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Man Gave Names to All the Animals
From BOB DYLAN and JIM ARNOSKY “Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.”
Whimsical and witty, “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” first appeared on Bob Dylans album Slow Train Coming in 1979. With Dylans blessing, illustrator Jim Arnosky has crafted a stunning picture book adaptation of the song thats a treat for both children and adults, with breathtaking images of more than 170 animals. The revered musical legend rarely allows his songs to be illustrated, and Arnosky has done the song proud with a parade of spectacular creatures ready to receive their names—until the surprise ending, when children get to name an animal all by themselves!
In the beginning, in the beginning.
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.”
Whimsical and witty, “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” first appeared on Bob Dylans album Slow Train Coming in 1979. With Dylans blessing, illustrator Jim Arnosky has crafted a stunning picture book adaptation of the song thats a treat for both children and adults, with breathtaking images of more than 170 animals. The revered musical legend rarely allows his songs to be illustrated, and Arnosky has done the song proud with a parade of spectacular creatures ready to receive their names—until the surprise ending, when children get to name an animal all by themselves!
32 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 1999
2 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Bob Dylan
570 books1,561 followersBob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, poet, and, of late, disc jockey who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of Dylan's most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he became an informal chronicler and a reluctant figurehead of American unrest. A number of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements. His most recent studio album, Modern Times, released on August 29, 2006, entered the U.S. album charts at #1, making him, at age sixty five, the oldest living person to top those charts.
Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature (2016).
Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature (2016).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 22, 2013
I have a few reasons for beginning to review the children's books that I read to my son. I'll eventually forget how most of them are. Also, children's books are extremely expensive, and I'm sure people come to Goodreads all the time to get recommendations before they waste money. Finally, I'm behind on my reading goals and need to pad my numbers! /shameless
Anyway, my son absolutely LOVES this book. He is 16 months old and it is the first and only book he calls for by name. The refrain is rhythmic and fun and will appeal to kids much older than my boy.
It is the first book in which Dylan agreed to have his lyrics interpreted, and its success has paved the way for three more wonderful books that my son also loves. But this one remains heads and shoulders above the other three. I'd rank it six stars if I could simply to put it above the fives I would rank those.
In Man Gave Names, the reader is bombarded with bright colors and dozens of creatures of all shapes and sizes. The book tells how early Man may have seen the creatures of the world, described them, and named them. It will appeal to fans of Bob Dylan, of course, but also to animal lovers and those who enjoy and/or prefer biblical children's stories. It comes with a CD of the song, in case that would sway you. It contains a nice note from the illustrator about the song and his inspiration, and there is a list of 170 animals that your little guy or girl can try to find.
Obviously, I love the book, but much more importantly, my son absolutely adores it.
Anyway, my son absolutely LOVES this book. He is 16 months old and it is the first and only book he calls for by name. The refrain is rhythmic and fun and will appeal to kids much older than my boy.
It is the first book in which Dylan agreed to have his lyrics interpreted, and its success has paved the way for three more wonderful books that my son also loves. But this one remains heads and shoulders above the other three. I'd rank it six stars if I could simply to put it above the fives I would rank those.
In Man Gave Names, the reader is bombarded with bright colors and dozens of creatures of all shapes and sizes. The book tells how early Man may have seen the creatures of the world, described them, and named them. It will appeal to fans of Bob Dylan, of course, but also to animal lovers and those who enjoy and/or prefer biblical children's stories. It comes with a CD of the song, in case that would sway you. It contains a nice note from the illustrator about the song and his inspiration, and there is a list of 170 animals that your little guy or girl can try to find.
Obviously, I love the book, but much more importantly, my son absolutely adores it.
September 8, 2010
This book is beautifully illustrated, but the story/song is also fantastic. It's the Bob Dylan song (that many are familiar with!) and it comes with the CD with the song on it. It's actually a children's CD that I don't go crazy listening to after the 500th time! And trust me, we have probably really listened to it 500 times! My kids love it! I put it in and the first time they just dance around. Then the second time they sit and look at the gorgeous pictures in the book. And then, they usually play it about 10 more times before taking a break. They read the book alone as well. Well, they just look at the pictures since they can't read, but soon they will have it all memorized and can at least pretend to read it!
I can say that as a parent this book is perfect. I can read/sing it to them pretty quickly and the illustrations are beautiful and you find new animals every time. Like I said, the CD isn't annoying (who doesn't like Bob Dylan?!) and I don't go crazy listening to it over and over. The book can keep the kids entertained by itself if the CD were to break.
