The Caldecott Medal is given each year to the illustrator of the “best” illustrated book for children, and the first of these was awarded in 1938 to Dorothy Lathrop for her black and white illustrations for Animals of the Bible. “Best” is a subjective term, but since that first medal, many beloved Caldecott winners have featured animals, and have been winning over the readers who love them. Who can forget Jane Yolen’s quiet Owl Moon, or William Steig’s magical Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, or Boston’s own all-time favorite, Make Way for Ducklings? Here are some new picture books, both informative and fun, featuring animals of all kinds.
What kind of animal would you be if your pupils were shaped like the letter W, or like an oval, or a rectangle? How about if you had eight eyes, or if your eyeballs were completely immoveable? In Eye by Eye: Comparing how Animals See, Sara Levine explores what it might be like to see the world through someone else’s eyes—in this case a variety of animals with different types of eyes, pupils and abilities. The book offers a glossary, additional reading and activities.
Eye by Eye: Comparing how Animals See by Sara Levine,
illustrated by T.S. Spookytooth (Millbrook, 2021) Ages 4 – 8.
We know that we as humans are better together, and the same is true of many wild things. In Packs: Strength in Numbers, we learn how animals form bonds in large groups for safety, efficiency and to confuse predators. A school of fish works as a team to hunt its prey. A swarm of bees splits a long list of duties to pollinate, make honey and care for its young. Packs, herds, prides and billows of diverse creatures crowd the pages of this beautiful and informative book by Hannah Salyer.
Packs: Strength in Numbers by Hannah Salyer
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020) Ages 4 – 8.
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Yuko Shimizu is the recipient of a 2021 Caldecott Honor Medal for her detailed ink and watercolor illustrations for The Cat Man of Aleppo, a timely book based on a true story from Syria. Alaa is a paramedic who passionately loves his ancient city and continues to live and work there, helping with rescue efforts during and after the civil war. Alaa’s heroic mission focuses not only on caring for the many orphaned children left behind, but also on creating a safe house for many of the pets that remain. Support for the cats of Aleppo has become a worldwide effort for, as co-author Karim Shamsi-Basha comments about animals, “caring for them illuminates what it means to be human.”
The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2020) Ages 6 – 10.
Even the smallest of animals is fascinating, and Maria Popova tells the story of Jeremy, The Snail with the Right Heart, serendipitously discovered in an English garden. Jeremy’s internal organs and shell spiral are reversed due to a condition called situs inversus, making his body a mirror image of most other snails. Because Jeremy is so unique, his caretakers search worldwide to find him a mate with similar traits—a one in a million chance. In this romantic (and true) tale, we also learn about genetics, gender, evolution, and snail reproduction (here called “puzzle piecing,” an apt description). Ping Zhu perfectly illustrates the wonder of the universe, and the amazing story of one little snail.
The Snail with the Right Heart by Maria Popova,
illustrated by Ping Zhu (Enchanted Lion, 2021) Ages 6 – 10.
Board books are always popular for little ones. They are easy to hold, almost indestructible and many of them feature wonderful illustrations. My First Bilingual Animals/Los Animales contains more animals than the San Diego Zoo, or so it seems, in groupings that make sense to very young children. There is a page of climbing animals and one of running animals, a page of animals with stripes, one with spots, and a page of animals that only come out at night. The photographs, as we have come to expect from DK Publishing, are visually pleasing and the captions are in both English and Spanish.
My First Bilingual Animals/Los Animales by Sarah Davis and Dawn Sirett (Dorling Kindersley, 2020) Ages 0 – 4.
It was David Opie’s stunning illustrations that drew me to All the Birds in the World. Here are, as the title tells us, a representation of dozens of species in all the vibrant colors of their feathers and beaks, the assorted sizes and speckles of their eggs, the tweets and screams of their calls. Throughout, we follow a curious kiwi, that unusual creature native to New Zealand that doesn’t seem to fit into any category–but is still a bird. The illustrations by a lifelong birder are brilliantly appealing, and the kiwi’s questions are a charming addition to a book that is loaded with bird information.
All the Birds in the World by David Opie (Peter Pauper Press, 2020) Ages 3 – 8.
Everybody loves bears. A Book of Bears examines the habits and habitats of the eight major species of bears around the globe, mixing hard facts with a bit of amusing humanization (no, spectacled bears aren’t just trying to look cool!). We learn about comparative size, speed and strength of bears, their various eating and sleeping habits and which species are the best swimmers, climbers and runners. And which bears, like our old friend Winnie the Pooh, really do love honey.
A Book of Bears: At home with Bears around the World
by Katie Viggers (Lawrence King, 2018) Ages 5 – 9.
Here is a fun little series for younger readers by Elise Gravel appropriately called Disgusting Critters! The books feature fascinating and amusing facts about small animals that children may be familiar with, but which are generally under-appreciated in the adult world. Kids will learn all kinds of truths, both beneficial and not, in this appealing series with clever illustrations by the author. Recent additions to the series are The Mosquito (“more dangerous to humans than sharks or lions”), and The Cockroach (“when she’s hungry, she’ll eat just about anything”); other titles include Head Lice, The Rat, and The Fly. You get the picture.
The Cockroach (2016), The Mosquito (2020) by Elise Gravel
(Disgusting Critters Series, Tundra) Ages 5 – 9.
Sy Montgomery, author of countless children’s books about animals, as well as the National Book Award finalist and bestseller for adults, The Soul of an Octopus, writes, “It’s an important time to be writing about the connections we share with our fellow creatures.” The children’s version of her book Becoming a Good Creature shares lessons she’s learned by observing the natural world. Wait patiently and see what you might see. Respect others, and even a gorilla will respect you in return. Rebecca Green, also clearly a lover of wild things, illustrated this charming and wise book.
Becoming a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Rebecca Green (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021) Ages 4 – 8.
Holly Meade’s illustrations for In the Sea by David Elliot really do make the reader feel like they are part of the ocean, being tossed by waves, breaching the surface, or just drifting in the deep. Her ink and woodcut pages are alive with the ocean, the waves, the sky and the sand, and they perfectly complement David Elliot’s short poems about sea creatures, like the Giant Squid: “Few have seen him./Few wish to./Hide from this one!/(that’s what fish do.) From the sardine (“Tiny”) to the blue whale (“an island, a mountain,”) we meet some amazing creatures in the depths of the sea.
In the Sea by David Elliot, illustrations by Holly Meade
(Candlewick, 2012) Ages 3 – 7.
Jean Dugan, a long-time friend of Exchange, has been connecting kids with books for over 40 years. She helped establish a library program in the elementary schools of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and later brought her love of children's literature to the public library there. This is her final column for Exchange, and we thank her for years of wonderful ideas and friendship.
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