Hellobee

Drake loves animals and learning about them. We have been going on about two years I think, and the obsession is still going strong. As an animal lover myself, I love sharing a passion with my child. Drake has picked up all kinds of facts and about all these animals and I want to continue giving him opportunities to learn more. Now that he is older and getting used to reading longer books, I have started to look into more educational animal books vs picture books. Here are ones that cover more factual information, but are still fun and entertaining reads for his age.

About Series – I know Mrs Tiger’s older son is also an animal lover so when I read her Author Spotlight on the About Series, I was very intrigued. This seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. I like the variety of animals to choose from, as well as the different habitats and animal classifications.

National Geographics for Kids – I bought this book for Drake for his last birthday and it was perfect. The illustrations are colorful and fun — exactly what you would expect from this kind of publication. Each animal gets a page or two and Drake happily peruses this on his own in bed after I leave. He has enjoyed it so much that I’m thinking of getting him the ocean one.

The Blue Whale  – When I first saw this book on Amazon, I was drawn to the illustrations by Jenni Desmond, an illustrator I like a lot. At first glance I thought this was a picture book, but I was surprised to see it was a nonfiction book about whales. I like that it teaches the size of a whale in comparison to other known objects to a child, like a truck or an elephant. There’s even a drawn to scale whale eye to show kids how big they really are.

The Big Noisy Book of Animals – Drake received this one for Christmas. I am a fan of Britta Teckentrup’s work and when I saw the title, I immediately thought of my animal loving Drake. Besides the delightful illustrations, this book really delves into facts for little kids broken down into categories for each page (animal babies, what do they eat, where do they live). The illustrations pop all over the pages, and the facts are small enough for younger to kids to digest quickly. Drake loved to just look for animals on each page as we looked at it together, but that’s the fun part about this book I think — he can pick and choose and slowly learn at his own interest level.

Ocean Alphabet – Besides animals, Drake is obsessed with the alphabet. He often comes up with games naming every animal, fruit, vegetable, etc. for each letter of the alphabet. We have picked up quite some knowledge about veggies this way, since there was some googling on Mr Chocolate and my part to get the whole alphabet complete. When I saw this book I knew it would be right up Drake’s alley, as an ocean alphabet something is we haven’t tried yet.

What Do You Do With A Tail Like This – The author, Steve Jenkins, has a little series dedicated to animal facts just like this one about tails. Each one covers something different like what animals eat and who is the biggest, strongest, fastest in the animal world. I am curious about all of them, but would love to start with the tail one since it seems the most fun and interesting for kids.

Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents – What is more relatable to kids than other kids, whether they be human or furry. Born in the Wild talks about how animal babies are born and where and how they survive with their families.

Egg: Nature’s Perfect Package  – This is another example of the type of books I am trying to find for Drake — a balance of fun and entertainment while also a learning tool in a subject he loves. I’m sure Drake will be so excited to see how many animals really come from eggs like birds, fish, turtle, etc.

Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why – Thanks to Drake’s grandmother and her love of birds, Drake also has a great fondness for them. We love watching them visit the bird feeder in our yard. We have done an bird alphabet in the past (where we needed Google’s help once again), so maybe he can pick up some new bird names to add to his little game.

Do you have any favorite nonfiction animal books for kids?