Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

Today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday selection is pure nonfiction and totally engaging!

Title: Animals by the Numbers, A Book of Animal Infographics
Written and Illustrated by: Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, nonfiction, 48 pages
Suitable for ages: 6-9
Themes/topics: animals, graphs, charts, infographics, STEM, visual literacy

Opening:
Numbers help us understand our world. We use numbers to measure and compare things. Numbers help us explain what happened in the past and predict what might happen in the future.
When it comes to animals, numbers are especially important. How big is a whale? How fast is a cheetah? How loud is a lion’s roar? It would be difficult to answer these questionseven to ask themwithout numbers.
In this book, facts and figures about animals are presented visually as graphs, symbols, and illustrations. These infographics give us another way of looking at animals and understanding some of the amazing things that they can do.

Brief synopsis (from barnesandnoble.com)

How many species are there across the globe?
How much do all of the insects in the world collectively weigh?
How far can animals travel?

Steve Jenkins answers these questions and many more with numbers, images, innovation, and authoritative science in his latest work of illustrated nonfiction. Jenkins layers his signature cut-paper illustrations alongside computer graphics and a text that is teeming with fresh, unexpected, and accurate zoological information ready for readers to easily devour. The level of scientific research paired with Jenkins’ creativity and accessible infographics is unmatched and sure to wow fans old and new.

Activities and Resources:
The book offers endless possibilities in a classroom. Interpret graphics, use critical thinking skills, compare and contrast, consider consequences. Extend ideas into your own investigations and represent facts and figures in various formats.

Why I like this book:
I am totally a fan! Of graphs! And charts! And animals! And Steve Jenkins!
I could spend hours with this book! Jenkins always has amazing illustrations, and this book is jam packed with engaging, outstanding visuals. Math comes alive. Science, too! What better way to teach visual and graphic literacy than with animals!
The information is available to readers on several levels. This accommodates second language learners (ELLs/ESL) as well as struggling readers, and the accompanying text provides an array of information at a higher level. This book will surely elicit more questions than it answers and send kids scurrying to investigate all sorts of science ideas.

Visit author Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Books for a plethora of picture books listed by title and topic/theme, each with teacher/parent resources.