Hungry Animals: My First Look at a Food Chain

Ray Doiron is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at the University of Prince Edward Island.

This set of minibooks introduces young children to three basic science
concepts: plant growth, metamorphosis, and the food chain. Each two-page
spread starts with a cumulating verse modeled on “This Is the House
That Jack Built.” For example, on one page we read the verse “This
is the butterfly that landed on the leaf, that grows on the tree that
Connie climbs.” When we lift the flap, we see six different kinds of
butterflies; we also learn that butterflies have four wings and that
their wings are covered with tiny scales that give them their color.
This pattern is repeated with the verse growing by one line on each
page. The back cover features a “Note to Parents” that includes a
few suggestions for extending the book’s content.

Young children may enjoy having the books read aloud to them, and they
will like lifting the flaps to discover new information. However, the
transitions from the rhyme to the information text will not hold their
interest for repeated readings. Primary teachers may use the books to
introduce the three science concepts, although the information text is
very simple and young people will be able to read the books
independently. Recommended with reservations.