OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Read and Teach About the Zoo" by Dennis Kaminsky.]
I love reading a children’s book that actually encourages the child to participate with the book. This not only encourages the child to read, it also helps develop their comprehension to the stories. Read and Teach About the Zoo by Dennis Kaminsky is just such a book. It has illustrations and pictures to go with the verses and then questions at the end of the verse to help the child with learning about the animal.

I think this is a book that should be obtained by all daycares and preschools. When a child is allowed to participate in a story, they are, in my opinion, less likely to lose interest in that story. Most children already love animals, so learning about them makes it a fun adventure. In a digital age, it is even more important that we start our children’s love of reading early before they can be sucked into easy technology. I can just picture the children in a daycare shouting out the answers as the questions are being asked.

There are some questions in the book that the reader will have to help the children answer. One example is where the mane of a lion is located. As adults we know this answer. If we don’t point to the picture as we are reading about the mane, the children will have no idea where the main is located on the lion. The giraffe is another example. The verse talks about its neck and what it eats. The question asks about what is on it (spots). I do not know if it is intentional. I do know however that this gives a parent a chance to expand a little on the animal.

This book gives short descriptions of each animal in the book. It is a short story, but one that can turn into a long one with the reader adding onto the information about the animals. The book does not mention that a kangaroo has a pouch that they carry their babies in. This is information that the reader can add in for the child’s benefit.

Overall I found this book very enjoyable and can see myself reading it to my grandchildren when that time come. I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I think this book would be beneficial to all kids and kick start a love of reading into their young minds. I can also see the potential of this book being part of a series for kids.

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Buy "Read and Teach About the Zoo" on Amazon

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review…. as for the points that you mention on the questions, it was intentional to create different questions to expand the child's learning, hence the idea, of the "read and teach" concept behind the series. Furthermore, the reader can expand the questions to add others, ie. like the kangaroo pouch you cite. My intention was to have the reader and child engage in conversation to make learning a more interactive experience.

Further to your comment on this book being part of a series, this book was just one sample from my Read and Teach Series which now offers four topics, Read and Teach About the ABC's, Read and Teach About Numbers, Read and Teach About Travel, and Read and Teach About the Zoo. I have more topics drafted as well, so there will be other books coming in the series in the future.

Samples of the others can be seen on Amazon or on my website.

Really good review! This sounds like a really good concept in a book, definitely something I will have to check out!

Great review. My son might actually like this.

I like the concept for this book,. I do hope it winds up in Elementary schools. Interaction helps so many learners so this is a wonderful concept, and a nice revvew.

Thanks for the positive comments.....helps keep me motivated to get started on my next book in the series !

I wish i could at least collaborate on something so cool! *one day*

Wonderful review! I can't wait to get this book for my classroom! Thanks for the info!