and asking for information, or making "Who Am I?" type riddles from the facts. Activities such as these expand the age range for this delightful book and may even spur more research and similar child-created books in older children. Reviewer: Peg Glisson

Children's Literature - Peg Glisson

PreS-Gr 1—Nascimbeni introduces 32 wild and domestic animals in an interesting format. Each one appears in silhouette with its name on the left, opposite watercolor cartoon renderings of its family grouping on the facing page. Names for the adults as well as their young are labeled. Below each family group, information enclosed in circles reveals the sound the creature makes, its habitat, and what it eats. Appropriately for young audiences, the facts presented are basic, yet provide an opportunity to introduce such vocabulary as "krill," "rodents," and "algae." Perhaps less appropriate for the youngest viewers is the inclusion of predators and their prey. Even though children may be familiar with most of the animals in this collection, they will enjoy viewing the rosy-cheeked creatures and trying to name the animals when they reappear in silhouette on the endpapers.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

School Library Journal