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A Tower of Giraffes(Hardback) - 2015 Edition
A drove of pigs, a romp of otters, an ostentation of peacocks, and a tower of giraffes. . . . This clever book introduces young readers to some of the words we use to refer to animals in a group. The ink, watercolor, and fabric collage art is brightly colored and uniquely sets this fun book apart from the crowd. Each page presents information about an animal and its group behavior, such as how geese fly in a V-shape and honk to encourage the leaders, and that sometimes tens of thousand of flamingos meet up in one location.Young readers will have a great time and create a wellspring of new vocabulary words.
Hardcover
First published June 4, 2015
2 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Anna Wright
17 books10 followersAnna Wright’s rural upbringing in Scotland introduced her to nature, and her interior-designer aunt inspired Anna’s love of fabric and wallpaper. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art and uses her artistry to great effect on merchandise and in her original works and prints. Her work has been featured in House & Garden, Country Life, and
Artists & Illustrators. This is Anna’s first book.
Artists & Illustrators. This is Anna’s first book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 8, 2019
Educational for both children and adults. Unique illustrations and interesting facts will have you turning the page to see just which collective noun describes the next group of animals. Fun to read and fun to talk about as you speculate about other animals not included in the book.
May 11, 2019
The cover drew my attention while checking this book out to a patron at the Circulation Desk and I immediately placed a hold on a copy for myself. I am so glad I did! The contents are fabulous! I was astounded by the illustrations, which are varied and gorgeous, and intrigued by the facts about the social lives of animals.
November 2, 2015
This is one book that adults will enjoy as much as children.
Tower of Giraffes is visually entertaining with a mix of watercolor and fabric used to create each animal group. Readers learn the diverse names used to describe each animal when in a group - "a drove of pigs, a romp of otters, an ostentation of peacocks, and a tower of giraffes..." for example.
The narrative tells other facts about each animal or group using vocabulary that may be new for young readers, but within the ability of most children within the target audience to learn.
The book can also be a springboard for art projects with your child. You may have old buttons, fabric, magazines, etc that can be used to make one-of-a-kind artwork together.
Thank you Charlesbridge and Netgalley for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Tower of Giraffes is visually entertaining with a mix of watercolor and fabric used to create each animal group. Readers learn the diverse names used to describe each animal when in a group - "a drove of pigs, a romp of otters, an ostentation of peacocks, and a tower of giraffes..." for example.
The narrative tells other facts about each animal or group using vocabulary that may be new for young readers, but within the ability of most children within the target audience to learn.
The book can also be a springboard for art projects with your child. You may have old buttons, fabric, magazines, etc that can be used to make one-of-a-kind artwork together.
Thank you Charlesbridge and Netgalley for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2015
My first reaction to this book is chagrin. I've been planning pretty much this sort of thing in the back of my head for … well, for years, so I have no right to complain about somebody swooping in and taking the idea. Ever since I first started seeing mentions of James Lipton's An Exaltation of Larks long long ago, I've collected and enjoyed these words used for collectives.
The artwork in this is marvelous – realistic, but with a jaunty cuteness that is extremely attractive (and kicks whatever I would have produced right to the curb). A mix of line, watercolor wash, and beautifully designed collage adds whimsy and kicks up the creativity. The only thing that could be better would be a sort of pattable book with swatches of actual fabric – but it probably wouldn't work, because the pattern of each scrap is chosen carefully to work with the drawing (or the drawing is based on the fabric's shape and pattern; it could be either). And the owls use feathers (in the most gorgeous way), which would be challenging. I want to rip off this whole style – but Ms. Wright can probably rest easy, since I'll probably never get around to it any more than I did to writing my version of this book.
