I love Joel Sartore's animal photography (I follow him on Instagram), but as a book, this just didn't work for me. It was too disjointed. ( )

This book is a mixed bag. On the positive side: absolutely "awww"-worthy photography of photogenic animals, and Alexander's spare language. The text will not overwhelm young listeners (though squealing about the animals might). On the negative side: there seems to be a conservation message, but it is literally hidden in the book. You have to find pages that fold out into a wide spread to find the conservation discussion, and it is written in a much denser manner that wouldn't really resonate with the kids who will be excited to look at this book. ( )

This book provides holistic and intrinsic photographs of endangered species and other animals. The photographs of these creatures are accompanied by Haiku poems that highlight the wondrous and phenomenal characteristics of each animal. This is an informational book that provides fold out pages to help identify each of the animals. The use of different fonts, sizes, and placement of text helps emphasize the emphasis of words expressed in, Alexander's Haikus. ( )

This amazing book shares the importance of taking care of our world for the animals that live in it. It gives our youngest children an introduction the idea that our actions matter and how the amazing creatures that live among us can disappear unless we do something to make sure they can live in a world that protects them.

Using a form of Haiku poetry (which I was reminded how much I loved and missed reading) the author describes the amazing qualities of animals next to detailed and vivid photography of that animal. With a photographic glossary of all the animals in the book, parents can teach their child the names and learn along with their child. From well-loved animals like pandas, tigers, and butterflies to those lesser known ones that are also near extinction like the Quokka, Common Yabby, and the St. Andrew Beach Mouse. Talking with your child about the location of these animals and why they might be vulnerable to extinction will help them understand the role they can plan in our ecosystem.

By describing animals through the creativeness of a Haiku gives each of the pages a unique twist. Some of them are silly, while others will make you pause to soak in the amazing characteristics of these animals. Children and adults won't be able to turn their eyes away from the pages of full-color, stunning photos of animals. This really is a powerful story for toddlers and preschoolers. This book is an excellent way to introduce lyrical prose to young children as well as have a conversation about being kind to our planet and the animals that live in it. ( )

These photographs are absolutely fantastic. The photographer's talent (and patience) involved in capturing the images is superb. True to National Geographic quality, the book presents a child's view of animals that National Geographic is capturing in their photographic animal ark where they are storing images of as many critters as possible. Some may in the future become extinct and these images will have historic and naturalistic value. Children and adults alike will enjoy looking and learning from this delightful picture book. The sparse text invites the reader to "look into their eyes" and "sing our names." And lyric lines such as.....

"wings like a cape, ready for flight into the sweet, dark night."
"how many feathers.... does it take to make a wing to fly, share sky"

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are my own and freely given. ( )