My Nose Is Long and Fuzzy (Anteater)
Reading Level Grade 1Interest Level Grades PreK – 3Copyright 2014
Reviewed
Reading Level Grade 1Interest Level Grades PreK – 3Copyright 2014
ReviewedWhat has a bushy tail, sharp claws, a long nose, and a sticky tongue? If you guessed an anteater, you’re right! This book introduces early readers to a mystery animal by describing its features, one by one, using short, simple sentences and eye-popping, full-color photos. At the end of the book, the secret animal is revealed across a colorful, two-page spread. Young children will love showing off their beginning reading skills as they learn about this dazzling collection of wild and wonderful zoo animals—one clue at a time! Fast facts and habitat maps at the end of the book provide beginner readers with key information about the zoo animal. The clear text, clever design, and exquisite photos are sure to delight and engage emergent readers.
The concept of gradually revealing bits of an animal for readers to guess about the whole has gotten a lot of traction in recent years, and this entry in the Zoo Clues series does it as well as anyone. Graphically, the main addition is a jigsawpuzzle grid overlaying each twopage pictorial with key pieces missing. It's not the same grid page to page, so there's no real unfolding visual narrative. Still, even with the somewhat obscuring lines of the puzzle pieces, the idea works. The brief text, meanwhile, serves as the animal's boasts:My claws are sharp and curved. I have stiff hairs on my back. Being that this is (spoiler) a giant anteater, the telltale, and fairly alarming, clue is a very long pink tongue. Simple stuff, but effective in directing attention to detail.
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