Excellent nature and numbers book for children.
Nature, numbers and large pictures make up this wonderful book by Lola Schaefer. Each 2-page spread features one animal and gives at least one interesting fact about that animal with a large color illustration. These facts are interesting to say the least ranging from how many beads appear on a rattlesnakes tail in its lifetime to how many flowers a swallowtail will visit in its lifetime. Kangaroos, dolphins, woodpeckers, giraffes, alligators, and seashores are just a few of the other animals you will find in this book which the author has found for you with numbers to coincide with that animal’s lifetime. I did count the beads on the rattlesnake’s tail in the picture and it did have the number the author quoted in her text but I did not count the flowers that the swallowtail visits, as that would take too much time for me LOL. I really enjoy the illustrations in this book as they are not the glossy overly bright ones found in many animal books but realistic, bold pictures that show the animals in their real habitats. In the back of the book, the author has more information about each of the animals she has included in the book and also how she came up with her calculations. There is also a note on “What is an average?” showing how to calculate averages. More fun is in store as she writes about math and how to do story problems, leaving you with a couple to do on your own. Fun book to read together with a child, counting the items the author has highlighted for you and it is packed with great information. This book is definitely worth checking out.
