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The Animal Book

The Animal Book
Written and Illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin, 2013. 208 pages. Nonfiction.

The Animal Book is the ultimate animal guide, written and illustrated by the masterful Steve Jenkins. It is organized into categories from the basics ("What is an animal?") to the wild ("Hottest, coldest, highest, deepest"). Some sections have dozens of animal images, which would work as a visual guide for even the youngest of readers. Other chapters feature in-depth information and graphs for more advanced animal lovers. Check out the animal gestation page: housefly eggs hatch in one day, brine shrimp take 15 years. Mammal gestation ranges from opossums at 12 days to an elephant at 640 days! This is a fantastic, interesting encyclopedia of animals and their lives. A must-buy. (I also love the bonus at the back: How Mr. Jenkins creates his books!)

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