Deborah Chancellor

I liked this book after reading it. I liked the book because the illustrations enhanced the story and were appropriate to the mood of the story. The illustrations used bright pastel colors to attract the audience and helped enhance the story as one is reading. The illustrations help to show what else happens in the story that is not explicitly written in the text. For example, on page 8, Muddypaws is eating the sausages off of the table. However, the text does not say Muddypaws does this. The text just says, "'Bad dog!' scolded Ben's mom, and shooed him outside" (pg. 8). This shows how the illustrations enhance the story by contributing factors that are not written in the text. The illustrations helped to complete the story and made the story flow easier. I also liked the language in the text. The language is descriptive, but simple for a young audience to follow. For example, as the children are running into the party, the author describes this by writing, ". . . and the front yard was filled with stamping feet, new smells, and loud voices" (p. 11). This language is descriptive so that a young audience can envision what this would look like because the language is appropriate for the targeted audience. The language helps the audience envision the story in their minds. The big message of this book focuses on friendship and how important friends are.… (more)

I liked reading this book for a multitude of reasons. First, I loved the large captivating photographs that were present on every page. These images were all vivid and extremely high definition photos. These photos definitely draw the reader into the book and keep their attention until the end. I also liked that this book used questions as subheading within each page. Instead of using bland headings, the subheadings are phrased as interesting questions such as, “How fast are crocodiles?” These subheadings help to intrigue that reader and draw them into the text. In addition, these subheads make it easier for younger readers to find the information they are looking for. For example, a young reader may not have certain knowledge of academic vocabulary relating to animals so these easy to read questions are more effective. The main idea of this book was to inform readers about the vast diversity in the animal kingdom. The book describes each section of the animal kingdom and then features a variety of different species from that kingdom. This includes interesting facts about the species, where they live, what they eat, etc.… (more)