Weird and Wild Animal Facts

We took our kids to the Dublin Library last week and Miss Val, one of the children's librarians there, shared lots of new books with the kids, getting them excited about summer reading. One of the books she shared was one I knew I had to add to our nonfiction library.

Weird and Wild Animal Facts by Jessica Loy is a book that is perfect for elementary readers. I am always worried that our students just love to read isolated facts, which is a good start for nonfiction. But I want them to move beyond that.  This is a perfect book to start that.

This book is filled with interesting animal facts.  But after reading the author's note, I see the way these facts go together and together they tell an interesting story about animal adaptations. Each 2 page spread focuses on a common animal, one most of us are familiar with.  (giraffe, jelly fish, tarantula) and for each animal there are several facts about that animal.  The author goes on to tell us how each thing helps the animal.  For example: "Sloths are covered in unique fur that's an ideal breeding ground for algae."  The author goes on to explain that, "The algae helps them blend into the environment and hide from predators.  The end pages also include fun facts and the author includes online resources at the end of the book so readers can continue to learn about animals.

This book is one that kids will grab because it is filled with interesting facts and the photos are engaging. But it does more than share isolated facts and I love that!