Nonfiction Wednesday – The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals

The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals

What makes an ordinary animal extraordinary? This animal dictionary will help kids discover exactly what that is. From A to Z, authors Leslie Jonath and Lisa McGuinness single out common animals and highlight specific qualities that make them unique. Each fact-filled entry is ideal for newly independent readers. Entries include a physical description of the animal as well as information about the animals’ environment, eating habits, prey, and more. ‘The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals’ sends a message parents and children will find inspiring-a seemingly average animal having incredible characteristics that make it special. Children who feel ordinary themselves will swell with pride when they learn fascinating facts they can share with their friends!

As a life-long animal lover and nature nerd, The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals would have absolutely delighted me as a child. It takes a wonderful approach to its subject, arguing that there really is no such thing as “ordinary”, as even animals we’ve seen and heard about a million times can still amaze and delight, fascinate and surprise us with their unique adaptations and incredible behaviours.

The dictionary provides several entries for each letter of the alphabet, some more well-known the others. Each animal gets a short description, a “fun fact”, and an illustration. Some animals get an entire page to themselves, while others share their space.

“Ordinary” here is determined in a few different ways. Some of these animals are considered ordinary because they’re very common and well-known. Others might be ordinary in appearance, seemingly boring and uninteresting. A few might not seem ordinary to North American readers, but are more common in other parts of the world. Whatever the reason, the authors’ main argument is that there is wonder to be found all around us in the natural world, and we don’t need to look very hard to find it, as long as we keep our eyes and minds open to it.

Perfect for fact-fascinated animal lovers, The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals is a great nonfiction title to add to your collection.

Source: Library