By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 20, 2009
by Gilda + Melvin Berger
Reading level: Ages 7 – 10
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Reference (March 1, 2009)
What to expect: Animals, Facts, Non-fiction
Shhh, if you won’t tell anyone, I have some secrets to share. Did you know that giraffes clean their ears with their tongues, and rhinoceroses use sunscreen (mud). These are just two interesting facts that I learned from reading 101 Animal Secrets.
Melvin and Gilda Berger have worked together on many science books for elementary aged children. Their Question & Answer books usually focus on one animal or science concept per book, 101 Animal Secrets offers up one unusual characteristic of 101 different animals. Each fact is short and to the point; some are shocking, “the horned toad squirts blood from its eyes”; some are sweet, “prairie dogs “kiss” when they meet.” There is one fact per page and each is accompanied by two photographs, making it a great layout for early to early-fluent readers. This is a fabulous book for reluctant readers, animal lovers, and science enthusiasts.
Oh, and did you know that a wolf can pick up smells 100 times better than you, I’m okay with that because there are some smells that are better left unsmelt! What do you think?
Publisher’s synopsis: It’s definitely not a secret that kids can’t get enough of animals! In 101 Animal Secrets they’ll discover tons of fun and wacky facts like:
· A giraffe can lick its ear with its tongue.
· Mosquitoes don’t bite.
· Fish sleep with their eyes open.
· Mice don’t love cheese.
· You can’t escape a lion by climbing up a tree.
Each secret is numbered, and every page has a full-color, full-paged photograph with a short block of text in a kid-friendly font.
Add this book to your collection: 101 Animal Secrets
Other books by Melvin and Gilda Berger that you may enjoy: Scholastics True or False series and Scholastic Question and Answer series.