Packs: Strength in Numbers – A Picture Book About Animal Communities and Togetherness for Children

by Hannah Salyer

A full color, exquisitely illustrated celebration of animals who live in packs, herds, pods, and more. Packs shows how togetherness and teamwork help many creatures thrive.

Groups, packs, herds of millions, and more–our world teems with animals on land, air, and sea.
 
Packs is an inspiring celebration of how togetherness helps many creatures thrive, in both nonhuman and human communities.
 
Hannah Salyer’s stunning selection reminds us that teamwork is universal, there is brilliance in biodiversity, and there is strength in numbers. Includes an author’s note encouraging community engagement and activism, as well as a fun visual index of the animals featured.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature, Science, Art

46 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 2020

About the author

Hannah Salyer is an award-winning illustrator, author, and mixed-media artist whose work celebrates the profound connections between humans and the natural world. Recognized by American Illustration and the Society of Illustrators, her books, including PACKS and ANCESTORY, have earned critical acclaim for their breathtaking visuals and compelling narratives. A Maurice Sendak Fellow and educator at Parsons School of Design, Hannah also co-directs Underland Gallery. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, where her art continues to inspire a deeper appreciation for our shared planet.

See more of her work on her website https://hannahsalyer.com/

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I am personal friends with the wonderfully talented Hannah Salyer, an artist and first-time picture-book author who makes her debut with this forthcoming title.

Opening with a number of two-page spreads dedicated to animal groups - a pack of wolves, a herd of bison, a huddle of penguins, a pod of dolphins - the narrative here then expands, beginning to explore how animal groups works together for the benefit of the entire community. A nest of ants harvest together, a cloud of bats speak together, a swarm of bees work together, a colony of coral builds together. As the narrative concludes, "all together... we are better..."

A gorgeous book, one which pairs a thoughtful exploration of groups dynamics in the animal world with stunningly beautiful artwork, Packs: Strength in Numbers is an amazingly assured debut for Salyer. Having recently read Carin Berger's A Curious Menagerie , which I also enjoyed, and which explores collective nouns for animals, I was appreciative of the way in which the author here delves deeper, presenting not just the idea of animal groups, but the utility and beauty of their activities. As much as I enjoyed the narrative however, and as much as I appreciated the thoughtful afterword, which includes a list of further reading, it is Salyer's artwork that is the true star of this book. Both detailed in its execution - the hatching, in the depiction of the wolves; the miniature ants in the background of the page devoted to their nest - and majestic in its totality - the gorgeous color schemes, the sweeping sense of motion - the illustrations dazzle. This is a book one will want to pore over, enjoying the beauty of its visuals, and pondering the wonder of the natural world it evokes. I'm happy to think that this is just the beginning of Hannah Salyer's career, and look forward to the creation of many more wonderful books!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

PACKS is powerful and layered. Readers will learn a lot about different kinds of animals as well as how they/we are indeed better together.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous nonfiction picture book! Would also be a great back-to-school read aloud for discussing how we build community and work collaboratively.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations and good message. I also learned some new mass nouns--an army of frogs, a flamboyance of flamingos, and an implausibility of wildebeests. Cool! Definitely recommended for young children and their families (or older picture book enthusiasts like me). :)

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunningly illustrated look at many different animal species that use teamwork and togetherness to survive and thrive.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple text and colorfully captivating mixed-media illustrations explore tho different creatures live in their own communities, and use teamwork to help them survive and thrive.

[Katie Reilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated picture book that celebrates animal groups and how they thrive using togetherness & teamwork.

[Kris Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who says that back to school read alouds can’t be nonfiction?

[Deborah]

Lots of great nonfiction info about how different animals behave in groups, while also conveying the theme that "all together... we are better!"

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Introduction to animal groups and how we are better together

[Y.Poston]

Gorgeous! and delightfully informative!
LOVE!!!!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Together we are better.”

The author demonstrates the power of unity as each animal (bats, bees, mongooses, flamingoes, etc.) describes how their pod, army, pack, flamboyance, mob, etc. works together for the good of the group.
The last page, however, talks about not just helping your own kind, but that we all (human and non-human) need each other to survive and for the planet to flourish.

Quick read but with much to discuss.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The emphasis on togetherness in these various animal communities drives the narrative, which gives a little bit of info about the animal, and the collective noun for a group of the animals. The illustrations, rendered in cut paper, gouache, acrylics, and colored pencils, also emphasized the togetherness of the various animal groups. Terrific natural history for young ones. The author includes a list of recommended reading at the end.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts off simple, a poem about the connections of together, then BOOM! Sayler starts with examples of animals and their connection to the theme. By the end, we go back to the simple lines/text and slowly fade to a stop. An afterwards gives a little more about the animals. Unique illustrations that are both boldly and softly colored at the same time. Minimal, but all that is needed, details wrap things up.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Large two page spreads -K-2 read aloud. Adults will like art more so than kids. My kids want real photos of animals not hand drawn. But the art style is unique and colorful. Would be a good mentor text for an elementary art unit? Might be a good teamwork building read aloud for grade 3-5 teachers and students.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animal nonfiction that shows how different animals together are stronger.

