Big Cats

Usborne Discovery

by Jonathan Sheikh-Miller, Stephanie Turnbull

Learn all about big cats in this full-color, lavishly illustrated and fact-packed volume! Topics covered what is a big cat, cat bodies, on the move, senses, coats and camoflage, hunting, killer bites, cat talk, getting together, growing up, cat habits, tigers, lions, leopards, asian leopards, cheetahs, american big cats, small wild cats, under threat, caring for cats, myths and legends, using the internet and index. This book contains descriptions of Web sites specially chosen to take you further into the subject in a fun and informative way. You can find links to all the recommended sites on the Usborne Quicklinks Web site at www.quicklinks.com. A selection of photographs from this book is available for downloading, without charge. You do not need a computer to use this book!

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Science, Childrens, Nature

Paperback

First published July 26, 2002

Reviews

[Lane Gilchrist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was okay. I really liked the way was put together, as in the way the pictures and the words went together. It goes through and talks about the different things that people need to know about Big Cats as in what it means when they roar, their body language etc.

I would use this book in my classroom for sure if we were talking about Big Cats. I would let my students choose an animal and then they would have to tell me how each one of them acts and the characteristics of each animal.

[Morgan Haught]

Summary:
"Big Cats" by Jonathan Sheikh-Miller, is a non-fiction books about big cats in all different parts of the world. The book describes how big cats behave towards each other and how they grow up. Other sections of the book show how cats eat in the wild and how they make and take care of their cubs. The last sections of the book expand on certain cats in the wild such as Cheetahs, Lions, and Leopards.
Analysis:
This book was interesting to read and it came with lots of pictures. This book also came with websites that children could follow to learn more about big cats and how we can do our part to protect them in the wild. This made the book come to life and it also gave a chance to see big cats using technology as well. I liked that this book was full of information and had words that were easy to understand and follow.
How I could use this book:
In my classroom, I could use this book on a 4th grade level to talk about different species of cats in the wild. This book does talk about mating and refers to the male and female sexual organs, so I would recommend this book only for an older audience. I could also use this book to discuss geography in the classroom and the different types of terrain that these cats could live on.

[Nadia Raza]

This book was a good mix of useful facts that gave children a base of knowledge about each animal, and further detail to push those children who were more interested. I used this book to supplement a nursery class' week-long focus on tigers, but it was nice to have this book so they could expand their learning about other big cats alongside tigers. This helped to cement the children's understanding as they were able to discuss similarities and differences about them all.

[Alyssa Haverfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good mix of kid-friendly but fact-focused. They didn’t shy away from “sensitive” topics or images. As an adult, I still learned a good amount of new info. These big cats are impressive and cutthroat... And I would not like to run into any of them in the wild.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-researched book on a wide variety of big cats around the world. It has striking illustrations which added to the information within the pages. Reading the book increased my awe for all types of cats.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of the Big Cats, but Snow Leopards are my absolute favorite!!!!! 🐯🦁🐆🐅

[Lily Nagel]

"Big Cats" is a nonfiction picture book. It introduces children to different types of cats, such as lions, panthers, and leopards. It gives a lot of information about each animal, along with realistic pictures, and websites for students to search more on the animals. I thought this book was really interesting! It gives a lot of information and I'm sure kids will love it! I think this book would be great in a third grade or fourth grade classroom.

[Aaron]

This book is a straight-forward informational book about big cats. The illustrations are mostly photographs of real big cats, with the occasional drawn picture for informational purposes. There is a ton of information in here, basically anything and everything you could want to know about big cats.

I thought the photography was cool, and what kid doesn't love big cats. It has some great information about the cats and how they live and survive, and I think a kid would really get interested in parts of this book. I do think it is a bit wordy, and most kids aren't going to read the whole thing, especially in one sitting.

I think this kind of book bridges the gap between full-on picture books and textbooks. Very few kids enjoy reading from a textbook, but most picture books lack the depth of information needed on topics like this. This could be a go-between, with all the necessary information but still enough pictures to keep students interested. Kids could definitely learn a lot about big cats by reading this book.