I think the only thing that keeps this from being a five-starrer is that I was hoping for more (or perhaps less) from the text. Without any basis for it at all, I expected it to be in verse. (Let's see… "when horses gather together, we call it a herd… for a collection of sheep, then flock is the word"…) Something a small child, of picture book age, would enjoy having read to her, something the adult reader could deliver with varying intonations and maybe even funny voices. (You could totally read a page about pigs in a snuffly voice, and so on.) But instead each page gives the collective, then a small block of text about the animal which reads like a brief and slightly juvenalized encyclopedia entry. I haven't spent all that much time around kids, so there's every possibility I'm dead wrong, but I just don't picture them being gripped by the text. Also, I would have loved to see the connection between the collective noun and the animal made explicit.
Example: "A Flamboyance of Flamingos … Flamingos are highly sociable and live in large groups – even up to thousands of birds! These fancy feathered friends also work together to make theatrical displays by posing like ballerinas and marching in time to impress other birds." Which is fascinating … but how many children will get the bigger words? And depending on the grown up to be able to define "flamboyance" might be asking a lot.
Still, it's informative, and absolutely lovely to look at. I'd buy a copy of the dead-tree book, just for my own enjoyment.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review – many thanks!
The artwork in this is marvelous – realistic, but with a jaunty cuteness that is extremely attractive (and kicks whatever I would have produced right to the curb). A mix of line, watercolor wash, and beautifully designed collage adds whimsy and kicks up the creativity. The only thing that could be better would be a sort of pattable book with swatches of actual fabric – but it probably wouldn't work, because the pattern of each scrap is chosen carefully to work with the drawing (or the drawing is based on the fabric's shape and pattern; it could be either). And the owls use feathers (in the most gorgeous way), which would be challenging. I want to rip off this whole style – but Ms. Wright can probably rest easy, since I'll probably never get around to it any more than I did to writing my version of this book.
I think the only thing that keeps this from being a five-starrer is that I was hoping for more (or perhaps less) from the text. Without any basis for it at all, I expected it to be in verse. (Let's see… "when horses gather together, we call it a herd… for a collection of sheep, then flock is the word"…) Something a small child, of picture book age, would enjoy having read to her, something the adult reader could deliver with varying intonations and maybe even funny voices. (You could totally read a page about pigs in a snuffly voice, and so on.) But instead each page gives the collective, then a small block of text about the animal which reads like a brief and slightly juvenalized encyclopedia entry. I haven't spent all that much time around kids, so there's every possibility I'm dead wrong, but I just don't picture them being gripped by the text. Also, I would have loved to see the connection between the collective noun and the animal made explicit.
Example: "A Flamboyance of Flamingos … Flamingos are highly sociable and live in large groups – even up to thousands of birds! These fancy feathered friends also work together to make theatrical displays by posing like ballerinas and marching in time to impress other birds." Which is fascinating … but how many children will get the bigger words? And depending on the grown up to be able to define "flamboyance" might be asking a lot.
Still, it's informative, and absolutely lovely to look at. I'd buy a copy of the dead-tree book, just for my own enjoyment.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review – many thanks!
November 14, 2015
Collective nouns are always so much fun to teach kids because they can really get into it. Now, Anna Wright has given us a book that is all about collective nouns describing animal groups or families.
Each group contains information about the animals social habits and how they interact with each other, as well as additional collective nouns used for some of the animals. For instance, a gaggle of geese works perfectly well, until those geese are flying in a V-formation. Then they are a wedge of geese, but if they are just flying not in a V-formation, they are called a skein of geese. Who knew?
Young readers will delight to see that so many familiar animals have nouns that fit who the animals are so well - there's a mischief of mice. a flamboyance of flamingos, a prickle of hedgehogs - so descriptive and so apt.
Giraffes are one of my favorite animals so I was not only attracted to this book because of the title, but also because of the textiled collage bodies Anna Wright gave them. In fact, all the illustrations are done with a mix of pen and ink, splashes of watercolor and textiles throughout, creating illustrations that are lovely to look at and give a feeling of texture to them. Besides the giraffe illustration, two of my other favorites is the flock of sheep wearing bits of sweater fabric for the woolly bodies, and the herd of elephants with their large textile ears and coordinated body fabrics.