At the end the author clarifies that while many animals flourish in packs, they also don't rely solely on their own to survive. Diversity is key to survival. She makes a push for conservation programs and to leave the world a better place.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possible contender for Mock Caldecott awards. Beautifully illustrated. I love learning the names for groups of things...like a flamboyance of flamingos. This is a great way to show young children how although we are all different and have our own strengths...we are still all better together.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Salyer shares stories of groups of animals, packs, in the ocean, in the air, on the land, and how their strength comes from the way they come together to do things one alone could not do. Fish. Bats. Mongooses. Frogs. Wildebeest. Ants. And more. Like people. Goodness, don't forget people.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing illustration good illustrations and a lovely sentiment

[I _teach_muggles · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve all heard about the importance of collaboration and working as part of a team. As the saying goes, ‘there is no ‘I' in team’. Hannah Salyer’s debut picture book about some remarkable animals proves that everything really is better when than is more than one of you.

Salyer welcomes readers in with four stunning double page spreads featuring groups of a particular animal. Accompanying the animals are the single words for their collective group - there are packs, herds, huddles and pods. Readers are then invited further into the book through a double page spread featuring a collection of burnt-orange coloured Monarch butterflies and the words, “Together, we are better.” Over the course of the book, readers are treated to various collective names for animals and descriptions on how they work together to live, survive and thrive. From ants that work together growing food to survive to lions with feelings who nurture one another. There are frogs that sing together, flamingos that dance together, bees that work together and zebras who confuse together. Even people get a shout-out, a group who generally are better when they are together.

Hannah Salyer has delved deep into the animal kingdom to come up with a book that is big on insightful information and will nourish the minds of young readers with any interest in the animal world. Visually the book is superb, particularly the opening double pages which are just awash with animals of a single type. The double pages that follow are contrasted with a single creature illustrated in a shade of blue on one side and a vibrant illustration of a group of the creatures on the other. Information about the animals and its group sits below the single illustrated animal. Extra information is provided at the back of the book that addresses the issue of endangered animals and what readers can do to help. There is also a helpful visual index to assist readers in identifying any animals that they are unsure of.

Even as an adult I learnt things from this truly fascinating book. My favourite new knowledge…a pack of wildebeest is known as an implausibility and a pack of flamingos is known as a flamboyance - has the collective name for a group of animals ever been more appropriate?

Packs is a brilliant collection of just some of the animals who live together and prove that there really is truth behind the phrase, ‘strength in numbers’.

Recommended for 6+.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Hmm. First off this is a pleasantly odd moment to read about how "All together we are better" Large font and few words make this a great read aloud introduction to all the reasons animals, including us, group ourselves together - to harvest, speak, work, hunt, travel, work, sleep etc. I thought that part was pretty great.
The author's afterword went a direction I did not expect. I was looking for more information about how and why specific species use large groups to their evolutionary advantage. What I got was a page devoted to the idea that diversity helps us thrive, a caution that many of the animals pictured are threatened, and encouragement to be gentle, kind and thoughtful: learn more, talk, write letters to organizations, pick up after ourselves, plant a garden and make art and stories about animals. What I am missing is the explicit connection between large mono-culture groups that help defend against the predations of, and competition with, other species and the idea that digging up some ground that surely has lots of animals going about their business in order to plant tomatoes is a help to diversity. It reminded me a lot of taking my kindergarten son to his first Sunday school class where he wanted to understand why God allowed Satan to manipulate him and what he got was coloring pages that told him he could show God's love by raking up autumn leaves and putting them in garbage bags.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork is spectacular, but there isn't much else going on. The pacing is uneven, it starts with one word per page, naming the groups of animals, like this is going to be a toddler book, but then turns into a more in depth, paragraphs-long, detailed description of various animals (ants, bats, lions, fish, wildebeest, bees, frogs, coral, flamingos) and how they live in packs. It feels random. The message is "Together we are better" but it doesn't explain why.

The two last two-page spreads are the best. First is dozens of people in a city park all doing different things. Kids will love poring over this image, finding all the activities. The next shows all of the animals depicted in this book all together on one page, so you can see how big or small each animal is compared to a human girl, and that was interesting. (And if you, like I, were annoyed by the simplistic descriptions such as "yellow fish," this page will fix that, because it identifies the exact type of fish, etc, depicted in this book.)

