Written by: Etta Kaner
Illustrated by: Jeff Szue
Published by: Kids Can Press
Published: 2009
I don't just read my kids books. I know, this will come as a shock. But sometimes I brave breaking out my croaky off-key voice and sing songs. The #1 song my kids like is Down By The Bay by Raffi. Raffi is the super-awesome Canadian kids singing sensation and environmental crusader who not only entertained me as a kid but keeps kids across the world entertained 30 years later.
This song includes various versions of the question "Have you ever seen a fly wearing a necktie?". The rhyming and the silliness of the questions really capture the attention of listeners. This book takes that question and adds more versions.
The book asks the questions about animals wearing different types of clothes, from a jackrabbit in shorts to a whale in a parka. My soccer fanatic son's favourite is the cheetah wearing cleats. Now he is obsessed with getting traction so he can run like a cheetah!
The answer to these questions is of course "no, that's silly!" It goes on to explain why the animal is equipped by nature to do without these human contraptions.
This book is at the perfect level for my son who is an emerging reader to read the questions. Then we flip the page and I read the explanations for why a lobster doesn't need a helmet, etc. the setup is good, so the kids have a chance to stop giggling at the adorably incongruous pictures before moving on to the facts about why these animals have evolved in the way they have.
Bonus points for including a caribou. There are no caribou in Japan and even I am fuzzy on the distinctions between a caribou, a deer, and a moose. We spent a lot of time looking that up after, and I can't wait to eventually take my kids to the Royal Alberta Museum to see their displays about caribou.
This was a great book, a perfect nonfiction picture book to read with or aloud to the kindergarten set. I'm happy to see that this is a series, and there are more Have You Seen? books.
We read this book for Nonfiction Monday, which is being hosted this week by Rasco from RIF.
This is the 35th book I have read for the 5th Canadian Book Challenge.
Just wanted to say YAY for the shout-out to the Royal Alberta Museum! I followed the link and ended up reading all about Ginger Beef....way cool.
ReplyDeleteI love that place...have even taken my husband there. I think he liked it!
The book sounds really cool. Too bad all the children in my life are too old for it now. :-(
Picture books don't have to just be for kids you know!
DeleteNow I want ginger beef. Mmmm.
I love books that make you break out into a song! How awesome! Somehow the picture book that came to my mind was "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus" :) Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a winner! I'm sure my animal-loving students (which is pretty much all of them) will love it.
ReplyDelete