A Tower of Giraffes a beautifully crafted, well-researched book that is also interesting and fun, and, I believe, one that can lead to deeper conversations about the animals Wright included and explorations in the collective nouns and behaviors of animals not included, and there are lots of them (perhaps with a few arts and crafts projects similar to the way these were done).
This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley
Each group contains information about the animals social habits and how they interact with each other, as well as additional collective nouns used for some of the animals. For instance, a gaggle of geese works perfectly well, until those geese are flying in a V-formation. Then they are a wedge of geese, but if they are just flying not in a V-formation, they are called a skein of geese. Who knew?
Young readers will delight to see that so many familiar animals have nouns that fit who the animals are so well - there's a mischief of mice. a flamboyance of flamingos, a prickle of hedgehogs - so descriptive and so apt.
Giraffes are one of my favorite animals so I was not only attracted to this book because of the title, but also because of the textiled collage bodies Anna Wright gave them. In fact, all the illustrations are done with a mix of pen and ink, splashes of watercolor and textiles throughout, creating illustrations that are lovely to look at and give a feeling of texture to them. Besides the giraffe illustration, two of my other favorites is the flock of sheep wearing bits of sweater fabric for the woolly bodies, and the herd of elephants with their large textile ears and coordinated body fabrics.
A Tower of Giraffes a beautifully crafted, well-researched book that is also interesting and fun, and, I believe, one that can lead to deeper conversations about the animals Wright included and explorations in the collective nouns and behaviors of animals not included, and there are lots of them (perhaps with a few arts and crafts projects similar to the way these were done).
This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley
July 2, 2020
This is a beautiful picture book presenting 16 animal groups, a few on double-page spreads. But I think the book is mostly an excuse for the author/illustrator to showcase her artwork. For many of the depicted animals, Wright uses patterned fabrics for the body of the animal. They are beautiful, but obviously, do not look natural. Other animals are executed in ink and watercolors and look more natural. My favorite is "An Ostentation of Peacocks," in which Wright uses real peacock feathers in the illustrations.
September 17, 2015
Just inside the title page, there's a definition for "collective noun" and then a note from the author that implies multiple main ideas for this book like "animals have varied social lives, family systems, and living situations" and "each specials lives in a unique social order." This would be a delightful book to read aloud in the primary grades and use as a mentor text for informational writing. I looked up "collective nouns" and found a list of animals - many of which aren't in the book. Once the students have enjoyed listening to this book read aloud and had an opportunity to look through or reread for themselves, there's lots of room for asking questions ("What do you call a group of X?"), researching, and writing. Anna Wright's art is worthy of looking at closely and even trying out as well.
November 19, 2015
One of my favorite assignments in 5th grade was finding the collective nouns for animals in groups. I only wish this book would have been around then!
This title provides the perfect way to teach elementary students these terms and inform them of animal social habits. The illustrative mish mash of watercolor and fabric also provides a jumping off point for a mixed media art project in the classroom setting.
This book would be a great addition to classroom curriculum used in these ways and also to inspire students to further research of more collective nouns.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This title provides the perfect way to teach elementary students these terms and inform them of animal social habits. The illustrative mish mash of watercolor and fabric also provides a jumping off point for a mixed media art project in the classroom setting.
This book would be a great addition to classroom curriculum used in these ways and also to inspire students to further research of more collective nouns.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 5, 2015
A Tower of Giraffes features a number of collective nouns decorated with stunning illustrations. This book is both an informative text and piece of art. Sprinkled amongst the nouns - beautifully handwritten in ink, are snippets of information about the animals featured.
Each animal is also accompanied by inked pictures in a range of styles. Some are water-coloured, some decorated with eye-catching and colourful patterns, while other includes photographs of other elements such as feathers. I really love this book and feel that it's presentation will really inspire learning in young people.
Disclaimer: I received a free, no-strings-attached copy of this book from netgalley.
