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The Most Important Animal of All
The Most Important Animal of All is a beautiful picture book, illustrated by award-winning Hannah Bailey, where a teacher challenges her class to decide which is the most important animal of all. Seven children champion a different animal for the top spot. * Is it BEES as master pollinators, or BATS who are night-time predators and pollinators? * Is it ELEPHANTS who shape their landscapes and spread seeds, or BEAVERS who create watery habitats? * Is it TIGERS or SHARKS who keep populations in balance so there is food for all? * Is it tiny KRILL, food for so many whales and sea creatures? There is lots of information about them, and other keystone species, plus photographs to see them up close and in their habitats. This is a positive and gentle primer for young children from 5 years old about the issues of habitat loss, endangered species and climate change. "Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved." Dr Jane Goodall.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published July 29, 2021
2546 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
February 23, 2023
Wow, going into this I figured it would be a wonderful children’s book but I learned so much too as a 40 year old.
This is the perfect children’s book and even more perfect for a guardian/parent to read with them.
if you have children or have worked with them, you understand that each page elicits wonderful questions from them.
Each page in this book has all the answers about all the lovely animals, details that as an adult I was amazed at too.
I’ve read so many children’s books as a teacher and nanny but I can not wait to buy this book for all my mom friends. It’s Gold.
It covers important topics such as endangered species and conservation and efforts that have doubled certain animals such as tigers in India.
I’m enchanted. I can’t wait to see this in print and it was still beautiful on my phone and iPad.
This is the perfect children’s book and even more perfect for a guardian/parent to read with them.
if you have children or have worked with them, you understand that each page elicits wonderful questions from them.
Each page in this book has all the answers about all the lovely animals, details that as an adult I was amazed at too.
I’ve read so many children’s books as a teacher and nanny but I can not wait to buy this book for all my mom friends. It’s Gold.
It covers important topics such as endangered species and conservation and efforts that have doubled certain animals such as tigers in India.
I’m enchanted. I can’t wait to see this in print and it was still beautiful on my phone and iPad.
February 23, 2023
Wow, going into this I figured it would be a wonderful children’s book but I learned so much too as a 40 year old.
This is the perfect children’s book and even more perfect for a guardian/parent to read with them.
if you have children or have worked with them, you understand that each page elicits wonderful questions from them.
Each page in this book has all the answers about all the lovely animals, details that as an adult I was amazed at too.
I’ve read so many children’s books as a teacher and nanny but I can not wait to buy this book for all my mom friends. It’s Gold.
It covers important topics such as endangered species and conservation and efforts that have doubled certain animals such as tigers in India.
I’m enchanted. I can’t wait to see this in print and it was still beautiful on my phone and iPad.
This is the perfect children’s book and even more perfect for a guardian/parent to read with them.
if you have children or have worked with them, you understand that each page elicits wonderful questions from them.
Each page in this book has all the answers about all the lovely animals, details that as an adult I was amazed at too.
I’ve read so many children’s books as a teacher and nanny but I can not wait to buy this book for all my mom friends. It’s Gold.
It covers important topics such as endangered species and conservation and efforts that have doubled certain animals such as tigers in India.
I’m enchanted. I can’t wait to see this in print and it was still beautiful on my phone and iPad.
February 8, 2023
Love love love!!! This book is so informative for young minds. I live the mix between the illustrations and real photographs. I even learned things I didn’t know. My kids asked felt led to ask more questions about each animal and would say what their favorite and most important animal in their opinion.
November 16, 2022
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fun read. I like the mix of drawings and photos dispersed throughout the book. The facts were great,with some unusual ones as well. The animals the kids chose were varied as well. I bet most kids have never heard of krill. I like how the kids can find out more about the various animals mentioned by checking out websites. The glossary was good as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 7, 2023This was a lovely introduction to a number of important animals on our planet. The book is informative, offering some interesting facts and some quite surprising ones. I thought, perhaps, it was too fact-heavy for this age group, but otherwise a valuable addition to nonfiction books on the animal kingdom.
January 11, 2022
Beautiful book with great, accessible information pages.
February 7, 2023
An excellent childrens book that will really suit an inquisitive mind of between 6-12 years of age.
The story is framed around a classroom essentially having show and tells of each important animal that a child in the class has selected. This was a nice way to frame what is essentially a non-fiction book, getting into some fascinating detail on the uniqueness and importance of each animal on display in the book, and why they are important to other animals, and humans as well.