This has been THE BOOK for the past week since it arrived on our front porch. We got other books too but this is the one they are so focused on they haven't even paid attention to the others!
I have the new edition illustrated by Jim Arnosky. I didn't even know about a previous edition but looking through reviews it becomes apparent that there was one!
I can say that as a parent this book is perfect. I can read/sing it to them pretty quickly and the illustrations are beautiful and you find new animals every time. Like I said, the CD isn't annoying (who doesn't like Bob Dylan?!) and I don't go crazy listening to it over and over. The book can keep the kids entertained by itself if the CD were to break.
This has been THE BOOK for the past week since it arrived on our front porch. We got other books too but this is the one they are so focused on they haven't even paid attention to the others!
I have the new edition illustrated by Jim Arnosky. I didn't even know about a previous edition but looking through reviews it becomes apparent that there was one!
October 2, 2012
I have to say I loved this song before it became a picture book. It is a fun song to sit around and sing with friends. The song was originally recorded on Bob Dylan's "Slow-Train Coming" album, and is included as a single on the disc that comes with the book. Colorful illustrations accompany Dylan's clever rhymes about how man(Adam) thought up names for all the animals. I read it with seniors at the nursing home and had them singing along. Then I gave the book to my grandson (Dylan Ray) and he learned it pretty quick. The catchy beat is contagious and will soon have readers joining in. The ending comes rather abrupt, as the last animal isn't mentioned by name. Even without the art, one could name the animal (clue: reptile) who slithers by a tree near a lake .....
November 28, 2018
Great illustrations, fun rhymes, clever ending, Bob Dylan music. Kate and I enjoyed saying "Uh, oh!" at the end. We played the track over and over again, and the girls had fun dancing to it. Bought the book in Fall 2018.
February 23, 2014
The art was really good. But the words and the images didn't match. A mountain goat isn't exactly a male sheep. Although they look so much alike I might be the one mixing up the image and the name.
January 1, 2026
This children's book peddles Biblical creationism under the guise of whimsy. The premise—that a divine “Man” (presumably Adam) named animals in Eden, as recounted in Genesis 2:19-20—is pure fantasy; animals evolved over millions of years through natural selection, with no creator god involved, as fossil records and genetics overwhelmingly confirm.
The story also leans on a very late myth. Genesis took written shape in ancient Israel in the first millennium BCE, drawing on older Near Eastern traditions like Mesopotamian creation stories, and reflects the worldview of small Iron Age kingdoms rather than any “beginning of the world.” By contrast, the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language is usually placed several thousand years earlier, spoken by pastoralist communities somewhere on the Pontic-Caspian steppe north of the Black and Caspian Seas, long before anyone wrote down Genesis.
The lyrics clumsily rhyme descriptions of beasts (cow, bull, sheep, pig, and snake), but this ignores actual etymology: the earliest Indo-European names were reconstructions like *gʷṓws (cow), *tauros (bull), *h₂ṓwis (sheep), *suH- (pig), and *h₁n̥gʷʰis (snake), spoken by prehistoric herders whose language and culture left their traces across Eurasia in the descendant Indo-European languages, not in biblical Hebrew. The biblical scene of Adam “naming” animals is thus a late theological vignette layered on top of a much older, far more complex linguistic and cultural history—relying on folk taxonomy, the intuitive, culture-specific classification systems humans used for millennia to group animals by everyday utility or resemblance, long before science demanded rigor. When scientists finally got tired of arguing about which “brown bird” was which, Carl Linnaeus stepped in during the 18th century and did the job systematically, pinning every species with a two-part Latin label (genus plus species) in the binomial nomenclature still used today; for the full story of the man who deserves the credit for organizing nature, see Gunnar Broberg’s biography, The Man Who Organized Nature: The Life of Linnaeus.
The abrupt ending invites kids to “name” the snake themselves, but that is no clever twist—it simply reinscribes the Eden story and its demonization of snakes rather than encouraging any curiosity about real animals or real languages. The song itself, from Dylan's born-again Christian phase on “Slow Train Coming,” is far from his lyrical peak—repetitive, preachy, and utterly forgettable compared with the nuance and ambiguity of his best work.
The story also leans on a very late myth. Genesis took written shape in ancient Israel in the first millennium BCE, drawing on older Near Eastern traditions like Mesopotamian creation stories, and reflects the worldview of small Iron Age kingdoms rather than any “beginning of the world.” By contrast, the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language is usually placed several thousand years earlier, spoken by pastoralist communities somewhere on the Pontic-Caspian steppe north of the Black and Caspian Seas, long before anyone wrote down Genesis.
The lyrics clumsily rhyme descriptions of beasts (cow, bull, sheep, pig, and snake), but this ignores actual etymology: the earliest Indo-European names were reconstructions like *gʷṓws (cow), *tauros (bull), *h₂ṓwis (sheep), *suH- (pig), and *h₁n̥gʷʰis (snake), spoken by prehistoric herders whose language and culture left their traces across Eurasia in the descendant Indo-European languages, not in biblical Hebrew. The biblical scene of Adam “naming” animals is thus a late theological vignette layered on top of a much older, far more complex linguistic and cultural history—relying on folk taxonomy, the intuitive, culture-specific classification systems humans used for millennia to group animals by everyday utility or resemblance, long before science demanded rigor. When scientists finally got tired of arguing about which “brown bird” was which, Carl Linnaeus stepped in during the 18th century and did the job systematically, pinning every species with a two-part Latin label (genus plus species) in the binomial nomenclature still used today; for the full story of the man who deserves the credit for organizing nature, see Gunnar Broberg’s biography, The Man Who Organized Nature: The Life of Linnaeus.
The abrupt ending invites kids to “name” the snake themselves, but that is no clever twist—it simply reinscribes the Eden story and its demonization of snakes rather than encouraging any curiosity about real animals or real languages. The song itself, from Dylan's born-again Christian phase on “Slow Train Coming,” is far from his lyrical peak—repetitive, preachy, and utterly forgettable compared with the nuance and ambiguity of his best work.
December 22, 2017
Fun, goofy interpretation of one of Dylan's more humorous songs. Kids will no doubt be making animal sounds and interpretations when listening to this one.
I didn't especially appreciate that the the passage about naming the bull ended with a bull facing down a matador in front of a cheering audience. Vegan parents will also want to note that the man sees milk dripping out of the cow, "but doesn't know how." Er, the same way (and reason) any mammal makes milk.
I didn't especially appreciate that the the passage about naming the bull ended with a bull facing down a matador in front of a cheering audience. Vegan parents will also want to note that the man sees milk dripping out of the cow, "but doesn't know how." Er, the same way (and reason) any mammal makes milk.
July 3, 2020
The wonderful thing about Arnosky is that he is a talented artist of the natural world - so while it might not be easy to understand what the animal is, it expands the child's understanding of the breadth of the animals created in the world. There is beauty in the complexity of diversity and it is a good thing to do the work, even for children.
While some people might think that the artwork overpowers the song - I think it is actually elevating it.
While some people might think that the artwork overpowers the song - I think it is actually elevating it.
March 29, 2023
Baruch Hashem, short and simple. Once you hear Dylan's song, you can't read this book the same. Illustrations are fun and this is one of those books and adult & child can enjoy reading together, at the same time.
March 10, 2018
The illustrations are stunning and finding animals at the end of the book was a fun surprise
November 23, 2018
Bob Dylan song, colorful illustrations!
September 24, 2019
Cute story song about man’s early relationship with the animal kingdom by the great Bob Dylan.
September 27, 2019
2019 Popsugar children's version - book written by a musician
January 10, 2020
A fun kids' book. It would be a nice supplement to use after teaching the Biblical story of creation.
December 29, 2020
A delightful little book for children based on Dylan’s song with beautiful illustrations. A collector’s item for all Dylan fans.
December 13, 2021
Gorgeous illustrations. The prose is lacking though.
January 31, 2023
Stunningly illustrated picture book with the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s song. The writing is a little repetitive if it was read as a storybook but it’s lovely to flip the pages whilst the song’s playing.
February 19, 2024
Cute book! My niece liked looking at all of the animals. It has over 170 hidden animals on the pages to find.
October 2, 2016
the song is nearly 4 minutes long
AR 1.8 and 0.5 pts
AR 1.8 and 0.5 pts
November 12, 2017
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Today’s book is a brand new addition to our home library, Man Gave Names To All The Animals, written by Bob Dylan and illustrated by Jim Arnosky, a children’s book tribute to the 1979 song by Dylan.
Using the lyrics of the titular Dylan song, we are brought into a world of wonderful wild animals, each page bursting with creatures of all shapes, sizes and types. Pages that feature the song’s chorus are a menagerie of animals, with each verse introducing us to a new animal and showing what name man has chosen for him.
