How Animals Work

by David Burnie

Have you ever wondered how fish breathe underwater, how caterpillars transform into butterflies, why deer grow cumbersome antlers every year, or how snakes slither? How Animals Work explains the structures and systems of animal bodies, using photographs and diagrams to show how animals use their anatomy to move, communicate, hunt, and feed, and how their bodies enhance their chances in the struggle for survival.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Nature

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2010

About the author

David Andrew Burnie is an accomplished zoologist who was a nature reserve ranger before becoming a natural history author and editor. A prolific writer of many books, including several on dinosaurs, he has seen many of his titles win educational awards and science prizes. His titles for Kingfisher include Kingfisher Knowledge: Endangered Planet and The Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia, which was nominated for the Aventis Prize for Science Books in 2002.

Reviews

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are amazing and vibrant. What I liked about this non-fiction text is that the illustrations are big and clear which made it easier to follow and want to read. Also I found that because the images were presented in this way, this book would be great to share with a whole class. The contents page is clearly organised with chapter headings and sub-headings underneath which gives you more information about what is in each chapter. This was really useful because I was able to easily find the information I was looking for which saved a lot of time. I did find the size of the print to be quite small at times and found this could be challenging for some children if they were to read this indepedently.
The vocabulary and grammatical structure of the book was quite complex and would potentially require some explanations from an adult. I would recommend using this book when teaching parts of the animals and human topic in science because it contains interesting facts about habitats, predators and also senses. Also one of the chapters in the book is divided into animal groups which would be great for teaching about different species. This book lends itself well to parts of the geography curriculum and the exploration of different parts of the world that animals live in and the different conditions.
Overall, a great read

[Freda Mans-Labianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great look at the animal kingdom from every angle. Worms, Spiders, Lobsters, Fish, Monkeys to Whales all brought together in one book. Fantastic photos accompany great information on each type of species.
This would be a great book for kids learning about the animal kingdom and its different groups.
I highly recommend this selection for schools and teachers.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! It's loaded with so many fun and interesting facts about animals, and explains how and why they do certain things. It explains about animal body structure,diet,behavior,reproduction, and many other things. If someone asked the question "what is an animal"?, this book describes it perfectly.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suitable for elementary schools for the stunning photos and middle schools for the text, this book offers something for everybody. The photos are simply amazing and the text is interesting, full of fascinating facts. Leave this book on a table and watch the kids pore over it, fascinated.

[KidsNonFiction Teton County Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Kay's rate = 5 stars

This book has so many details and illustrations that the reader will find it hard to put down. David Burnie has organized the fact in an engaging way. Nature is truly amazing and this book illustrates and highlights many facets of the animal world.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe all the color and open layout is menat to attract kids, but there's very little information and without a linear format is hard to follow and gather real information for learning.