Time Machine
3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book For Very Young Children, May 23, 2005

I came to this page (Amazon reviews for the book A Children's Zoo) after puzzling over why this book was on my entering kindergartners summer reading list. It is a nicely photographed book but not one I would think appropriate for anyone over 3 years of age. Certainly my boy and girl, newly 3 and 5 respectively, were uninteresting in it.

Perhaps this is because they are already familiar with these animals (kodiak bear, penguin, hippo, zebra, polar bear, sea lion, lion, parrot, elephant, panda, and giraffe) and found nothing new about the presentation. [Hippo in water. Sea Lion in water. Polar Bears on fake mountain.]

In any case, I would not suggest you buy this for anyone 4 and above: 2.5 Stars. ( )

This book in so nice for the 3 to 4 year old range. The pictures catch their eye but at the same time they are learning about language.

Pierce College Library
2-3 Years

This nonfiction picture book used real photographs of animals. These photos are accompanied by words that describe the way the animals looks, moves, and sounds. Awesome book to use with a pre-K class! ( )

A Good Book For Very Young Children,

This book was on my entering Kindergartners Summer Reading list and I can't imagine why. It is a nicely photographed book, but not one I would think appropriate for children at the Kindergarten level.

Certainly my boy and girl, newly 3 and 5 respectively, didn't find it interesting. Perhaps this is because they are already familiar with the animals that are shown in the book. These would be Kodiak bears, penguins, hippos, zebras, polar bears, sea lions, lions, parrots, elephants, pandas, and giraffes. And while that's a nice assortment there is a nothing especially new about their presentation. The Hippo is shown in water, as are the Sea Lions. The Polar Bears are on fake mountain.

The "official" Interest Level for this book is said to be Pre-school thru Kindergarten, but I honestly would only read the book to older babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer for www.BooksForKids-reviews.com ( )