As a children's book illustrator myself, I appreciated the beautiful illustrations, very vibrant, detailed and well researched. I loved how each animal was explored with both diagram type illustrations (the steps of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly for example) and photos of the animals. I don't think that illustrations and photos often combine well in children's books, but here, due to the context of realism and really getting into detail of what makes each animal special, it really works,
I would highly recommend this book to all readers, be you adult or child, there is a lot to enjoy and learn here! What a wonderful world full of wonderful animals we live in!
The story is framed around a classroom essentially having show and tells of each important animal that a child in the class has selected. This was a nice way to frame what is essentially a non-fiction book, getting into some fascinating detail on the uniqueness and importance of each animal on display in the book, and why they are important to other animals, and humans as well.
As a children's book illustrator myself, I appreciated the beautiful illustrations, very vibrant, detailed and well researched. I loved how each animal was explored with both diagram type illustrations (the steps of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly for example) and photos of the animals. I don't think that illustrations and photos often combine well in children's books, but here, due to the context of realism and really getting into detail of what makes each animal special, it really works,
I would highly recommend this book to all readers, be you adult or child, there is a lot to enjoy and learn here! What a wonderful world full of wonderful animals we live in!
June 30, 2023
Pleasant, but not feeling essential, this young biology book looks at a few critters, and then reveals them all to be keystone species – animals around which so much depends. So a lot of the ocean would starve without krill, our orchards would be sparser and more insecty without bats, and elephants and sharks alike do valuable things to shape and improve their corners of the world, which may well get to effect us eventually. The style evokes a kids' presentation, with photos, and factoids surrounding other imagery – indeed the whole thing is designed to look like a lesson at school on the title subject. The fact there is no hard-and-fast answer might let down some of the audience, but as I say this felt like a bit of a niche part of biology for this age range. Yes, show the value of everything in a food chain – and how Yellowstone wolves showed the danger of gubbering them up – but don't pick and choose, like some animal charity selecting the cutest and largest to be the only ones worth saving. Three and a half stars, still, mind – this is not a bad book at all. It's just never going to be the most important.
February 22, 2023
On the first day of school the students discover the classroom has been transformed to reflect nature. The teacher informs them that they will be learning all about animals. Their assignment for the end of the semester is to determine which animal is the most important animal of all. Seven different students make strong arguments for very different animals: elephants, beavers, tigers, sharks, bats, krill and bees. Pages are filled with factual information about how each animal contributes to the ecosystem. In the end, the message is clear that all animals are important and contribute to the world.
This book would be great for a science class, and could generate multiple lessons. I could easily see it sparking a research project where students pick different animals and justify why they are the most important.This book would also appeal to any animal or fact lover outside of the school setting. With an engaging combination of illustrations, photographs and fact captions kids will keep coming back to this book to learn about their favorite animals.
This book would be great for a science class, and could generate multiple lessons. I could easily see it sparking a research project where students pick different animals and justify why they are the most important.This book would also appeal to any animal or fact lover outside of the school setting. With an engaging combination of illustrations, photographs and fact captions kids will keep coming back to this book to learn about their favorite animals.
July 14, 2023
A teacher provides a brilliant lesson on keystone species (animals on whom many other animals in their habitat depend) by asking a complex question: which is the most important animal of all?
This book is absolutely chock full of animal facts, and it covers a pretty big number of animals, for a picture book. The keystone species focused upon are elephants, bees, sharks, beavers, bats, tigers, and krill. It’s four full pages to an animal, with the first two being drawn diagrams of how they fit into the environment, and the second two for photographs. The pages are quite busy, and remind me a lot of the old DK books, but with a narrative tie-together.
This is a great start for a unit on conservation and ecological life cycles. While the book does end with again asking which animal is the most important, the ungiven answer is obvious: all of them.
Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.
This book is absolutely chock full of animal facts, and it covers a pretty big number of animals, for a picture book. The keystone species focused upon are elephants, bees, sharks, beavers, bats, tigers, and krill. It’s four full pages to an animal, with the first two being drawn diagrams of how they fit into the environment, and the second two for photographs. The pages are quite busy, and remind me a lot of the old DK books, but with a narrative tie-together.
This is a great start for a unit on conservation and ecological life cycles. While the book does end with again asking which animal is the most important, the ungiven answer is obvious: all of them.
Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.
February 17, 2023
Marvelous!
The teacher has turned the classroom into real inspiration for the children to learn about seven fauna in the world. They learned so much about fauna and ecosystems, and at the end of the semester they explained their choices. Afterward, there is a section with vignettes and websites to follow as well as a glossary. I loved it and so will English speaking kids everywhere!
