First Animal Encyclopedia: A First Reference Guide to the Animals of the World (DK First Reference)

Even the parents are learning more while reading this to their little guy...as he ages, to read it again and again will be a life time of knowledge of our animal kingdom to remember!

A great book to add to your child's book collection

This book is such a great addition to a homeschool biology curriculum for 1st graders. My LO constantly wants to get this one off the shelf and just look at it. I chose it over the beautifully illustrated DK Visual Encyclopedia of Animals because of the bite-sized, elementary-appropriate text for each animal. Animals are listed by real family or invented group, such as "small and cunning" or "hoofed mammals." While this encyclopedia won't grow with a child past maybe 5th grade, I could see a child getting to the end of this book with hundreds of memorable 1- or 2-sentence facts about the plethora of wildlife in our beautifully made world. A neat fact listed in the book explains why female nesting game birds are duller in color than males: to camouflage them against the ground when nesting. It was like a lightbulb went off in my 1st grader's brain and got her thinking about all the adaptive mechanisms animals employ to survive. That tidbit is much more interesting than how many meters tall each animal grows, its lifespan, its habitat down to the latitude and longitude, or what animal it purports to descend from. New vocabulary is explained in simple terms that most 1st/2nd graders can read, i.e., "Camouflage: A good way for insects to 'disappear' is to hide among plants. This white orchid mantis is hiding in plants that are the same color as it is. Can you find it?"So impressed! Nice binding, thick paper, crisp, clear graphics and text. Short glossary, but sufficient index and table of contents. There's even trivia at the bottom of each page.

Got this for my 5 year old son as his first animal encyclopedia and it has been a HUGE hit! The verbiage used is appropriate for elementary-aged children (not too many “big” words, but not infantilizing either), the images aren’t too graphic, and it’s a nice balance of words vs photos. There’s also a very wide range of species, not just the expected basics.

Purchased for my granddaughters 7th birthday and she was very happy with the book. She was able to read with little difficulty.

I gave this book as a gift to parents of a newborn. They loved it. Will be for the child as it slowly grows. Will have for many years. Beautiful photos.

Was a gift for my nephews 7 year old daughter.I was told she really enjoys the book and carriesIt with her much of the day. Loved the pictures.Next to a trip to the zoo, this book will hold its own.

Kids generally like animals and this book is full of charming photos of real creatures who share our planet. The child I gave it too is not a reader yet, but he loves the photos and enjoys looking at them often. His parents take him to the zoo and he can now identify what he sees all by himself! A great book that will hold interest for several years. It

HOLA AMAZON, GUSTO EN SALUDARLES.A PESAR DEL TIEMPO DE ENTREGA, VALIO LA PENA. YA QUE MI HIJO ESPERABA MUY FELIZ SU LIBRO, ME LLEGO EN BUENAS CONDICIONES.

Good purchase.

子供が大好きで小さい時から見せています。1冊目がぼろぼろになったので2冊目を購入しました。大人の方にも子供に読み聞かせをしながら英語の勉強ができて良い本だと思います。

Very nice book and effective seller !

This is a favourite encyclopedia in our home and at school! We absolutely love the gorgeous photographs and the information provided is perfect for young children. We have used this to provide an introduction to inquiry-projects and research. It is a wonderful stepping stone before branching out into other resources, such as World Book Kids Online. We love DK books!