Animals!: Here We Grow

by Shelley Rotner

Overview

Striking photos show 14 animals as they grow and transform in this stunning introduction to life cycles for preschoolers.

Readers follow along as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, a tadpole into a frog, and egg into a chicken. This engaging and accessible look at natural science introduces young children to the stages of growth for a diverse variety of animals.

The bright, clean layout makes it easy for kids to follow along, while the paneled photographs allow readers an up-close look at each stage of development. Perfect for children curious about the world around them.

Shelley Rotner, a National Geographic photographer and prolific children's author, applies her trained eye for crisp colors and details in this latest book for young readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823451425
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	01/18/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.01(h) x 0.11(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Shelley Rotner is the author and photo-illustrator of more than thirty books, including the Hello Seasons! series and Families. Her collaborations with Sheila M. Kelly include Shades of People, an ALA Notable Children's Book, and her solo work includes Colors, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. Rotner's photography has appeared in Time, National Geographic, Food and Wine, and many other publications. She lives in Northampton, MA.

Editorial Reviews

"Another winner for young animal lovers."—Kirkus Reviews

"A strong choice for beginners reading independently or aloud with a parent, for storytimes, and for introducing the youngest readers to life cycles and animal growth." —Booklist

From the Publisher

2021-02-09
Rotner adds to her striking collection of children’s books featuring her photography with this beginning look at animals’ life cycles.

Mindful of the youngest children, the author keeps things simple by placing each animal on a single spread, one phrase describing the life stages (with appropriate vocabulary: hatchling, lamb, piglet) as they unfold in the three to six photographs that span the pages, and what photos they are! “Egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly” includes six photos, one each of the first three, and then three showing the monarch butterfly inside the now-clear chrysalis, unfolding its wings, and perched on a pink flower. The gangly foal progresses from wobbly infancy to a sturdy colt to a full-grown stallion, its tail and mane grown in and its coat glossy. Of the 14 animals presented, seven begin as eggs (frog, bird, chicken, turtle, snake, lizard), six are common on farms or as pets (rabbit, pig, sheep, horse, cat, dog), and the last is, appropriately, a human. While the robin hatchling is shown in its rather ugly, featherless stage, the chick is not, and of the kit, kitten, and puppy, only the final is shown as a newborn with eyes still shut tight. The backmatter includes three life-cycle diagrams (butterfly, bird, frog), a brief glossary, and a list of “breeds” shown in the photos (several are members of individual species rather than breeds, a distinction that is not clarified by the short, accompanying definition). The few humans pictured are diverse in gender and racial presentation.

Another winner for young animal lovers. (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews