Zooborns

Baby animals are universally adorable, even the ones like baby aardvarks that are nothing but gigantic ears and snout on a body full of wrinkles. This fact is undeniable, especially after looking at two new books by Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland that present young animals of all kinds of species from zoos and aquariums all over the world.

In Zooborns, Bleiman and Eastland introduce dozens of baby animals, many endangered or at risk of endangered status who have been born in the name of conservation of their species. Short background stories are included for each animal or set of animals, which really interested me and my oldest child. Sure we recognized the giraffe and rhinoceros, but the banded mongoose and tamandua were certainly new to us! Of course, what stands out the most are the photographs of these beautiful animals- close up shots that elicit oohs and aahs from both children and adults alike!

With ZooBorns!: Zoo Babies From Around the World, seventeen of these animals are depicted in a larger picture book more appropriate for younger children. Each animal is introduced with a few lines of text telling its name, type of animal and location, making this a wonderful nonfiction read aloud. A book with a the captivating gaze of a Bengal tiger on the front like Durga here (or is it Kali, the twin?) is eye-catching and appealing to young readers.

Both Zooborns, and its companion picture book ZooBorns!: Zoo Babies From Around the World, are interesting and absolutely beautiful books for animal loving folks of all ages.

Dawn’s own brood often has her feeling like she lives in a zoo (hopefully she doesn’t look like a monkey or smell like one, too). The zoo log can be found at her blog, my thoughts exactly.