Is a Camel a Mammal?
Product Description The Cat in the Hat takes Dick and Sally on a Seussian safari to observe (and pontificate about) the many different kinds of mammals. An invaluable tour for all animal lovers! Amazon.com Review From pygmy shrews to bandicoots, this book will remind you it's not just Dr. Seuss who created strange and wonderful creatures! Is a Camel a Mammal? discusses myriad mammals in the entertaining rhythms that made Seuss famous. While the Cat in the Hat is the central narrator of this fact-filled tale, count on Thing One and Thing Two for supplying the actions that accompany such tidbits as "Their hair can be soft, like the fur of a kitten, or the wool from a lamb that you knit from a mitten." While the author forced some of the rhymes, the book still makes a great starting place for early readers with a serious interest in unusual animals. A sure hit for post-zoo story time. (Preschool to early reader) --Jill Lightner From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2-These books aim to introduce beginning readers to basic concepts in an entertaining manner. The author employs familiar characters from Dr. Seuss's "Cat in the Hat" titles to present information showing the diverse range of birds and mammals. The manic parade of rhyming facts, however, is confusing and contrived. Fine Feathered Friends is annoyingly superficial. In Is a Camel a Mammal?, a number of examples prove that mammals come in all sizes, live in many types of environments, and have various eating habits. Two basic facts, however, are mentioned in the glossary but not in the text: that mammal babies feed on their mothers' milk, and that they have backbones. In both books, the cartoon illustrations fail to distinguish among the many creatures. Series such as "Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science" (HarperCollins), "Read and Wonder" (Candlewick), and Jim Arnosky's "Crinkleroot" books (S & S) are all better choices. Marilyn Taniguchi, Santa Monica Public Library, CA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author TISH RABE his the author of over 160 books for children—including 17 books in the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library series—among them There's No Place Like Space!; If I Ran the Rainforest; and Oh, the Things You Can Do That Are Good For You! To learn more about her, visit tishrabe.com. From the Back Cover "There is a big gap between 'concept' books written for preschoolers and nonfiction that requires fluent reading skills. The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library books introduce beginning readers to important basic concepts about the natural world. They provide the critical foundations upon which complex facts and ideas can eventually be build. In addition, The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library shows young readers that books can be entertaining and educational at the same time. This is a wonderful series!" -- Barbara Kiefer, Associate Professor, Reading and Literature Teachers College, Columbia University From the Inside Flap The Cat in the Hat takes Dick and Sally on a Seussian safari to observe (and pontificate about) the many different kinds of mammals. An invaluable tour for all animal lovers! Review "There is a big gap between 'concept' books written for preschoolers and nonfiction that requires fluent reading skills. The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library books introduce beginning readers to important basic concepts about the natural world. They provide the critical foundations upon which complex facts and ideas can eventually be build. In addition, The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library shows young readers that books can be entertaining and educational at the same time. This is a wonderful series!" -- Barbara Kiefer, Associate Professor, Reading and Literature Teachers College, Columbia University