National Geographic Readers

October 1, 2016

K-Gr 2-This Spanish-language beginning reader introduces children to the daily lives of animals and their young. With chapters about hunting, movement, habitats, and tools, the short volume presents a quick overview that animal lovers will enjoy. The left-hand page of each spread has longer text for adults to read to kids, and the right-hand page has a simpler narrative for children to read, with the same keyword highlighted. These keywords are in bold but are never defined. Higher-level vocabulary words are often not explained in context, either, such as manada (herd) or sabana (savannah). Though the subtitle uses the paternal descriptor "animales papas," most of the parent animals are female. The engaging photographs are the star here; they depict images of creatures and their young in various activities. The occasional round insets make the presentation even more dynamic. Each chapter concludes with an activity that children can participate in, such as fill-in-the-blanks and matching the critter with its young. These exercises can be done at home but might be more appropriate for classroom use. VERDICT A serviceable addition to early elementary nonfiction collections.-Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.