Independent reading level:PK-1st grade

Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through Edelweiss and NetGalley. ( )

On each two-page spread, there are four animals. The animals each something about themselves or their habitat and each thing is different. Then we are told what they have in common or how they all the same, such as they have stripes or scales or tusks etc. I loved the science behind this but it is so much more than that. The message that no matter how different we all are, we are still all the same, we are human is a message that needs to be reiterated over and over. The illustrations are wonderful, so cute and playful. The vocabulary is descriptive, yet simple. the only complaint I have is that the animals are not named. It would be nice if they had been labeled so that children could ask questions and get further information. If they do not know what the animal is, that could prove to be difficult. This is a great book for primary classrooms and could be used in many different lessons. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

( )

This is a fun non fiction book about animals. It shows 4 animals at a time and tells their differences and the reader has to guess the similarity. If you like Steve Jenkins' books, you will like this too. ( )

Lovely illustrations and scientifically sound.
This was a beautifully illustrated children's book, highlighting the similarities between many, apparently different, animals.
A blubbery walrus, a wrinkly elephant, a bristly warthog and a smooth narwhal are all very different at first glance, "but look closely now", they all have tusks. The catchy repetition of the phrase "but look closely now" worked really well to keep the rhythm and interest of the book's young audience.

My 15 month grandson was too young for the comparisons between the animals but he loved the images of the animals and making the noises of the ones he recognised.
Unfortunately the copy I received via NetGalley could not be viewed on my Kindle so this is not going to join The Forest Sleeps as one of our favourite books.

At the end of the book all the animals are repeated, with an opportunity to note more similarities between them - spots, numbers of legs, or webbed feet, for example. There is also an explanation for features such as tusks, shells, whiskers, etc.
I would imagine that this book would be popular in a pre-school library and for sharing with children between 2 and 5 years, it has plenty to offer for quite a varied age group. ( )