National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of African Animals

PreS-Gr 4–In full color with plentiful pictures, this self-described “early reference book” is organized into chapters by the kinds of diets eaten by the profiled African animals, which include hunters, plant eaters, omnivores, and scavengers. The nonfiction text features are thorough, including a table of contents, an index, and a glossary, as well as a guide on navigating the book, extra resources, and tips for adults on how to share the book with children. Words are sparse, but vocabulary and definitions are intentionally built into the text. The page layout for each animal is similar, with a small article about the featured creature, a fact card, and a discussion question or activity for readers. The fact card attempts to be accessible; for example, instead of size being a numerical measurement, it is a comparison for the size of something a child might be able to visualize like a credit card or a twin mattress. Information about habitat and a map of Africa that shows the areas of various habitats and where featured species live are included in the back matter.