This feels like an excellent picture book artist who is in need of an equally excellent writer. I guess this would make a nice read aloud book for a preschool lesson on the environment around us, but I can't imagine it capturing kids' interest for a bedtime read.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely vibrant illustrations highlight the strength and energy of animals. Cut paper, acrylic paint and pencil touch ups bring the crowds of animals directly to the reader. It would work as a good book for kids learning to listen to read alouds, as it starts with one word labels for fascinating two page spreads (wolves, buffalo...) before moving to longer paragraphs describing how the animal group works together to achieve an end (ants, bats, ...). Even then the information concludes with a simple phrase: Together, we [blank]!

I like how the book sneaks in all the collective nouns (herd, flamboyance, school, etc.) because those are fun vocabulary words. And at the end it gives us people, reminding the reader that people are also better together. I must say that the crown of people do not seem as cooperative as the groups of animals....

Final backmatter includes a page showing what kids can do to help animals (read, learn and talk about them) and a list of recentkids books for Further Reading.

[Christine Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juv. 591.56 Sal

Subject: Social behavior in animals -- Juvenile literature.
Animal societies -- Juvenile literature.

Publisher Weekly recommends this book for ages 4–7.
An exquisitely illustrated celebration of animals who live in packs, herds, pods, and more--including humans. Vivid art and exuberant vocabulary are perfect for emerging readers and parents looking for nonfiction picture books for home learning. Packs shows how togetherness and teamwork are the keys to survival of any species, and the many ways we rely on one another.

Groups, packs, herds of millions, and more--our world teems with animals on land, air, and sea.
Packs is an inspiring celebration of how togetherness helps many creatures thrive, in both nonhuman and human communities. Hannah Salyer's stunning selection reminds us that teamwork is universal, there is brilliance in biodiversity, and there is strength in numbers. Includes an author's note encouraging community engagement and activism, as well as a fun visual index of the animals featured.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems kind of odd to be reading a nonfiction picture book about animal groups, including humans, during this period of social distancing. We're better together, but at a distance of at least six feet. But we have to remember that in the natural world, animals travel together, hunt together, and protect each other. This book uses simple, informative text and lovely illustrations to highlight packs, herds, flocks, and many other animal groups. The book also includes an author's note with suggestions for protecting endangered animals, a list of books for further reading, and a numbered list with the names of the specific animals shown in this book. This would definitely be a good book to share with young readers as part of a science or biodiversity lesson. It also might be a good reference before or during a trip to the zoo (even if it's a virtual trip on the computer).

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's narrative nonfiction. This book starts out simply, with a one-word collective noun captioning a page of the related animal, before going into specific examples of how groups of animals work together. Ten different animals are featured in this specific example section-- a brief paragraph explains the collaboration and then the final sentence says "Together, we _____." Bats communicate to determine the location of their prey, wildebeest deter predators by their sheer numbers, mongooses sleep together with the elder members keeping an eye out for danger. The illustrations of the animals are detailed and inviting. I am always impressed when an author-illustrator manages to have both the text and the pictures be of high quality, but Salyer manages to do so. Could be used to discuss collective nouns, collaboration, families, or of course just read for enjoyment.

[Andrea Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read so many wonderful children's nonfiction books lately and this is no exception. Hannah Salyer takes a concept that has been fairly well covered and makes it new again. She covers the names of groups, but also how each group works together to make life better for themselves. The illustrations are fantastic! Made from acrylic, goauche, cut paper, and colored pencils, the illustrations are detailed and gorgeous. While usually I prefer pictures over illustrations in nonfiction books, the illustrations work here. It reminds me of Crossings, another beautifully illustrated nonfiction book about animals. Give this to animal lovers, grown-ups who want to know more about the world and love a good picture, and anyone who wants to know more about animals.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated picture book has full double page spreads that are eye popping and so very appealing. The text explains how some animals are better together as packs provide strength and security for them. The pack names are specific to the animal group, as well. (My students love those kind of facts!) It also touches on how humans are better together, as well. Learning from these animals while delving into these magical illustrations I hope my students will get the strength in numbers message, especially now. I also love that Hannah Salyer added information about the dangers of losing animals in our world do to human choices of land, water, and lack of pollution management. Great back matter in this one. Always makes me happy to see that back matter!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Groups of animals have different names, like packs, herds and pods, and these groups make the animals better - like ants working together to build a colony by growing their own food;a school of fish hunting together, or an implausibility of gnus protecting each other by sheer numbers.

Beautiful illustrations, the kind that look like art that should be framed. I loved learning what the groups are called, how theirs numbers enable them to survive better, I loved the message of conservation and how we as a human community can help. Includes sources for further reading.

Cross posted to https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is done in cut paper, gouache, acrylic paint and colored pencils and finished digitally. A lot of work was put into this and it's amazing. I love the artwork. The animals leap off the page. It's just wonderful.

One new thing I learned was a herd of wildebeests is an Implausibility. Because they can be in the millions. Wow! Nature is amazing.

At the beginning, we just get the names of what a group of animals is called and about after four of them, we start getting explanations like the wildebeests or the mongoose. It's a fun book for kids about animals and animal lovers will love this one.