Animals Animals

by Eric Carle, Laura Whipple (Compiler)

From leaping, flying fish to dancing butterflies, and camels that "trollop along," Eric Carle 's brilliant and colorful collage designs bring to life animal poems from such diverse sources as Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, Emily Dickinson, and Jack Prelutsky, as well as Bible verses, Japanese haiku, American Indian poems and more. This celebration of the wonder and variety of earth's animals is "joyous...a book to be shared" ( Booklist , starred review).

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Art, Pre K

96 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 1989

About the author

Eric Carle was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. His picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sold more than 50 million copies. Carle's career as an illustrator and children's book author accelerated after he collaborated on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. Carle illustrated more than 70 books, most of which he also wrote, and more than 145 million copies of his books have been sold around the world.
In 2003, the American Library Association awarded Carle the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (now called the Children's Literature Legacy Award), a prize for writers or illustrators of children's books published in the U.S. who have made lasting contributions to the field. Carle was also a U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010.

Reviews

[Ebba Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poems + Amazing Illustrations = Delight

Eric Carle always filled my heart with a lot of joy. He was a wonderful human being and artist. And made this world a better place.

On The Very Hungry Caterpillar he said: "I think it is a book of hope. Children need hope. You, little insignificant caterpillar can grow up into a beautiful butterfly and fly into the world with your talent." 🐛🦋

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of Eric Carle's distinctive crayon cut out collage illustrations with accompanying poetry, proverbs and haiku on the animals featured. The book ended with Rosetti's Hurt Not a Living Thing which is a lovely poem.

Read on open library.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to learn that this is on openlibrary, but it also deserves to be oversize hardcover, like the edition my library lent me. If you like Carle's work, as most ppl do, you'll love this. Except for the picture of the narwhal, which Carle got wrong.

I do like the selection that Whipple made. As the blurb says, everything from Shakespeare to Prelutsky to haiku, even a couple of Native American verses.

[❅ Lyn Nguyen]

I'm not going to rate this but I will say that this book was definitely not what I was expecting. It is a collection of poems about animals that were either amusing or just some poems that left me very puzzled to why they even added it in the book. I would not recommend this but I will say I did enjoy a few poems!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

From leaping ,flying fish to dancing butterflies and camels that "trollop along," Eric Carpets ( Author ) brilliant and colorful collage designs bring to life animal poem from diverse sources as Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson etc..
I brought this book at a yard sale for .50, I enjoyed reading about animals and even in poems. BAT
Dark air life looping
Yet missing the pure loop...
A twitch, A twitter, an elastic shudder in flight
And serrated wings against the sky,
like a glove, a black glove thrown up at the light,
And falling back. by D.H.Lawrence

Which I didn't do very good lining it up (sorry)

[Abby Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Animals Animals by Eric Carle and Laura Whipple is a poetry book that provides a variety of different written pieces of poetry. On each page, Eric Carle has provided a poem that illustrates a particular animal, from Blue Whales, to Dolphins, to Kangaroos and Snails. With each poem, a colorful illustration is provided to help the reader become more drawn into the story of the poem and learn more about different animals and where they live or could be found.

I would recommend Animals Animals as a read-aloud book for grades 1st – 4th. This poetry book allows the reader to learn more about a large variety of animals through stories and written poems in a variety of different styles including haikus and from a variety of different cultures and authors such as Australian, Japanese, African, and more. Furthermore, throughout the book, the reader can see vivid illustrations of each type of animal that allows them to familiarize themselves with the animal that is being spoken of in the poem and ultimately can help the reader learn what type of animal is which.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as enjoyable as when I was a kid! My favorite poem is Every Insect.

[Jordyn Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of mini stories about a large variety of animals. The creatures mentioned vary from a kangaroo to a dinosaur to a snail. On each page, there is a new type of animal, with a detailed illustration of them and a passage about that animal along with the original author’s name underneath each passage.

This book is something that I would recommend having in a classroom of younger children. It talks about all different kinds of animals that live throughout the world, along with a picture of the animals, so this could help young children be able to identify between animals. It also has a passage that could tell a child some interesting information about each animal and what they do.

My favorite part of this book was the illustrations. Eric Carle is known for his unique artistic style and it is represented well by his illustrations of animals in this book. Using colors and techniques that make the animals pop out of the page is a great way to catch the readers eye.

[Hannah Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unique book employs many traditional poems mixed with lovely collages created by Carle himself. The illustrations are a great interpretation of the many poems that are found on every single page. The visual variety mixed with the literary variety makes for the perfect mash-up of sensational illustrations with worldly poems. The poems and illustrations work together to create a rather exciting story. Animals Animals can be used in the classroom to expose children to the world of poetry. This book shows the various ways that poetry can be used to convey a message. While Carle uses the poetry to show the many animals of the world, in the classroom this book can be used to show the different types of poetry. From Japanese haikus to Native American poetry, this book takes the reader around the world and throughout history through the poetry. From rhyming poems, to long poems, to short haikus, this book will show students the differences between the many styles of poetry as well.