Each animal is also accompanied by inked pictures in a range of styles. Some are water-coloured, some decorated with eye-catching and colourful patterns, while other includes photographs of other elements such as feathers. I really love this book and feel that it's presentation will really inspire learning in young people.
Disclaimer: I received a free, no-strings-attached copy of this book from netgalley.
May 6, 2017
A group of peacocks is called an ostentation, which I think is quite appropriate. Readers will learn this group and 15 others in this imaginatively illustrated book. The author/illustrator uses items like pieces of real wool sweaters to help illustrate sheep and real feathers for the bird groups.
Children will enjoy pointing out the different animals and the items used to illustrate them. Teachers/parents will love a simple book covering 16 of the most common animal groups.
Children will enjoy pointing out the different animals and the items used to illustrate them. Teachers/parents will love a simple book covering 16 of the most common animal groups.
October 5, 2016
A brilliant nonfiction picture book about animal behavior and the wonders of language. Beautiful multimedia illustrations are stylistic yet realistic and mix the media of ink, watercolor, fabric and feather. This is an art book with fun facts about animals.
April 25, 2016
This book was a joy to read! If you like animals and enjoy looking at unique illustrations, you'll have a blast reading A Tower of Giraffes!
January 5, 2017
Absolutely stunning illustrations. Gorgeous. Mind blowing.
August 29, 2018
Delightful! I enjoy this author/illustrator's style and writing, and this is a fine example. There are plenty of picture books out there about collective nouns and animals for children. This book is very interesting and engaging, providing a little paragraph for each animal/grouping on a double-page spread. The wide range of materials used in creating the images also tie in quite well with each animal group. The limited length (standard 32-page picture book) is another selling point, as sometimes these sorts of books can go on for too long, inundating the reader with what almost adds up to a list of collective nouns. Overall, a very fine read and something I recommend heartily.
August 12, 2020
A beautifully illustrated picture book done in pen and ink drawings and filled in its collage of paper, fabric, and feathers. Each depicted animal is more than an illustration with a collective noun. For example female giraffes live together and are choosy about who is in their tower. Male giraffes tend to live alone.
Who knew a group of mice are called a mischief of mice and funny I have had to deal with a mischief of mice.
Who knew a group of mice are called a mischief of mice and funny I have had to deal with a mischief of mice.
September 28, 2017
This picture book gives brief basic information about some animals (geese, koalas, squirrels, pigs, sheep, mice, hedgehogs) and how they live together in groups. Illustrations by the author are line drawings. Some are embellished with collage (fabric, uphholstery, wallpaper). The sheep illustration is especially clever as it includes several knit patterns
July 18, 2018
Beautiful illustrations of the many different animal groups; great examples for learning about collective nouns.
January 17, 2020
Beautifully creative pictures. A nice little tidbit of animal society.
January 18, 2024
Cute and informative. 17 month old liked it.
March 5, 2024
A good book for collective nouns.
March 7, 2017
Pretty and educational!
This is a sweet little book that is very nice to look at for the artwork and to learn a little bit more about animals is pretty interesting.
This is a sweet little book that is very nice to look at for the artwork and to learn a little bit more about animals is pretty interesting.
November 30, 2016
Brief Review:
This book is a Buckaroo Award Nominee for the 2016-17 school year by the Wyoming Library Association. The book is a very informational book for students to learn about different species of animals and what to call a collective group of those animals. This book also has very artistic illustrations by Anna Wright the author. She also has a short prelude talking about collective nouns, giving the definition since these nouns are used to describe the animals in the book. After reading it I think kids are going to love being able to remember some of these names for a collective group of animals and being able to tell their parents them.
Content Area:
English: Specifically the learning of grammar. Since the book tells the definition of what a collective noun is in the preface, I would read that to the students so they know what a collective noun is. Then I would have them take out a piece of paper and write down the collective nouns in the book as they hear them. Throughout the read I would stop and have the students compare their lists and see if they all got the same words as collective nouns. I would also ask if any of the students had heard of any other animals being called that collective noun and if so which animals. Once the book is finish I would then read another book or paper and see if they can still pick out collective nouns.