The illustrations by Hannah Bailey are clear, simple, colorful, and utterly delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
The teacher has turned the classroom into real inspiration for the children to learn about seven fauna in the world. They learned so much about fauna and ecosystems, and at the end of the semester they explained their choices. Afterward, there is a section with vignettes and websites to follow as well as a glossary. I loved it and so will English speaking kids everywhere!
The illustrations by Hannah Bailey are clear, simple, colorful, and utterly delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
March 23, 2023
My youngest is thoroughly determined to be a zookeeper when she grows up and LOVED this book tonight. It’s built around the idea of kids sharing which animal they think is the most important, and during their speech to explain why, you learn important facts, how they fit into their ecosystem, and even current efforts to save them. While it shows the usual animals like elephants and tigers, they also feature lesser known (but super important!) animals like krill. With a melding of beautiful illustrations, diagrams and photos, this is an excellent resource and a great jumping off point for creating a wildlife study of your own.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go research how penguins “fly” through the water so I can explain it to my future veterinarians 😂 🐧
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go research how penguins “fly” through the water so I can explain it to my future veterinarians 😂 🐧
February 8, 2023
I absolutely loved this delightful book exploring how different animals are vital to their environments and benefit the world ecosystem. When I was teaching preschool, I would have snapped this book up and used it to create a whole unit of study.
One thing I found really interesting was the combination of detailed illustrations and photos. That's not something you see all the time, but it worked wonderfully within this story of students teaching each other about these important animals. I especially loved including the idea of "keystone species" at the end. Great STEM material!
I highly recommend and will be sharing this at my blog when it comes out in June.
One thing I found really interesting was the combination of detailed illustrations and photos. That's not something you see all the time, but it worked wonderfully within this story of students teaching each other about these important animals. I especially loved including the idea of "keystone species" at the end. Great STEM material!
I highly recommend and will be sharing this at my blog when it comes out in June.
March 19, 2023
The Most Important Animal of All by Penny Worms will be a fabulous addition to any child’s library, but especially an elementary school and classroom library.
A classroom is learning about animals, and the students give a persuasive presentation on the animal they believe is the most important. The child's narration is told through lovely illustrations and great photography.
The back matter has more information for children/students to gain more knowledge.
This is a wonderful book to learn about animals. So many uses for this book in a school setting. Thank you @netgalley and @jollyfishpress for the ebook arc. #TheMostImportantAnimalofAll #netgalley #jollyfishpress
A classroom is learning about animals, and the students give a persuasive presentation on the animal they believe is the most important. The child's narration is told through lovely illustrations and great photography.
The back matter has more information for children/students to gain more knowledge.
This is a wonderful book to learn about animals. So many uses for this book in a school setting. Thank you @netgalley and @jollyfishpress for the ebook arc. #TheMostImportantAnimalofAll #netgalley #jollyfishpress
February 7, 2023
Wow! What a great book for kids and parents. I love an informative book. Not only are my kids learning something new, but I usually am too! This will definitely be added to a family favorite and open discussion about favorite animals and what their role is in nature. We have the kindle and I cannot wait to get my hands on the hard copy since the illustrations are so beautiful.
I want to add too, that it's a lot easier to read for a book with facts. The way the facts are laid out in little blurbs with real photographs makes it more fun to read.
I want to add too, that it's a lot easier to read for a book with facts. The way the facts are laid out in little blurbs with real photographs makes it more fun to read.
February 12, 2023
This book was FANTASTIC and is a book that should be on every young kids shelf. I was immediately drawn to the illustrations, but the age appropriate fun and interesting facts about the various wild animals and the arguments for which animal is the best were what made the book amazing. There are also real photos of each species / animal inserted which is great for young learners. I too learned some facts that I didn’t know previously.
Thank you NetGalley, North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press and Penny Worms for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGalley, North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press and Penny Worms for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 8, 2023
There are many different animals in the world, but which one is the most important? This book highlights some animals that the author believes to be important and the more we read, the more the reader understands the validity of her claim. Elephants help other animals get water by digging with their trunks. Bees help pollinate the world. But that isn't all. There's so much more these "keystone species" do for other animals and our environment and without them, life could possibly crumble.
With a mix of real photos and cartoons, the author gives the props each animal deserves. Of course my daughter found it funny how elephant poo can be useful to keep mosquitos away and to grow new plants. In the back of the book, the author summarizes these "keystone species" and talks about ecosystems and the effect these animals have. There's also a "Find Out More" section with websites children can visit to learn even more.
Final Verdict: THE MOST IMPORTANT ANIMAL OF ALL is a celebration of life and the animals who help secure it. It's educational and perfect for children who love animals and nature. Overall, my daughter and I enjoyed this book and I even learned about new animal facts with her. It makes you look at these animals in a different light, especially elephants.
