This is the third issue of Animal Planet’s Animal Bites series, which is aimed at young readers. This book focuses on farm animals, and is filled to the brim with pictures and simple information about the animals to intrigue and engage.
Animal Planet: Farm Animals Review
Right from the very first picture, which is of an adorable Holstein Cow, you know you’re in for a treat. This Animal Bites issue seems to set out to make children and adults go “Awww” from the get-go. They succeed admirably. The Odd Couples section, in particular, made us smile. As we’ve come to expect from the Animal Bites series, the pictures are crisp and vibrant and the layout is well-done.
While the mini-reviewer pretty much loved everything she saw, I wasn’t a huge fan of the section on horses. Each section began with “Talent” and followed it up with a characteristic associated with the animal that didn’t necessarily meet the definition of ‘talent’.. They should not form the association that cuteness or spottedness is a talent, as that’s the wrong use of the word, and not something we want to put into impressionable young minds, especially in a book meant to educate as it entertains.
I would have loved to see some mention of the amounts of food and water animals such as cows and pigs require. It would have been easy to include, and would have helped in starting the conservation education process in young reader. However, other than general mentions of needing a big space or lots of food, nothing was mentioned.
Overall, though, from the first page to the last, Animal Planet: Farm Animals is a great introduction to farm animals for young readers. It does a good job of providing interesting tidbits of information, especially in its size comparisons, abilities, and personality profiles. Some of the information was as new to me as it was to my child. If your kiddo is interested in animals, this would definitely be a good choice for them. Pick it up now on Amazon.
Title: Animal Planet: Farm Animals | Series: Animal Bites #3 | Author: Laaren Brown, Animal Planet (site) | Publisher: Time, Inc Books (site) | Pub. Date: 2016-6-21 | Pages: 80 | Genre: Children’s Educational Non-fiction | Language: English | Triggers: None | Date Read: 2016-5-31 | Source: Received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
