"...Holland takes care to identify the 12 animals she photographs, while introducing pertinent vocabulary (molars, prey) and some enticing trivia (robber flies "use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to drink the insides of their prey"). While nicely shot and framed, the photographs do a mixed job of actually showcasing the animals' mouths; supplemental images of certain animals' skulls help compensate, and back matter provides additional information, activities, and resources."
"Teachers and their young students will eat this book right up! It offers K-3 students a unique and exciting opportunity to get an up close and personal view of the many types of animal mouths in nature. It stands out among other books of its type because of the stunning photographs and interesting descriptive text that conveys content information about the structure and function of animals' mouths.
As the recommended age group is 4-8 years, teachers will love reading this book to their youngest and more reluctant learners as well as providing stimulating vocabulary and fluency development for all ages. This book is ideally suited as a resource for science units and projects. Elementary science education is not only direct teaching of content; rather it combines content, process skills, and attitudes/habits of mind. In addition to providing accurate and important science concepts that are aligned with the NGSS (as well as Common Core, and social studies frameworks), this book invites students to use thinking skills such as observation of various forms of animal mouths, describing and classification their characteristics, inferring about animals' habitats and feeding habits, communicating ideas, and asking questions.
Full color photos as well as insets of animal skulls are accompanied by high interest material. There are four pages of activities in the back of the book plus complimentary activities from the publisher's website. This engaging book is sure to provoke students' curiosity and stimulate discussion! As I read this book, I immediately thought of how much fun it would be to have a young audience and share the joy of the natural world!"
Close-up photographs accompany this discussion of a variety of animals' mouths. Different types of teeth, beaks, and mandibles are featured along with explanations of how each mouth and its unique components are best suited for each animal. Simple text makes this suitable for beginning nature enthusiasts. Back matter provides review and encourages further exploration.
This book shows readers various examples of animal mouths; the book utilizes photographs to show the mouths and their uses. It also includes activities for students to do after reading the material. The publisher has printable teaching materials online to supplement the book. These are helpful to use the book in the classroom. This book would be good as a supplemental text in a science class where the teacher could use the online materials to create a center for further investigation. Glossary.
- Lourdes Cervantes
"This book is all about animal mouths. It describes how animals use their mouths for chewing, for cracking seeds, and for capturing prey, among other uses. One part that I really liked was a gross part! It told how robber flies use their spit to turn their prey into liquid and how they suck it up! The pictures in this book are actual photographs of the animals. There are also pictures of the animals' skulls. This helps the reader to get a better look at the teeth of an animal.
"One of the things I liked about this book was learning a bunch of new life science words. I learned that a proboscis is a kind of straw for a butterfly, a herbivore is an animal that eats plants, and that incisors are teeth that never stop growing! If I could change something about this book, I would have had more pictures of animals using their teeth, and perhaps maps showing where these animals lived. A quotation that I really liked from this book is: "Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores." I would give this book five stars, and I think that boys and girls who like learning about animals would really enjoy this book."
Reviewed by Susan Faith, Age 7
"There are a lot of interesting facts and photographs that will keep even the most reluctant reader interested in the animal kingdom. Mary Holland's award-winning photographs make the book a standout one in her nature series of books for children. The pages are filled with full color photographs, including insets of animal skulls, and fascinating facts that will be of high interest to young animal lovers. In the back of the book there are four pages of activities as well as free complementary activities on the publisher's website."
"A book with realistic photos, Animal Mouths covers what kinds of mouths different animals have. It includes birds, insects, mammals, amphibians, and more. A couple of interesting facts that readers will learn is why adult luna moths don't have a mouth and which animals have incisor and canine teeth."
"What makes this book fun is not only the impressive photographs and explanation of teeth, but also the informational data at the end for older readers. Any child will enjoy viewing the animals and insects from their skull formations to the up-close pictures that show the differences between species."
"Animal Mouths is full of fascinating details and facts and every page is filled with vivid close-up photographs to illustrate the points represented within the book. This book is excellent as a teaching tool and is highly recommended for classroom and school libraries. Children who are intrigued by wildlife will love this book which is sure to educate and enthrall young readers."
"Most animals have some sort of mouth and in this book you see amazing photography of animals up close and then learn more about their type of mouth. In this second book of her "Animal Anatomy and Adaptation" series, award-winning nature photographer and environmental educator Mary Holland shares fascinating animal mouths with readers of all ages to enjoy."
"Author Mary Holland is a naturalist and an award-winning nature photographer. Her beautiful photographs complement her text. This is the second book in her Animal Anatomy and Adaptation series. Animal Eyes was the first and it, too, is well worth a read."
"Children will love the pictures. Teachers in regular schools or in homeschools will love the educational text written so these young learners can enjoy and become engaged as they learn about Animal Mouths. The additional information is very good providing opportunities for further exploration of how mouths work and opportunities to stretch the minds a little."
This book examines everything from teeth to jaws to beaks, with a stopover introduction to a proboscis. Young readers learn about herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores and how their mouths might reflect their diet. Crisp close-up photographs fill the pages, accompanied by clear informative text. This would be useful in teaching students to make deductions from available evidence.