Animal Adaptations: Unique Body Parts

Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review): 5

Format: Board book

What did you like about the book? Each page starts with a question - Whose eye is that? Which animal has such shaggy fur? - followed by a hint or fun fact. The page has a peek-through circle that reveals just enough of the animal beneath for children to make a guess. The cut-out page folds outward, revealing a three-page spread that offers more information about the animal and the adaptation in question (sight, skin types, leg formation, etc.) The illustrations are fun and colorful but not too cartoon-ish. The animals are drawn with personality but are still identifiable as specific wild animals. Children will enjoy comparing adaptations across several animal types and learning about how an animal's body type affects the way they live, eat, and move. Some readers may want to look up each animal and see more of the habitat to which they are so well adapted.

Anything you didn't like about it? No

To whom would you recommend this book? Recommended for children slightly older than the usual board book crowd, 4-8. This is gently presented but sophisticated information about animal morphology and has a lot of words. Read-alikes include What Do You Do With a Tail Like This by Jenkins and Page, A Peek at Beaks by Levine, Hello World Animals by Edwards.

Who should buy this book? Public schools, public libraries, and homes with budding zoologists.

Where would you shelve it? Nonfiction picture books (591)

Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our "to read" piles? Yes

Reviewer's Name, Library (or school), City and State: Robin Shtulman, Athol Public Library, Athol, MA

Date of review: December 10, 2021

Youth Services Book Review

If you want to know why some animals have such unique body parts this book is for you. Animals have different body parts so they can adapt and survive. I especially liked reading how animals can have different mouths. After all, we would imagine that is something that would be very similar with many because we all need to eat, but some are larger or smaller depending on what or how much they need to eat.

This is a fun book. I really liked reading how animals have different unique body parts. This book is packed with facts and information as well as a fun guess, reveal, and read about the animal on each page. The pages are very sturdy. I look forward to more books in this series. - Liam - Age 9, Kids' Book Buzz