With a mix of real photos and cartoons, the author gives the props each animal deserves. Of course my daughter found it funny how elephant poo can be useful to keep mosquitos away and to grow new plants. In the back of the book, the author summarizes these "keystone species" and talks about ecosystems and the effect these animals have. There's also a "Find Out More" section with websites children can visit to learn even more.
Final Verdict: THE MOST IMPORTANT ANIMAL OF ALL is a celebration of life and the animals who help secure it. It's educational and perfect for children who love animals and nature. Overall, my daughter and I enjoyed this book and I even learned about new animal facts with her. It makes you look at these animals in a different light, especially elephants.
June 11, 2023
Thank you to the author, Jolly Fish Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This children's book introduces the concept of "keystone species", and shows that each animal has its place of importance in the bigger picture, I loved the mix of amazing illustrations and photos. and the interesting facts about each animal were well-placed and will keep my kids coming back to read again and again. At the end of the book, there are explanations of terms, where to find more information and a glossary. Highly recommend!
This children's book introduces the concept of "keystone species", and shows that each animal has its place of importance in the bigger picture, I loved the mix of amazing illustrations and photos. and the interesting facts about each animal were well-placed and will keep my kids coming back to read again and again. At the end of the book, there are explanations of terms, where to find more information and a glossary. Highly recommend!
February 6, 2023
This book is simply wonderful. I loved how the author Penny Worms made sure to include a variety of animals and factual information about them. This book was illustrated beautifully and had some real life pictures as well. There are also resources for people who want to extend their reading about the animals mentioned. I will recommend this to any parent of children who love animals and have already ordered a copy for my niece and nephew.
February 8, 2023
Thank you for allowing me to review this beautiful book! This book is an absolute pleasure to read. It has a story line behind it, which then branches off to each child sharing amazing facts they've learned about different animals and deciding whoch is the most important. I love the illustrations and the addition of real photos of the animals is wonderful. I would recommend this to any parent or teacher!!
February 16, 2024
Me and my children read this book. With all the characters within. It's about a class that are learning about animals. They are trying to find out what animal is the most important animal of all.
There was about 5 different animals they talk about in this book. Me and my children learn a lot. There were illustrations and it was colorful.
I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.
There was about 5 different animals they talk about in this book. Me and my children learn a lot. There were illustrations and it was colorful.
I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.
February 27, 2023
The Most Important Animal of All is filled with bright and engaging illustrations and so many amazing animals. This book would be great for Elementary school kids . While it was a little much for my 4 year old they still enjoyed learning about the different animals. I look forward to reading it again when they are older.
Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for the e-ARC!
Thank you to Netgalley and North Star Editions for the e-ARC!
March 20, 2023
I received a copy of this eBook in exchange for a honest review from netgalley.
I liked this look at different animals and how the were the most important of them all. I also liked that humans were never mentioned as being the most important. Every animal that was mentioned had a good reason behind it being important. I also enjoyed the classroom like setting of the story.
I liked this look at different animals and how the were the most important of them all. I also liked that humans were never mentioned as being the most important. Every animal that was mentioned had a good reason behind it being important. I also enjoyed the classroom like setting of the story.
February 23, 2023
Furst thing that comes to mind when opening thus book is beautifuly illustrations. I like how there are real pictures of the animals as well as illustrations.
The book has many details about different animals. It is a wounderful book for children to learn about animals.
The book has many details about different animals. It is a wounderful book for children to learn about animals.
June 18, 2023
I found this book to be very educational and entertaining. I loved the different perspectives and reasonings. Both the illustrations and the photos were great and enhanced the story.
I received a copy through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.
I received a copy through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.
July 2, 2023
My niece and I read this book together. We both really enjoyed it. The illustrations and pictures are great allowing kids to fully understand the different characteristics of the animals. It’s a great book to learn all about different animals.
August 15, 2023
This was such a great book to read with my little animal lover! Longer and more descriptive than I thought it would be, this book is a fun and informative read with beautifully illustrated, eye-catching pages, even mom learned a few things!
March 13, 2024
The Most Important Ajimal of All is a book about a class of students trying to decide which animal is the most important. They have to present facts and figures to support their choice. I was drawn to the illustrations in the book. Perfect for any classroom library!
July 20, 2023
Very fun and educational read about some of the key animals around the world. Beautiful art and photography as well!
August 25, 2023
Child point of view talking about keystone animals, use of drawn illustrations and photographs,’lots of great facts
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews