Reviews

Mammals: A Compare and Contrast Book


Kirkus Reviews - January 2016

Yes, Hall does hit on all the characteristics that make an animal a mammal, but these facts are presented in a way that allows children to compare and contrast various mammal species: a silverback gorilla breathes through its nose, whereas an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin breathes through a blowhole, and while a grizzly's hair is apparent, a manatee has sparse hair that is barely noticeable. The enormous variety within the class makes the coverage necessarily superficial. Backmatter encourages readers to use the provided dichotomous key to identify eight species according to type of animal, gives facts about three "different" mammals-the platypus, the echidna, and bats-and encourages children to keep a nature journal of evidence of animals' presence.

Midwest Book Review - April 2016

Filled with stunning action color photos of different mammals to teach common characteristics of mammals, such as a spine that connects all the way from the skull to the tail. Other characteristics are illustrated in other mammalian species as well, such as giving birth to live young, suckling the young on the mother's milk, and having hair or fur on their bodies. Further educational features in the book include the For Creative Minds pages, which have a Dichotomous Key, a Mammal or Not? photo key list, a description of how some mammals are different, and a chain of tracks guide to identify Mammals Near You.

Heck of a Bunch - January 2016

With realistic photographed pictures, Mammals: A Compare and Contrast Book does a fine job of explaining the similarities and differences between mammals. Some animals shown include manatees, horses, and grizzly bears. There's even pictures of kids, showing that humans are mammals too. Children will learn interesting facts about mammals. For instance, all mammals have lungs and breathe oxygen from the air, but some live in rivers and oceans.

Batch of Books - April 2016

The photos are good quality and illustrate what the text nicely. This is a good book for use in a preschool, homeschool, or kindergarten classroom. It's good beginner's book and great for instructing children on a basic level. It would be too simple for many older children, but you might get away with it up through ages seven or eight, depending on the child.

San Francisco Book Review - April 2016

This book is packed with information written in easy-to-understand language that is perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners. It talks about the important features that make an animal a mammal: breathing air, having a spine, being warm blooded, having hair or fur, giving birth to live babies, and more...The publisher also offers additional free learning resources online, making this book a great launching point for self-directed learning at home or even for a home school unit on mammals.
-Review by Holly Scudero

Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's Books

The book explains that mammals have spines, maintain their own temperature, have fur or hair, and provide milk to their young. The final three pages provide a key to help the reader distinguish between a mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian. Some suggested activities and projects are listed.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - August 2016

Two of my children truly enjoyed reading this book. My 9 year old daughter read it herself and particularly enjoyed the added material at the end. For Creative Minds is an educational enrichment page that displays a Dichotomous Key to help classify animals. On the page Mammal or Not? the child uses the dichotomous key to identify which class each of the animals listed belongs. Some Mammals Are Different explains the ways in which a few mammals actually break the typical mammal mold. Did you know that there two mammals that actually lay eggs? Mammals Near You, explores the mammals that live all around us. It helps the reader identify animals using their tracks, evidence of feeding, scat, and signs of habitation to identify the animals living around you. My 7 year old also really enjoyed the book and was anxious to go walk around our neighborhood lake to identify animals in our area. I would definitely recommend this book. It is a great introduction into the study of mammals for young minds.

The Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's Books

The book explains that mammals have spines, maintain their own temperature, have fur or hair, and provide milk to their young. The final three pages provide a key to help the reader distinguish between a mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian. Some suggested activities and projects are listed.