Comprehension Questions:
Q: Did this book teach you anything about a group of animals, which one and what?
A: I learned that Monkeys are not a group or pack, that they are actually a troop of monkeys.
Q: What is one collective noun in this book that you have heard before and how was the collective noun used?
A: I have heard the collective noun herd, and it was used when hunting elk. We saw a herd of elk down in the valley.
Student Wonders:
Why don't male elephants travel in the herd?
What would you call a group of bees?
What are other collective nouns?
This book is a Buckaroo Award Nominee for the 2016-17 school year by the Wyoming Library Association. The book is a very informational book for students to learn about different species of animals and what to call a collective group of those animals. This book also has very artistic illustrations by Anna Wright the author. She also has a short prelude talking about collective nouns, giving the definition since these nouns are used to describe the animals in the book. After reading it I think kids are going to love being able to remember some of these names for a collective group of animals and being able to tell their parents them.
Content Area:
English: Specifically the learning of grammar. Since the book tells the definition of what a collective noun is in the preface, I would read that to the students so they know what a collective noun is. Then I would have them take out a piece of paper and write down the collective nouns in the book as they hear them. Throughout the read I would stop and have the students compare their lists and see if they all got the same words as collective nouns. I would also ask if any of the students had heard of any other animals being called that collective noun and if so which animals. Once the book is finish I would then read another book or paper and see if they can still pick out collective nouns.
Comprehension Questions:
Q: Did this book teach you anything about a group of animals, which one and what?
A: I learned that Monkeys are not a group or pack, that they are actually a troop of monkeys.
Q: What is one collective noun in this book that you have heard before and how was the collective noun used?
A: I have heard the collective noun herd, and it was used when hunting elk. We saw a herd of elk down in the valley.
Student Wonders:
Why don't male elephants travel in the herd?
What would you call a group of bees?
What are other collective nouns?
September 9, 2016
Review:
This current Buckaroo nominee is incredibly informational and educational, as well as being an overall beautifully illustrated story. There are terms within the story to categorize groups of animals that many of your younger readers might not know quite yet, however; the story explains what these terms mean. Because of all the diverse and exotic animals, I believe it would be appealing to both girls and boys.
Content:
Because this story has many different, and most likely new words, I believe this would be a great tool to help build vocabulary as well as working on pronunciation.
Comprhension:
Q: What is a group of pigs called?
A: A Drove
Q: What animal, when in a group is referred to as a "parcel"?
A: Penguins
Q: What about a group of giraffes?
A: A Tower!
Wonders:
1. Why do hedgehogs like to be alone most of the time?
2. Why do all the sheep have sweater patterns on them?
This current Buckaroo nominee is incredibly informational and educational, as well as being an overall beautifully illustrated story. There are terms within the story to categorize groups of animals that many of your younger readers might not know quite yet, however; the story explains what these terms mean. Because of all the diverse and exotic animals, I believe it would be appealing to both girls and boys.
Content:
Because this story has many different, and most likely new words, I believe this would be a great tool to help build vocabulary as well as working on pronunciation.
Comprhension:
Q: What is a group of pigs called?
A: A Drove
Q: What animal, when in a group is referred to as a "parcel"?
A: Penguins
Q: What about a group of giraffes?
A: A Tower!
Wonders:
1. Why do hedgehogs like to be alone most of the time?
2. Why do all the sheep have sweater patterns on them?
November 6, 2015
SUMMARY: Each page of this book shows a group of animals, gives their group name and tells a little bit about them. For instance, a group of peacocks is called an ostentation and often live in groups with one male and several females.
ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations were created in mixed media including with fabric and feathers. They are unique and quite gorgeous and fun to look at. I especially enjoyed the happy camels and the peacocks with their beautiful feathers.
