Filled to the brim with amazing interactive features, every single part of this fabulous book is covered with information. From the end pages which feature thumbnail-sized, full-body photographs of the different animals featured in the book complete with the official name of the animal and its vital statistics to the brilliant, giant, fold-out features and additional fun-facts in the margins—not a single inch space is wasted. Life-Size Zoo is a wonder to behold and will absolutely delight animal enthusiasts of all ages. It’s almost a much fun as an actual trip to the zoo! The table of contents is cleverly drawn to look just like a map you would get when you visit a real zoo. The close-of photographs of each animal are incredibly vivid and detailed. One can see the eyelashes on the giraffe and each whisker on the muzzle of the zebra. Twenty-one animals are featured throughout (the elephant is featured twice—once as an adult and once as a “calf,”) along with vital statistics for each one including the actual name of the animal—the zebra’s name is Carol—scientific name, natural habitat and other fun facts. Book design is brilliant, I can’t say enough about the clarity and detail of the close-up photographs for each animal. The common name of each animal is printed in adorable and creative-looking, large text featuring a cute, naïve rendering of the featured animal as part of the text. Colorful sidebars offer more comic-style illustrations of the animal and include their pet name, age, sex, and scientific name along with fun facts and observation suggestions for viewing the close-up image of the animal. All close-up animal images are set against a bright white background, making them appear even more striking and dramatic. There are so many excellent interactive elements within this book, it’s easy to forget that it is an animal encyclopedia. In the capacity of an animal encyclopedia, the authors may have included more comprehensive information, but this book certainly functions well as a first information book offering a general overview of the animal and some fun facts that readers of all ages will be sure to enjoy. When sharing this book with children, I would certainly capitalize on the “wow factor” of the close-up images of each animal. I would ask the children to help me name each animal, I would use the “Time for a Close-Up” sections as a guide for helping me to point out the most interesting things about each image. I might choose not to read this book straight through, but instead might use this book mostly as an interactive discussion piece—flipping slowly through the pages and allowing the children’s interests to determine which animals we looked at together. As an extension activity, we might dance around to a modified version of “If Your Happy and you Know It” modified to include zoo animals that were featured in the book. We could also sing and act out the song “We’re Going to the Zoo.” Because it was available at my local library, I used the second book "More..." first in my classroom. My students loved it and wanted more. So I borrowed this book via inter-library loan and my students still couldn't get enough! The huge photos really draw the kids in. My one wish, however, is that the text features didn't take such a back-seat role in that the font is far too small and is barely noticeable.
What do You think about Grandeur Nature (2009)?
Super cool photos of animals along with great info about them!
—blargh
Similar to Actual Size - but with real photos and more facts.
—Karina
