Feathers and hair, what animals wear

In spare, gentle rhyme, this vibrantly illustrated picture book introduces young readers to the very basics of animal form. Some animals wear armor. / Some wear a traveling shell. / Some wear tough and pointy horns that serve them very well, Ward writes as Tsong showcases an armadillo's tough skin, a shelled tortoise and a hermit crab, and the horns of a rhino and antlers of a gazelle. Back matter includes a list of the animals in the order that they appear, with some details about each feature showcased in the text. The collage-style illustrations focus on particular aspects of each animal: a lion's gaping yawn is front and center on one page, but it's the mane (Some animals wear wild hair) that is its most defining feature. Back-to-back spreads on colorful animals a camouflaging chameleon and octopus are especially interesting. While not particularly science heavy, this is an eye-catching first look for budding scientists, and a final page on the only animal who wears clothes from head to toes will pique that interest even further.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2017 Booklist

PreS-Gr 1-Beginning with patterned tail feathers on the title page that lead to a multicolored bird, digitally painted spreads feature a vibrant progression of animals with feathers, hair, spines, armor, shells, horns, skin, scales, or fur, plain or gaudy-and "only one wears clothes from head to toes." The book's art is brightly colorful, with detailed images that convey the motion of each animal from varied perspectives and highlighted words with a change of font. Additional information pages follow the introductory rhyming text, describing each animal with words for building vocabulary (bristle, contour, down, crustacean, mollusk, gills, pachyderm) or interesting facts, e.g., "the muscles of an octopus can create lumps, ridges and spikes.to match the texture of its surroundings." Each featured creature is also categorized as a mammal, an amphibian, a bird, a fish, or a reptile. VERDICT An eye-catching addition for younger readers, with multiple uses in classroom or library.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.