Honestly, I had mixed feelings about this one. This is one of Dylan’s more repetitive songs, which naturally makes the book repetitive as well. That might be fine for reading aloud if you can sing the tune, but then you have to know the tune to sing it (the book does include a CD of Dylan’s original recording, but I hadn’t had a chance to listen to it before reading the book to JJ). And while the intricate and lifelike animal art is lovely, it frankly overshadows what is a rather simple song, and it doesn’t always quite match up: sure, a highland cow is a cow, but it looks like a yak; a boar could technically be a pig, but not quite; and a mountain sheep looks far more like a goat to a young reader. The length is fine, and JJ enjoyed it for the most part, but I did notice her becoming frustrated when she couldn’t easily identify the animals within the massive groups on the pages. It also has a confusingly abrupt ending that stops the narrative literally mid-sentence. Overall, it’s a gorgeous book, and if you love intricate animal art and/or are a Dylan fan, a must-read. But while JJ may get more out of this one as she grows, for now, we were underwhelmed.
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
January 27, 2013
Man Gave Names to All the Animals is one of the coolest books I have ever had the chance to read. Bob Dylan's poetic musical stylings supply the words for the book, but it is definitely all brought together through the eyes of the illustrator, Jim Arnosky. The book itself takes the lyrics from the classic Dylan song from the title, and Arnosky delivers some of the most vivid paintings I have ever seen, creating an entire world full of animals of all types. While the words of Dylan alluded to more of a farm setting, the illustrator goes in a different direction and transports you into a jungle, where the "normal" pigs, cows and sheep take on an entirely new look and feel. The book itself plays out just like the song does, with that last animal slithering away before being given its name...
I would recommend this fan to EVERYONE interested in children's literature. Not only does introduce children to a wide variety of animals from around the world, but it also gives music fans a chance to share the work of a legend with the youngest of audiences. This would be great to use in an early elementary classroom (K-2), especially when partnered with the song itself, but can be appreciated pretty far on down the line from there.
I would recommend this fan to EVERYONE interested in children's literature. Not only does introduce children to a wide variety of animals from around the world, but it also gives music fans a chance to share the work of a legend with the youngest of audiences. This would be great to use in an early elementary classroom (K-2), especially when partnered with the song itself, but can be appreciated pretty far on down the line from there.
November 28, 2016
1. None
2. B-2
3. Jim Arnosky paints vibrant, realistic animals in their habitats to illustrate Bob Dylan's song, Man Gave Names to All the Animals. The lyrics to each verse describe a legend of perhaps how a particular animal may have been named and rhyme in a way that by the end of the verse, children can guess what animal Bob Dylan is describing. The last verse ends abruptly, where children can jump in and enthusiastically shout out the last animal described based on the former rhymes.
4. Growing up an avid Bob Dylan fan, I was happily surprised to discover this song when my oldest daughter was small. Whenever we would here it's percussion introduction, she would jump up to dance and sing along. The bright, colorful, and detailed illustrations compliment Bob Dylan's lyrics beautifully.
5. This text would be perfect to accompany a unit on wild animals of the jungle, grasslands, prairies, etc. It would also serve well as an example of how rhyming can help lead the reader to jump ahead and predict what will come next.
2. B-2
3. Jim Arnosky paints vibrant, realistic animals in their habitats to illustrate Bob Dylan's song, Man Gave Names to All the Animals. The lyrics to each verse describe a legend of perhaps how a particular animal may have been named and rhyme in a way that by the end of the verse, children can guess what animal Bob Dylan is describing. The last verse ends abruptly, where children can jump in and enthusiastically shout out the last animal described based on the former rhymes.
4. Growing up an avid Bob Dylan fan, I was happily surprised to discover this song when my oldest daughter was small. Whenever we would here it's percussion introduction, she would jump up to dance and sing along. The bright, colorful, and detailed illustrations compliment Bob Dylan's lyrics beautifully.
5. This text would be perfect to accompany a unit on wild animals of the jungle, grasslands, prairies, etc. It would also serve well as an example of how rhyming can help lead the reader to jump ahead and predict what will come next.
February 20, 2015
I had never heard this song before reading this book, but I instantly fell in love with the artwork that the illustrator used. I loved how all of the animals were Africanized, so that the cow was more of a Yak, etc. It really made the book feel cohesive as well as just being so beautifully done.
I quickly got the hang of how the song was structured, but I still didn't have a tune in my head, unfortunately. If I wasn't in class, I would've looked up the song on YouTube and read along with him as he sang, but I didn't really have that option. When teaching with a music book, though, I would definitely have the song playing while I showed the pictures of the book, especially if it was a song that most of my students didn't know.
