This clever picture book introduces the concept of animal
characteristics by highlighting how there can be both differences and
similarities within a group. For example, the zebra gallops, the
bumblebee flies, the lemur leaps and the tiger prowls --- "But look
closer now ... We all have STRIPES!" And so it goes. Again and again,
readers will be surprised to find that a group of four seemingly
different animals all have one trait in common --- whiskers, horns,
shells and the like --- for a total of thirteen traits in all. Observant
children will notice that one of the animals from each group also
appears on the following spread with three new animals that have a
different characteristic in common. Finally, all forty of the featured
animals are shown together, and readers are asked to search for those
with specific characteristics not already covered in the book --- for
example, those with spots, those who live in the ocean or those with six
or more legs.
Author Heather Tekavec has discovered a fun and interactive approach to
helping young children begin to explore the ways animals are classified.
Pippa Curnick's playful and engaging illustrations of the animals in
their habitats are all scientifically accurate, keeping the experience
both enjoyable and informative. The searching activity also works to
enhance visual literacy. With a detailed glossary included, this is an
ideal book for introducing early lessons on the characteristics of
living things and for starting discussions on the ways all creatures are
like and unlike one another.
