kidlitfactcheck

[kidlitfactcheck]

Octopus Alone

by Divya Srinivasan

This is the kind of book I wish I could write. It’s entertaining, it educational, it’s beautiful, it’s perfect. These two pages are examples of how the author describes attributes of actual octopus by weaving them into the storyline. Octopus can release an “ink” like substance when they are scared. Octopus are pretty dexterous and are able to open doors and jars etc. In addition the book is populated with animals actually found in the octopus habitat and they are all doing what they actually would do. I know this sounds simple enough but I haven’t come across many books that are so factual about animals but still so whimsical. Mimi loved it as much as me. 

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[kidlitfactcheck]

Puffin Peter

by Petr Horacek

Things I love about this book:

1. The art.

2. The fun birds we are introduced to.

3. The whales willingness to help.

Things I’m meh about:

1. Why didn’t Peter say Paul was a puffin from the beginning? And the whale good naturally pointing that out doesn’t make it better. If I was that whale I would have been pretty p’d that I’d just swam all over hells creation looking for this guys friend and in describing him Peter couldn’t at least mention what kind of bird he was? The whale swims from the arctics to the tropics because he sees penguins (the mention cold otherwise I guess it could’ve been African Penguins, I digress). That is all.

[kidlitfactcheck]

Lion, Lion

written by, Miriam Busch and 

illustrated by Larry Day

Mimi loved this book. She memorized it pretty much right away. She liked to role play with it. Sometimes she wanted to be the lion and sometimes she wanted to be the boy. Sometimes she switched mid book. I was not as smitten with the book as she was. I wasn’t in love with the illustration and the writing was really simple. But that’s probably what Mimi loved about it and it was written for her not me right? Shout out to them using hedgehogs/tenrecs as part of the kids menagerie, pretty cute. I also like that the main character is a person of color. Although I wasn’t super into the book I didn’t mind reading it over and over again so that’s a plus.  

[kidlitfactcheck]

Roly Poly Pangolin

by Anna Dewdney

I could sing this books praises for days. Let's start with every kid that I know of loves the page that says, "Roly Poly, go go GO!" They love it. 

When I saw this book at my zoos store I bought 5 copies of it. Five. Pangolins are awesome so of course I had to give them some love. A portion of the proceeds from this book goes to Cuc Phuong National Park which is amazing. I've been there. It's amazing. Did I mention I love pangolins? They are so endangered and so heavily trafficked, mainly for use in Chinese medicine. However, that's not what this is about, I want to talk about the book. 

The book is about a shy pangolin that learns how to open up and make friends. It's super cute. There's a rhyme about Roly Poly not eating bugs that my husband always gets confused about. Pangolins do in fact eat bugs so yes I agree with him that it seems weird to talk about the Roly Poly refusing to eat the only thing that he is made to eat. But let's just suspend disbelief people, this book deserves it. 

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[kidlitfactcheck]

Giraffes Can't Dance

by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees

Mimi loves this book right now. She asks to read this book at least once a day. And once the book is out she usually wants me to read it again and again. I don't blame her. This is a great book. First of all, the rhymes are fun and easy to remember. Then the book tells a great story. Lastly, and this is my favorite thing, all the animals that they depict are actually African animals. They even drew the right kind of Rhino. I'm not sure if this is by coincidense or on purpose but either way, it is noticed and appreciated by me. 

I love when they are describing all the dances that the animals did. "The lions danced a tango that was elegant and bold." Hilarious! 

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[kidlitfactcheck]

Bruno Munari's Zoo

by Bruno Munari

I'll start with how much we love this book. It's quirky and funny and the illustrations are awesome. However, that is neither a seal nor a sea lion. I'm not sure what that animal is. Like a seal it doesn't have external ears however, it is holding its weight on its front flippers which seals cannot do. So not a seal, but also unless it's a mutant, not a sea lion. What are you dear animal? #kidlitfactcheck

Learn more about seals and sea lions.

[kidlitfactcheck]

Where Snowflakes Fall

by Claire Freedman & Tina Macnaughton

The good:

The illustrations are adorable.

The rhymes are easy and work.

The book gives some shine to animals not usually in books.

The bad:

The dust jacket states that these are animals from the arctic. Wrong. Half are and half aren't. Yes there is snow in the arctic and the antarctic, but that they are the same. 

The arctic fox is white during the winter and gray in the summer. Pups are born in the late spring so they would be gray. The adult would also be gray at that time. Not white as the picture in this book. 

[kidlitfactcheck]

Good Night, Gorilla

by Peggy Rathmann

I find this book hard. It requires so much of me. I have to make up a story each time! (Am I just the laziest?) I've often resorted to just describing the pictures. Also, kind of take offense to the "dopy zookeeper" portrayal. Fact wise: this is the tiniest gorilla there has even been. Unless this is a baby gorilla. Which would be kind of sad because then where are it's parents. All the animals are actually out of porportion something crazy. The gorilla is the worst one though. Especially since he is the title character. #kidlitfactcheck