Animachines

Description

24 pages
$17.95
ISBN 1-55037-797-3
DDC j591

Publisher

Year

2003

Contributor

Illustrations by Nora Hilb
Reviewed by Steve Pitt

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Review

A “cherry picker” truck reaches up to touch a tree’s high
branches, just like the giraffe that is munching leaves on the same
tree. A jumbo jet roars through the sky, just like the high-flying
albatross that is swooping and soaring nearby. A racing car accelerates
to an amazing speed, just like the cheetah that is chasing its prey.
“Nature shows us the way” is the playful theme of this charming
little picture book. Badgers, elephants, lions, whales, ponies, turtles,
and even opossums provide more themes for young readers to see how
people imitate animals with their mightiest machines.

Debora Pearson’s clever prose teaches young readers about both
animals and machines. Every page draws the reader into the action with
movement-oriented verbs like “creep,” “scoop,” and “gushes.”
Nora Hilb’s comical illustrations have two themes per page. One shows
the main action of animal versus machine, and the other shows a gnome
and his wormlike friend imitating the action. This is a terrific book
for preschoolers who are learning about the world around them. Highly
recommended.

Citation

Pearson, Debora., “Animachines,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed November 30, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/23778.