Curious About Mammals

by Cathryn Sill, John Sill (Illustrator)

Overview

What is a mammal? Young readers will discover simple yet compelling answers in this beautiful board book from the Discovering Nature series created by Cathryn and John Sill.

Educator and award-winning author Cathryn Sill introduces toddlers and preschoolers to the concept of mammals using clear, easy-to-understand facts about where they live, what they eat, and how they move. The book features simple, relatable truths like "All mammals have hair. All baby mammals drink milk.... Some mammals swim. Some mammals fly."

Noted wildlife artist John Sill adds context with beautiful, realistic watercolor illustrations of a variety of mammals—from the recognizable dolphin and raccoon to animals that may be new to young readers, like the muskox and the big brown bat.

The Discovering Nature series is a dependable and informative nonfiction resource for helping toddlers and preschoolers explore basic animal and nature concepts. Perfect for a variety of early childhood education units and at-home learning.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682631980
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Series:	Discovering Nature , #2
Pages:	22
Sales rank:	245,834
Product dimensions:	6.65(w) x 6.65(h) x 0.45(d)
Lexile:	AD130L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Cathryn Sill, a graduate of Western Carolina University, was an elementary school teacher for thirty years. She is the author of more than twenty-five prize-winning nonfiction picture books about animals and habitats. She has created three nature series especially for pre-K and kindergarten students. She lives in North Carolina.

John Sill holds a BS in wildlife biology from North Carolina State University. Combining his knowledge of wildlife and artistic skill, John has achieved an impressive reputation as a wildlife artist and received many awards. He has illustrated more than twenty-five books in the About... and About Habitats series. He lives in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

05/18/2020

Finely detailed, highly realistic watercolor paintings by John Sill show an array of mammals, mostly North American, in their natural habitats. Each identified in italic text, an American badger peers out from a grassland den, spinner dolphins leap from azure waves, a southern flying squirrel perches to munch an eye-spotted moth. Simple statements by Cathryn Sill identify mammalian characteristics, progressing from the universal (“All mammals have hair”) to the particular (“Some mammals swim”). The careful accumulation of facts ends somewhat flatly in a generic assertion (“Mammals.../ are important to our world”), but the small volume offers youngest readers a pleasing introduction to what makes a mammal a mammal. Ages 2–6. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Readers will appreciate the realistic, up-close portrayals offered by Sill's detailed paintings." —Booklist

"Offers youngest readers a pleasing introduction to what makes a mammal a mammal." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

08/01/2020

PreS-K—In this nonfiction board book, readers learn the basic characteristics of mammals through simple sentences and watercolor illustrations. Each spread describes two mammal species with facts that initially highlight commonalities among all mammals and later contrast their diversity. For instance, "All mammals have hair" and "Some mammals run. Some mammals climb." A variety of animals from different environments are presented: whales, dolphins, elks, arctic foxes, and rodents. The common name for each animal is provided in small font below the illustration. Some of the illustrations were previously published in the hardcover edition of About Mammals or earlier titles such as About Marsupials or About Rodents. VERDICT An optional purchase where animal board books or nonfiction topics are popular.—Meaghan Darling, Sparta P.L., NJ

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