Burgess {Animal Book} Am I missing something here? (Suzukimom)

The books about individual animals are different from The Animal Book, Bird Book and Seashore Book.  Those three are definitely lessons, with each chapter telling about a different species.  My DD enjoyed them, but DS was not as interested and we’ve dropped the Animal Book for him.  “The Adventures of …” series are more stories staring different animals.  They don’t include nearly as much information about the animals.  We read them as literature or free reads, just because they are fun.  I know some people use them as ‘science’ books, too, but they were not written as such in the same way as The Animal Book, etc.  They make good books for young readers, because they have short chapters and interesting storylines. 

We used the Animal, Bird and Seashore books along with lots of looking things up on the internet to see pictures, listen to bird songs, etc.  I have my children narrate information about the species they are learning about, not about the story, because there just isn’t much story.  We try to figure out some distinguishing physical features, something about the animal’s habitat, eating habits, and anything else interesting.  DD, my artist, liked to draw the animal/bird as well.  If you are just looking for a story to read through, then yes, they would be boring compared to the Adventures series.

I found that the books all get better after a few chapters, although that might have been just my perception as I learned what to expect.

Joanne

We enjoy his Animal, Bird, books, etc., but we LOVE The Adventures of… books. These are such treasures that I’m trying to collect them in nice older hardcovers to hand down to my boys.