About Mammals: A Guide for Children

About... A Guide for Children

by Cathryn Sill, John Sill (Illustrator)

Elementary school teacher and author Cathryn Sill accurately answers the first questions of young naturalists by explaining what mammals are, how they live, and what they do. With the help of illustrations from noted wildlife illustrator John Sill, About Mammals explores the charm and wonder of the huge variety of animals that fall into this diverse category.

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

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Cathryn Sill, a graduate of Western Carolina University, was an elementary school teacher for thirty years. She lives in North Carolina.

When she was an elementary school teacher who loves nature. When she had trouble finding good natural history books for her kindergarten class, she decided to write them.

With her husband John as the illustrator, she has created two series of nonfiction books for children.

The ABOUT series is about different groups of animals and includes 16 books. She has just completed the eighth books in a series about habitats.

Reviews

[Nate Richey]

This book is a non-fiction book about the mammals that live on earth. The author tells about many animals with simple explanations about each one and where they live, what they eat, and how they live. The author simply explains that these animals need protecting and where they live.

This is a great book for young children. The sentences are short and understandable and the pictures have an explanation next to them to tell the reader what animal it is. The illustrations are well done and they connect perfectly with the writing.

This book can be used to teach the animals. The author gives a variety of different animals, big and small. This book can also be used to show kids that animals need protection as much as humans do.

[American Mensa · Rating 5 out of 5]

About Mammals is a picture book for 3 to 8-year-olds. It is nonfiction. I loved it because it was easy to read, and I like the info at the end. I think this book would be great for reports, for homeschool, public school, or people who like learning about mammals. I like that there are so many different mammals. I love that there was so much detail in the pictures. It looked like someone just took a picture! My favorite part was when I was learning about mammals. I did not know bats are mammals. I think other kids would like it because they would learn about mammals.
Dominic D.,7, Tampa Bay Mensa

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

About Mammals is a perfect introduction to mammals for preschoolers. There is literally one sentence per page, making it a short read with little, but necessary, information. The illustrations are realistic as well. It's a very useful book to have around.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations and information. Highly recommended for Grades 1-5.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful paintings of mammals with very simple text, or the pictures can stand alone with the parent and child making the commentary.

[Raelene · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are gorgeous. The text is a bit simplistic, but combined with the back matter, which is detailed and descriptive, makes for a great book adaptable for many ages.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty and scientifically sound but geared for my classes age group. Recommended.

Q2021 book.

[Patricia Kemp Blackmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book ABOUT MAMMALS it shows images of mammals from the smallest to the largest, from mammals that live underground and those that live above ground, even mammals in the oceans. Some with lots of fur/hair to those that have hardly any.

At the back of the book called the Afterword is more details on each of the mammals pictured in the book.

On the back cover of the book it has these questions:

What does a mammal look like?
What does a mammal eat?
Where does a mammal live?
WHAT IS A MAMMAL?

I find this series to be a wonderful go to for boys and girls to get them more involved with nature and wildlife. My husband was very impressed the series. I like that it relates to the very young and the old. I have already read a couple of other books by this author and illustrator and plan on making my way through the series and others.

I highly recommend this book to all children also parents, teachers, and librarians.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Peachtree Publishers for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own honest opinion.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure - I don't speak or write Spanish and pretty much relied on Google Translator to double check the English to Spanish translation. About Mammals/Sobre los Mamiferos is the bilingual paperback edition of the 2014 revised edition of the book. The book works on two levels - the main text which provides a simple overview of mammals and is paired with numbered plates depicting various mammals and the Afterword which provides more in depth information about each plate at the end of the book. The glossary seems to include words that are featured in the Afterword, not the main text. There is a bibliography of books and websites as well as a glossary of both English and Spanish words. A solid choice for libraries needing bilingual materials.

[Liliana Jaramillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that awakens a little curiosity in children for explorer life that we find around us, animals and plants of various colors and shapes. The vocabulary at the end of this book with the photographs help to the children to understand more easily its meaning


Once more as in his other books the drawings are great, beautiful and representative of what we find written. Easy to read, nice to see. I love this book explaining in a graphic, visual way different mammals, where they live and their characteristic main, that they have: produce milk for their young, also can make the comparison with humans that we are also mammals

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children are innately curious about the world around them, and this easy-to-read text provides basic introductory information about mammals. Along with 18 lovely watercolor plates of the mammals featured in the book, readers learn about some of the characteristics of mammals as well as where they can be found and what they eat. Ideal for beginning readers, the book also contains thumbnail sketches of the larger plates as well as more detailed comments on each page's content. As I always say about this creative team, they are reliable, and the books are essential for today's elementary classrooms.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction book with simple text and beautiful illustrations identifies the most basic characteristics which make an animal a mammal. This would be especially useful with younger learners or English learners.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great illustrations and simple text. Perfect for teaching a lesson on mammals

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for teaching Kindergarten or First graders about mammals. The book explains what mammals are, how they live, and what they do.

[Angela Alonso]

Grade: 5th
Introduce mammals

[Myriam B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good guide to teach young children about Mammals. It explain that Mammals have hair, some maybe furry and some may have sharp stiff quills on their backs.

[Jhawn]

"Explains what mammals are, how they live, and what they do."