Smithsonian Animal Encyclopedia

Children are naturally drawn to animals. They’re cute, cuddly, and furry and kids just want to pick them up and nurture them. Kids have an easier time connecting with animals than adults and for this reason, you’ll see them talking, playing, reading and even sleeping with their pets. Kids automatically develop non-verbal communication with animals that seems to build a special bond for life. To them, animals are more than companions, they are family and their best friends.

Pet’s teach kids responsibility, how to be kind, and how to socially interact. You’ll find lots of songs, movies, and books that educate kids about animals and they are quick to participate in these experiences. Plus, they are encouraged to learn more about their favorite animals. In our family, books are huge educators and the ones that put animals at the heart of the subject or story are the most popular. Here are two new books that will inspire kids to learn about and embrace all walks of animals.

Smithsonian Animal!

The Smithsonian Animal encyclopedia offers a visual learning experience like no other animal kingdom reference. It features bold, vivid and breathtaking photos and realistic computer-generated infographics of over 100 different animals, birds, bugs, fish and more from a tiny water flea to the might blue whale. The contents are divided into 6 different categories, Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. Each category features a plethora of different critters that kids can explore, embrace and expand on.

Kids will be introduced to the seven kingdoms of life, learn about the evolution and extinction of animals and explore the 600 million-year history of animals on planet Earth. Six key animal features are covered, Multicellular bodies, Energy and food, Find food, Gas exchange, Sensory systems, and Getting around. A size scale of the animal is compared to an average-sized man, human hand, or half a thumb.

As kids traverse through the pages, they will learn interesting facts and details about each animal featured. They’ll get an up-close view of dangerous and wild animals and learn where they live, how big they are, unique features, and what they eat. Each page has easy-to-read information along with data boxes with quick reference details.

A few of the images will even show the placement of the internal organs. Some of the animal’s kids can learn about include Butterflies and Moths, Honeybees, Spotted Seahorse, Skunks, Frogs and Toads, Komodo Dragons, Penguins, Lemures, Giant Pandas, Toucans, and Woodpeckers, Bovids, and Wilds Cats.

The back of the book has an informative section called Animals Science which hones in on appearance, behavior, body function and animal’s adaptiveness in their environments and their diversity. The Smithsonian Animal encyclopedia is a wonderful reference book that is perfect for a family library.

Disclaimer: I received products to facilitate a review. All opinions are my own.