Northwest Animal Babies (ISBN 1570614628)

An attractive introduction to Pacific Northwest animals:
While the some of the terminology is a bit difficult for the intended audience, "Northwest Animal Babies" is still an attractive introduction to the subject, especially when read-aloud and discussed by an adult. This book covers animals in the region ranging from Oregon in the south to Alaska in the north; and from Montana in the east to Washington in the west. Since our school is in a rural area northeast of Seattle, our first graders immediately identified with cougar pups, bobcat kittens, and Canada Geese goslings, among others. In most cases, one animal is featured per page, with clear, attractive photos of young animals, sometimes with a parent, and a few sentences about each animal. A few animals are featured in a two-page spread. Using this book would be a good way to learn the correct terms for specific animal babies, as well as proper names for a few animal body parts. While reading this book to a first grade class in my library, each page caused the children to raise their hands wanting to tell their own animal stories. This read-aloud session could have easily stretched into a half-hour, much longer than reading the text straight through requires. Despite a few "big words," young students are attracted to this book. Recommended.