THE GOOD: There is some very good and short information about each group of animals in this book. The facts are not necessarily widely known such as female elephants living separately from the bull elephants. This is an excellent book to share with a child who loves animals and is especially a great book for the classroom. This would be the perfect addition to a unit on animals.
THE NOT AS GOOD: The font has two problems. One, the titles of the animal groups are written in very fancy cursive. It is difficult to read. Second, the font is very very small. I feel there was plenty of room to make that font just a little bigger for children (and adults!) who will be reading this by themselves.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: Advertised for ages 3-7, but I think the high vocabulary lends itself better to grades 1-3.
NOTE: I received a free ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations were created in mixed media including with fabric and feathers. They are unique and quite gorgeous and fun to look at. I especially enjoyed the happy camels and the peacocks with their beautiful feathers.
THE GOOD: There is some very good and short information about each group of animals in this book. The facts are not necessarily widely known such as female elephants living separately from the bull elephants. This is an excellent book to share with a child who loves animals and is especially a great book for the classroom. This would be the perfect addition to a unit on animals.
THE NOT AS GOOD: The font has two problems. One, the titles of the animal groups are written in very fancy cursive. It is difficult to read. Second, the font is very very small. I feel there was plenty of room to make that font just a little bigger for children (and adults!) who will be reading this by themselves.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: Advertised for ages 3-7, but I think the high vocabulary lends itself better to grades 1-3.
NOTE: I received a free ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2015
A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups by Anna Wright is a non fiction picturebook. It introduces young readers to the words people use to refer to animals in a group and some information about each kind of group. The images are a combination of ink, watercolor, and fabric collage art. The result is brightly colored and unique.
A Tower of Giraffes is a great easy non fiction book that will delight young readers that love animals and learning new words. I like that the book offers the collective nouns for so many animals, but that information like when the groupings happen, the numbers of animals often found in the group, and more interesting facts are included. Some of the words are particularly well matched to the animals they describe, such as a prickle of hedgehogs or a flamboyance of flamingos, that the information all on its own. To top of the information and introduction of new vocabulary is the colorful and unique artwork that can be found on each page. The art really adds something special and interesting to further engage readers of all ages.
A Tower of Giraffes is a book that I highly recommend for school and public library collections. My daughter is an animal lover, and even though she is reading well above the level of this book, i can see it being a huge hit in our house. I cannot wait to share it with her.
A Tower of Giraffes is a great easy non fiction book that will delight young readers that love animals and learning new words. I like that the book offers the collective nouns for so many animals, but that information like when the groupings happen, the numbers of animals often found in the group, and more interesting facts are included. Some of the words are particularly well matched to the animals they describe, such as a prickle of hedgehogs or a flamboyance of flamingos, that the information all on its own. To top of the information and introduction of new vocabulary is the colorful and unique artwork that can be found on each page. The art really adds something special and interesting to further engage readers of all ages.
A Tower of Giraffes is a book that I highly recommend for school and public library collections. My daughter is an animal lover, and even though she is reading well above the level of this book, i can see it being a huge hit in our house. I cannot wait to share it with her.
February 7, 2016
Review from Raising Fairies and Knights
I was not the biggest fan of this book. Perhaps it is because I am reading it through the Kindle app on my iPhone so it is not a big screen, but the font is too small to read, it is the kindle version but it is almost impossible to see. The graphics were a little confusing, it had the shape of an animal, but different patterned paper made up the s’s body. My toddler had a hard time identifying the animals and between me holding the phone up to my nose to read and the graphics not capturing her attention, it just didn’t work for us.
But, the story itself is quite interesting. Each page is talking about a different animal and what their grouping is called. For example a gaggle of geese, and some information on geese, such as the sound they make.
If the font was larger and the graphics a little more colourful and basic I think this would be a great story and I think my toddler would have loved it. The information is great it’s just the presentation that gave me problems.
I would not buy this book unfortunately.
http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.c...