[Alysha Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Collection of Poetry
Awards: None
Audience: 5-12 years old

A. Animals Animals is a collection of a variety of short poems from many writers (including lyrical pieces and haikus) that are based on many different animals. Eric Carle has illustrations of each animal per poem.
B. In the poem, "The Duck", there is a presence of consonance. For example: duck & cluck, lacks & quacks, fond & pond, sups & up.
C. Create a poem about your favorite animal.
Example:
The horse is wild and free
roaming all day in the sun
until it's time to rest underneath a tree
then graze away until the day is done

[Cameron Becnel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Carle’s Animals Animals is a Children’s Poetry Book filled with poetry and illustrations. The focus of this book is animals with each creature having an illustration and poem. These poems were written by different authors and their writing features some haikus and lyrical pieces. All the detailed illustrations were drawn by Carle himself using lots of colors and giving the animals an appealing look. Younger children like Pre-k-2nd grade students can enjoy this book as they can learn about animals that live around the world and learn some interesting facts about them while reading poetry to gain knowledge on each animal in the book.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Carle has filled this book to the brim with marvelous animal collages accompanied by "poems to the brim" and quotations, too. Many poets and writers are included like Emily Dickinson, Lewis Carroll, Jack Prelutsky, Ogden Nash, and Shakespeare. There are Japanese haiku, Native American poems and quotes. Benjamin Franklin contributes on the butterfly double spread: "What is a butterfly? At Best/He's but a caterpillar dressed." It ends with "Hurt No Living Thing", by Cristina Rossetti. Fabulous anthology!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book as a child (definitely a present from my grandmother), and I remembered some of the poems verbatim, so that should tell you how often I read it. As an adult, I think the artwork is even lovelier than I knew at the time, but many of the fragments or poems are kind of throwaway. There are some wonderful standouts, and overall it's a nice collection, but some of it did feel like filler.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Carle's illustrations are a joy to look at. Each page is a different animal with a poem attached. The poems range from Bible verses to Hungarian proverbs There is a Christian element to the book, so be aware when recommending or looking to do this as a read aloud. Nevertheless, it is a fun and enjoyable read.

[Kelly Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of poems to share with my daughter. Be aware that a few of the selections contain some dated language, so we did have to navigate around that. But, as always, Carle's illustrations are magical, and our little one was fascinated by them. Every time we get to the octopus cover image, she giggles! Worth it just for that!

[Cathy Sheetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant illustrations accompany each poem of different creatures. Great intro to poetry book for young children, especially (K-2nd grade). These could be used individually as a read aloud piece of literature and discussion or for highlighting word choice or phonics (picking out rhymes or beginning sounds, etc.). Classroom library for K-2nd grade.

[Grandma M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are gorgeous as expected in an Eric Carle book. The book is long. Each page is a beautiful drawing of an animal accompanied by a poem or haiku or bible or talmud verse, etc. A younger child can enjoy the pictures. The poems are all over the place - a few humorous that a young child might enjoy but many will be way over their heads.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given this book by a prior Kindergarten teacher, but I ended up not liking it. I'm gonna be vulnerable here: I don't like Eric Carle. I know, I know, apparently he is the most important person ever when stocking a preschool classroom, but I'm not into it. I wasn't a big fan of this book and believe I left it behind in a previous classroom.

[Melissa Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Carl's Animals Animals is filled with many different pictures of animals from around the world. Each page has a new animal depicted on it and introduces to new experiences, new vocabulary, and new animals.

[Sarah Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an explorative text that offers many references to several types of animals. Children will be curious and explorative to what creatures are brought to life by the richness and style that this author provides though the extension of poems.

[Sofia Seledkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Carle's Animals Animals by Eric Carle , 1999. This book is a compilation of many mini stories about animals which are super adorable, engaging, colorful, and each page talks about a different animal. It allows children to learn about animals while practicing rhyming. Age range: k-5

[H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only read some, but I always found EC an overrated author and never found his illustrations that much fun. I think the poems in this one weren't very fun (not too rhymey, not too many cool lessons), and I didn't enjoy my skimming/perusal of it.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Carle compiled a collection of poems about animals and created beautiful illustrations to accompany each. I love this book for the opportunity to introduce children to a plethora of different writing styles, authors and animals.

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

That’s an adorable and longer than expected book of poetry about animals in various ways and forms in prime Eric Carle form. I don’t think I’ve met a book of theirs yet I don’t like and this is no exception. Worth the read.

[Mandi Simmons]

Collection of poems by a variety of authors, describing the peculiarities and charms of pets as well as both wild and domestic animals. Eric Carle is noted for his depiction of animals and this colorful anthology contains some of his finest works.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book for poetry with kids. If you want something for memorisation than these are very fun and great for learning science at the same time (depending on poem). Look forward to using this book often for a few years.

[Rayn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi! Heel leuk om de gedichtjes te lezen :) Vraag me wel af hoe het tot stand is gekomen, als het een boek is oorspronkelijk in een andere taal... Wel tof dat er in de Nederlandse editie meer aandacht naar ook de schrijvers uitgaat.

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our resident four-year-old loves this colorful book of animal poems. Some selections are better than others, but overall, it has been an enjoyable library borrow which we've revisited several times since bringing it home.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure what I expected when I picked it up but found it very enjoyable. However, it is a children's book & I know my reaction as a child would have been very different, maybe more of a 2 star rating.

[Monica P · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read bits and pieces for school. Still not a fan of Eric Carole.