Review: Two Nature Books for Kids

Animal lovers of all ages will be absolutely entranced by David E. Klutho's Time for Kids: Zoo 3D. Let me start by raving about the photography. After you turn the first page of the book, you're instructed to put on the 3D glasses found in the inside cover. And once you do, you'll gasp as the photographs seem to pop off the page!

The effect is so truly three-dimensional, you'll want to pet the giant panda, keep your fingers away from the leopard's mouth, and duck out of the way of the flying bats. I just love the way the butterfly's wings rise off the page, and I was totally creeped out by the Chilean tarantula. (*shudder*) You and your kids will spend hours looking at the fantastic photographs of mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles.

What makes Zoo 3D really wonderful, though, is the informative but easy-to-understand text that goes with the special effects. Photographer and animal-lover David Klutho, along with writer Curtis Slepian, fills us in on what the animals like to eat, how they they are born, where they live in the wild, and more. Throughout the book are fun "Did You Know?" boxes with quick facts that kids will likely want to share with whoever will listen.

Earmark Klutho's spectacular book for the budding photographer or veterinarian in your family

Buy Zoo 3D at an Indie or a bookstore near you. This link leads to an affiliate program.
Published by Time Home Entertainment / Time for Kids, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781618930095
Rating: B+
Source: Review (see review policy)

In And the Tide Comes In . . . Exploring a Georgia Salt Marsh, Merrly Alber transports young readers to the wonderfully diverse world of the eastern coastal lowlands. When Ginger, who lives in Colorado, travels to Georgia to visit her cousin, she expects to see white sandy beaches. Instead she discovers the muddy tidal marshes and comes to love the grasses, snails, raccoons, and birds that live there.

Joyce Mihran Turey's beautiful illustrations bring the story of exploration alive. Ginger and her cousin get muddy, catch crabs, feast on shrimp, and watch the animals and fish.

Although And the Tide Comes In can be read as a delightful story of having fun in the outdoors, it's much more. On every spread you'll find a discussion question or two that pertain to the story. Some are fun (like "Have you ever gotten really muddy?") and some prompt your young ones to notice the natural world around them (like "What animals have you seen visiting your neighborhood?").

In addition, there are numerous illustrated sidebars to satisfy the curious reader. I was surprised to learn of all the different mammals that find a home in the marshes and was interested to read about how marsh grass survives its daily baths of salty tidal waters.

Because And the Tide Comes In can be read on different levels, it's a book your children will enjoy as they mature from looking at the illustrations to learning about the tides.

This post will be linked to Kid Konnection, hosted by Julie at Booking Mama.

Buy And the Tide Comes in at an Indie or a bookstore near you. This link leads to an affiliate program.
Published by Taylor Trade / Moonlight, 2012
ISBN-13: 9780981770055
Rating B+
Source: Review (see review policy)
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