I was not the biggest fan of this book. Perhaps it is because I am reading it through the Kindle app on my iPhone so it is not a big screen, but the font is too small to read, it is the kindle version but it is almost impossible to see. The graphics were a little confusing, it had the shape of an animal, but different patterned paper made up the s’s body. My toddler had a hard time identifying the animals and between me holding the phone up to my nose to read and the graphics not capturing her attention, it just didn’t work for us.
But, the story itself is quite interesting. Each page is talking about a different animal and what their grouping is called. For example a gaggle of geese, and some information on geese, such as the sound they make.
If the font was larger and the graphics a little more colourful and basic I think this would be a great story and I think my toddler would have loved it. The information is great it’s just the presentation that gave me problems.
I would not buy this book unfortunately.
http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.c...
Read
February 5, 2016Last Sunday amid the quiet (and not so quiet) chatter of children, I could be seen in a local book store sitting on the floor in front of the nonfiction shelves. The titles were arranged by subject but there was no delineation as to when the book was published. If I found a volume in which I was not familiar, I would pull it out to examine the information for accuracy, reliability of the author, illustrations and the release date. The stack next to me on the floor did get a little bit higher.
Participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge has me constantly seeking new titles. One book I discovered recently is A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups (Charlesbridge, September 8, 2015) written and illustrated by Anna Wright. It's a whimsical exploration of collective nouns guaranteed to impart several new tidbits of wisdom and wonder.
My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...
Participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge has me constantly seeking new titles. One book I discovered recently is A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups (Charlesbridge, September 8, 2015) written and illustrated by Anna Wright. It's a whimsical exploration of collective nouns guaranteed to impart several new tidbits of wisdom and wonder.
My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...
January 18, 2016
This beautiful picture book gives brief descriptions of different animal groups.The artwork is amazing. You need to open this book just to enjoy the yarn sheep, the magenta flamingos, and the feathered owls. Some of the groups are familiar to most people, but there are some new and interesting groups featured in the pages of this lovely book. Some of my favorites are a mischief of mice, a prickle of hedgehogs, and an ostentation of peacocks… perfect, right? I bet you can guess what a group of giraffes is called! Learn more about these and many others here. http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...
November 1, 2015
The art in this book is simply wonderful.
I like the patterns (though they get repetitive in spots). And I like the textures.
But I loved the painting. Especially with animals like the pigs - where the messiness conveyed dirt. And the monkeys - where the messiness conveyed chaos.
I never thought I'd say, "such an effective use of browns..." But, there you go.
And the naming of the groups of animals is a fantastic topic for little ears. We all know the basic - a herd of cows, a school of fish. But have you heard of an ostentation of peacocks?
Great little learning book for young readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for a copy in return for an honest review.
I like the patterns (though they get repetitive in spots). And I like the textures.
But I loved the painting. Especially with animals like the pigs - where the messiness conveyed dirt. And the monkeys - where the messiness conveyed chaos.
I never thought I'd say, "such an effective use of browns..." But, there you go.
And the naming of the groups of animals is a fantastic topic for little ears. We all know the basic - a herd of cows, a school of fish. But have you heard of an ostentation of peacocks?
Great little learning book for young readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for a copy in return for an honest review.
April 25, 2016
This one's another one about what you call groups of animals and you know what? Those names are a LOT to remember. I guess that's one reason you learn to count. So that way you don't have to remember all these names for groups of animals. You just count and say "OK, there's 14 birds" or "There's 10 giraffes" or whatever.
I love the patterns that the guy made the animals out of, even if they don't look like the real animals. It's ARTISTIC!
But you know what else? This book says that a bunch of elephants is called a "herd," but in another book I read, they said it's called a "parade." So someone needs to get their facts straight! I just don't know WHO.
But this is still a real good one.
I love the patterns that the guy made the animals out of, even if they don't look like the real animals. It's ARTISTIC!
But you know what else? This book says that a bunch of elephants is called a "herd," but in another book I read, they said it's called a "parade." So someone needs to get their facts straight! I just don't know WHO.
But this is still a real good one.
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