I have so many fun books to review this week that I am starting to share them on Sunday!! Today we are sharing three books all featuring animals in different ways. Each book is done very differently and there is a huge variety on the focus. We will start with a unique type of book called Babies: A Phototicular Book created by Dan Kainen and written by Mara Grunbaum. This book will be enjoyed by all ages!
About the Book:
The bestselling, eye-opening Photicular series goes majorly cute with baby animals in irresistible living motion.The bestselling Photicular series just got a cuteness injection with BABIES. Using an innovative lenticular-based technology, precision sliding lenses, and four-color video imagery, each image is like a 3D movie on the page, delivering a rich, fluid, immersive visual experience. A litter of puppies dash through the grass. A lion cub practices its roar. A mama horse and foal go for a gallop. A little chimpanzee gleefully bangs about. A sea lion pup lounges in the sun. Also featuring a penguin chick, mama bear and cub, and elephant calf.
Through an introductory essay and animal profiles by science writer Mara Grunbaum, and amazing—and adorable—moving images of baby animals, readers will learn about how young animals in the wild sharpen their instincts, build bonds, and learn to survive.
From Me:
Let's start with what a photicular book is. In the collage above you will see the cover of the book at two angles. It looks like the lion cub is roaring when you see the movement of the photo. Each photograph in this book has movement to see when you move the page. It creates a lifelike animal in front of you.
Each animal featured in the book has a moving photograph. It also has information about the baby animal and how it is brought up by its parents. It also has the following statistics about the animal: adult size, habitat, diet, gestation time, number of young, weight at birth, age at independence and conservation status. The lion's photo is not on the page but on the cover. The book begins with an introduction from Mara Grunbaum sharing some of her own personal experiences and thoughts of motherhood. In the tough moments of her pregnancy, she thought of orangutans and the mother's job with her young. Throughout the book she compares the animals to a human's experience as well as other types of animals. It is informative and interesting. This is not a children's book, but children will love the moving pictures! The information shared can be understood by most ages as well. It is the perfect gift for animal lovers!
Our next book is a regular picture book with adorable illustrations. It is Gentle: Hope and Healing at an Animal Sanctuary by Ellie Laks and illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6. It is the first book in A Gentle Barn Story series.
About the Book:
A gorgeous picture book from one of the largest, most popular animal-rescue sanctuaries in America, Gentle Barn, about a baby animal healing and gaining confidence as he's welcomed to the farm.Gentle beginnings.
A sick baby cow is welcomed to a sanctuary by a tender young girl.
Gentle healing.
Day by day, the young calf grows stronger because of the care of new friends.
Gentle joy.
Gentle is a sweet picture book about the transformative power that quiet love and kindness can have on any creature, based on the real-life animal sanctuary the Gentle Barn.
From Me:
This book shares the amazing work done at animal sanctuaries. They have to be gentle with new animals and help them adjust to a different life. The illustrations are gorgeous and the book is so sweet. On each page the word gentle appears with some other word(s). The book is truly a reminder to all to be gentle with others.
The story begins with a young cow's arrival at the animal sanctuary. It shares the various things the people at the sanctuary do for the cow and eventually when the cow is introduced to the rest of the animals. It ends with the cow going to sleep curled up with some of the other animals, so it is a perfect bedtime story too! This book is perfect for reading as a family before visiting anywhere with animals or getting a new pet. It is also perfect for a classroom before they have a field trip to a farm or somewhere with animals. It is also just a great reminder to be gentle with anyone who is alive! It is such a sweet and compassionate book.
Our final book for today is being released this week (on August 25, 2026). It is a sound book where the reader pushes a button and hears the words and sounds of animals on each page. It is My Big Book of Animal Sounds by Mélisande Luthringer. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3 and is part of the My Big Book of Sounds series.
About the Book:
The animals are talking!Woof woof! Meow! Moo . . . Who's making that sound? Press the buttons to find out! This interactive book with adorable illustrations helps children develop important listening skills, while they learn to identify animals and the sounds that they make. Included in this collection of more than 100 sounds are birds, insects, forest animals, and even underwater creatures!
Key Features:
•20-button sound panel with more than 100 sounds and words
•Appealing illustrations keep readers engaged
•Durable sound book design is ideal for travel
•Fun family read-aloud book
•Perfect for children aged 0 to 3
Ideal for fans of My Big Book of Sounds and My Big Book of Nature Sounds!
From Me:
This book is rather simple. It has illustrations of various animals on each page. The pages are themed by type of animal or habitat of animal. Each page has a button to push where it says the animal's name and then the sounds the animal makes. There is a picture next to the page title that corresponds to the button.
Little kids will love the various buttons and sounds. There are a large variety of animals including dogs and cats, insects, backyard animals, as well as animals from around the world. The pages on dogs and cats share multiple sound each makes. There is no volume control, and it is a bit loud. It confused one of our cats when I tried it out and Hazel found it annoying, but she was doing something and wasn't ready to hear it. I hadn't warned her. It is a wonderful introduction to animals and their sounds for young children. They will enjoy getting to push the buttons as well as hear the sounds and see the colorful illustrations.
