A llama is not an alpaca : and other mistaken animal identities

Title:

Author:

Summary:

How do you tell a llama from an alpaca, an alligator from a crocodile, or a dolphin from a porpoise? The animal kingdom is full of creatures that look so similar to others that they are often confused for each other. A Llama Is Not an Alpaca pairs rhyming animal riddles with factual responses to both teach and engage young readers as they compare and contrast features of commonly misidentified animals. How many will you get right?! -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 4-8 Running Press Kids.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 23 x 29 cm

Genre:

Stories in rhyme.

Creative nonfiction.

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Animals -- Juvenile literature.

Animals -- Identification -- Juvenile literature.

Author(s):

Scobie, Lorna,

Publisher:

Running Press Kids,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9780762478781

Publication Information:

Philadelphia : Running Press Kids, 2023.

Call Number:

P JAMESON

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003670513	New Picture Books	JAMESON	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Combining scientific facts with the art of poetry, this is a humorous and educational picture book about animals that look alike.

How do you tell a llama from an alpaca, an alligator from a crocodile, or a dolphin from a porpoise? The animal kingdom is full of creatures that look so similar to others that they are often confused for each other. A Llama Is Not an Alpaca pairs rhyming animal riddles with factual responses to both teach and engage young readers as they compare and contrast features of commonly misidentified animals. How many will you get right?!

Author Notes

A former teacher, Karen Jameson holds a master's degree in education. She's the author of Moon Babies , Woodland Dreams , Farm Lullaby , Where the Wee Ones Go , and Shine , among other titles. Karen has published a number of nonfiction science articles in AppleSeeds and Ask magazines. She has won a special mention picture book poetry award at the SCBWI CenCal Writer's Day and is the recipient of the Sue Alexander Grant.

Lorna Scobie grew up in the depths of the English countryside, climbing trees and taking her rabbit for walks in the fields. She is an illustrator and designer, now based in south-east London. Growing up surrounded by nature has heavily influenced her illustrations and her work often revolves around the natural world and animal kingdom. Lorna draws every day, and always has a sketchbook close to hand when she's out and about. She illustrates her work by hand, as she enjoys the spontaneity and also the "happy mistakes" that can happen along the way.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3--Who's who in this book about similarities of animals in and out of the wild? Readers get quizzed about what they truly know about the animals listed. "Is this a rabbit or hare with the long ears?" Animals that have similar looks and traits are set up in pairs and alongside their pictures are the differences between them. Most of these animals will be considered in the same general family, but children will love seeing what makes an alligator different from a crocodile, or a frog differ from a toad. This is a wonderful book for a wide range of children to appreciate. The text is simple enough for children who are already reading on their own to decipher or younger ones to discuss with their caregivers. VERDICT Great for class visits to the library and any children's collection.--Annmarie Braithwaite

Publisher's Weekly Review

Employing puns, rhymes, and light interactivity, Jameson and Scobie probe the features that distinguish perceived animal look-alikes. Spreads encourage debate as subjects are introduced in a quiz format ("Puffin? Penguin in the sky?/ Which seabird can really fly?"), and page turns reveal the answers with playfully explanatory prose ("Waddle, waddle! Weighing just over a pound, puffins are light enough for flight"). Comparisons vary in difficulty and range across species pairings, which include hares/rabbits, clams/oysters, frogs/toads, as well as the titular llama/alpaca. Scobie uses soft-edged, scribbly graphic techniques to showcase friendly looking species as they mingle and gaze with big googly eyes. When the motley group comes together in a final smile-filled scene, it's to celebrate the reader's savvy and reinforce the wildly informative fun on display. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)