You might have noticed a theme in today’s children’s book roundup. Yes, these new releases from Quarto Kids are all about animals, but if you look a little closer, they all boast bold, beautiful illustrations as well. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and you can count on these picture books to reach and engage kids of all ages.
Click on the titles or covers to see these books on Amazon.
by Emily Hawkins & Lucy Letherland
Like the cover says, “Plunge into the depths of the ocean and discover wonderful sea creatures, incredible habitats, and unmissable underwater events.” The beautiful full-page colour illustrations will take kids on a guided tour of the world’s five oceans, explore their wonders, and discover the marvelous creatures living above and below the water.
From tropical shallows to the deepest undersea trenches, each page introduces readers to 32 different ocean locations and the fascinating creatures that make their homes there. Did you know that parrotfish sleep in slimy little sleeping bags they make from their own mucus to keep them safe from predators at night? Did you know that giant kelp can grow up to 24 inches a day? Or that the thick-billed murre can dive deeper than any other flying bird, over 650 feet under the surface of the Arctic Ocean?
We love the 15″ x 11″ large format of this atlas! Its thick, oversized pages are ideally suited for kids to pore over while lying on the floor. Lucy Letherland‘s colourful yet muted ink illustrations bring each ocean environment to life with plenty of details to examine over and over again. Many of the spreads hide tiny touches of whimsy like a hammerhead shark carrying a bouquet of roses or a penguin in a bathing cap preparing to dive into the ocean.
Backmatter includes information about oceans in danger and what you can do to help foster healthy oceans. Extend the fun with a seek and find section in the back with images that kids can search for in the pages of the book.
by Martin Jenkins & Tor Freeman
Roll up, roll up, roll up! The Animal Awards are about to begin…
Within the pages of this fun and nifty book you’ll find portraits of fifty of the most talented creatures in the animal kingdom. Instead of a dry recitation of facts, this book uses an awards show format to teach kids fascinating facts about each species and what makes each of them so special. Find out who wins the Ridiculously Long (and Sticky) Tongue Award. Who will claim the title of Fussiest Eater? Who will win the Air Speed Record and how fast can he really go?
This hardcover volume includes familiar subjects like wolves, lions, and tigers, as well as some lesser known species like Cuvier’s beaked whales, lyrebirds, and honey badgers. Each entry is packed full of information including where they live, lifespan, and what they eat. Award winners are featured in illustrations meant to evoke an old photo album. In Tor Freeman‘s humorous comic-style illustrations, every animal wears a smile, and his anthropomorphic creatures will undoubtedly make readers smile too.
by Jules Howard & Jarom Vogel
Drawn from locations near and far, hot and cold, dry and wet, meet over 300 representatives of the diverse animal kingdom. From the microscopic tardigrade to the massive blue whale, take a closer look at the animals that share the planet with us on the land, in the air, and in the water.
Colour-coded tabs on the side organize animals into their respective classes: invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Each section opens with a vibrant two-page scene featuring representatives of that class, followed by information about common characteristics and how to identify animals in that class. Individual entries for each animal include its common name, Latin (scientific) name, a short description, and its size, diet, and habitat.
Attractive digital illustrations by Jarom Vogel capture the essential characteristics of each animal with colour and stylized shading. This is a book that demands to be flipped through over and over.
While not an exhaustive catalogue by any means, we like how the organization of entries by family and class (instead of in alphabetical order) helps children understand how species are related. For example, in the sample page above readers can easily tell that bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas are all members of the ape family, as well as members of the even larger class of mammals.
Win All These Books from Quarto Kids
Quarto Kids makes beautiful books that educate, entertain, and enrich the lives of kids worldwide, and they’ve generously offered the same set of children’s books we reviewed to one of our readers. Enter in the giveaway widget below. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the US, 18+. All the winner’s entries will be verified.
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Disclosure: I received sample items to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
My granddaughter has a love of horses and cats/
We love cats we have an orange cat & a tabby.
I always had an endearing love for giraffes and elephants because of their beauty and intelligence and my granddaughter loves smaller animals like cats and dogs.
Everyone here loves cats. They’re beautiful and mysterious!
My families favourite animal is a wolf it is my spirit animal.
My favourite animal is the Unicorn, because it’s mythical & so cute!
My favorite animals are cats, owls and elephants because they are all beautiful, wise and majestic.
My Grandson loves panda bears.
My favourite are horses, I have no idea why though as I can’t ride and don’t know anyone who owns a horse. I’ve never been in close contact with them, well apart from when a free-roaming pony that lived in wild conditions in The New Forest in England nipped at my arm. I think he really wanted a treat though, lol
Both my children play as rabbits during the day. They love bunnies!
My granddaughter loves elephants, I have no idea why she just thinks they are amazing!!
My Grandkids all love pugs, I think it is because one of the bloggers they follow has one!
Everyone here loves cat. Not only are they soft and cuddly but their antics keep us in stitches.
My youngest loves sloths and my middle kiddo loves foxes!
Cats, she loves cats. I love monkeys and their antics.
My youngest granddaughter favourite other then her dog is birds. She loves how pretty they are!
My daughter loves allll the animals , cats , dogs , fish , bumble bees , she is just an all around animal lover
I love swans, so graceful and elegant ! The grandkids love cats, they can’t have any at their home so love to play with ours when visiting!
My favorite animals are dogs. They make great traveling partners when I’m on a road trip alone. At home I feel protected from the animals in the forest and strangers who may pass by.
My twins love cats and dogs. I think they like them so much because we don’t have pets so they pretend to be each other’s pet.
My son loves piggies. I’m not sure exactly why – he’s two and changes his mind all the time!
My daughter’s favourite animal is a horse.
My favorite animal is a goat.
My great great nephew Cameron loves all animals. His mom takes him to zoo’s etc all the time. BUT his favorite is Dinosaurs
My son and I love dogs, we have always owned one and we are attached. But we love all animals in general
I love Pandas, they are so cute!
My niece really likes cats. And I do too!
My favorite animal is the owl, just because of their association with wisdom.
My daughter likes unicorns because they are magical.
My daughter’s favorite are zebras because her name also starts with z.
We love cats. They are so cuddly and beautiful.
I love The octopus ? Because they are very strange looking, and are very smart and interesting animals to learn about
My daughter’s favourite animals are flamingos because they’re pink!
My kids love sloths, anteaters, sharks and red pandas.