I quickly got the hang of how the song was structured, but I still didn't have a tune in my head, unfortunately. If I wasn't in class, I would've looked up the song on YouTube and read along with him as he sang, but I didn't really have that option. When teaching with a music book, though, I would definitely have the song playing while I showed the pictures of the book, especially if it was a song that most of my students didn't know.
May 31, 2016
Of the five Dylan songs that transformed into illustrated storybooks for children, this is the only one with two very different editions. Three and a half stars. This one, from 2010, is far superior to the earlier one, of 1999.
If you want to share Dylan music with the young kids in your life, try the best two in the series: If Dogs Run Free and If Not for You. And when you do, play the songs while reading the book, which will double your pleasure and experiencing the tunes the way Dylan intended.
If you want to share Dylan music with the young kids in your life, try the best two in the series: If Dogs Run Free and If Not for You. And when you do, play the songs while reading the book, which will double your pleasure and experiencing the tunes the way Dylan intended.
August 21, 2013
I absolutely LOVE this book! I made my mommy read it to me like 6 times one day.
The pictures are so crisp and beautiful that it's a feast for my little eyes. When I get old enough, I'll be able to sing and read the chorus along with my parents.
The coolest thing is it's like a scavenger hunt. Every page has a dozen or more animals on it and it's fun to identify them. Some of them are weird! (I mean really, what's a purple gallinule?)
The was Mr. Dylan's first children's book, and I'm glad it was so popular because two more were made with a fourth coming out soon! This edition came with a CD. I hope his new one does, too, because we don't have it!
The pictures are so crisp and beautiful that it's a feast for my little eyes. When I get old enough, I'll be able to sing and read the chorus along with my parents.
The coolest thing is it's like a scavenger hunt. Every page has a dozen or more animals on it and it's fun to identify them. Some of them are weird! (I mean really, what's a purple gallinule?)
The was Mr. Dylan's first children's book, and I'm glad it was so popular because two more were made with a fourth coming out soon! This edition came with a CD. I hope his new one does, too, because we don't have it!
November 5, 2014
This book has got the whole package! It has beautiful illustrations to accompany all of the lyrics. When I first read this book, I did not know the tune. But the book had a CD at the very end! It was very helpful. The lyrics are easy for children to understand and be entertained at the same time. I loved it! I think you could teach this song to anybody; there is no age limit. I did not learn this song when I was young, but I can see that it could help children. It can encourage them to realize different characteristics and facts about animals. It also encourages their imagination and that is important to their growth!
January 8, 2014
Read this book a few years back and I used it for a project in musical education. It's funny how you change and appreciate things looking back. I think my review was different because my children were not at an age to appreciate this book. This book is great and brings the Bob Dylan song to life. The illustrations are great too. You can sing and read it at the same time, which incorporates music into story time. I also used the book to introduce them to Bob Dylan and we talked about folk music. My kids really love this book.
January 1, 2016
This book jumped out at me from the shelves and when I saw it was from singer/songwriter Bob Dylan it immediately went to the top of our stack.
The animal illustrations are amazing! I loved pointing out each animal to my little one.
The best part of this book was the accompanying CD of Bob Dylan singing the words to the book. My daughter loved it! She sat quietly, leaning on my leg as I read/sang along and when it was done, she urged me to play the song and read the book to her 4 more times! I definitely see us reading it again and again in days to come!
The animal illustrations are amazing! I loved pointing out each animal to my little one.
The best part of this book was the accompanying CD of Bob Dylan singing the words to the book. My daughter loved it! She sat quietly, leaning on my leg as I read/sang along and when it was done, she urged me to play the song and read the book to her 4 more times! I definitely see us reading it again and again in days to come!
January 31, 2012
Bob Dylan's lyrics, about how man named all the animals, are accompanied by Jim Arnosky's delightful illustrations of animals, animals, and more animals, all of which are listed at the back of the book, with a challenge to the reader to find them all. Non-Christian readers may not understand why the story ends abruptly with the snake. The book is accompanied by a CD of Dylan singing the song, which I didn't listen to. Nice choice for a Sunday school classroom read.
June 24, 2015
Dylan gets credit for writing this, but really it's just the lyrics to a song he wrote in 1979 that have been realized in drawings by Jim Arnosky. Arnosky's imagined animals are much wilder than the simple cow, bull, sheep, pig, snake, and bear that I imagined. Also, Arnosky includes an additional 165 or so animals that you can look for. There's a sort of checklist in the back in case you need to know what you're looking for. Nice illustrations. Kind of bland poetry if there's no melody.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews