ZooBorns!: Zoo Babies from Around the World

by Andrew Bleiman, Chris Eastland

A Simon & Schuster eBook

Genres: Animals, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Storytime, Photography, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Andrew Bleiman is a lifelong animal nerd who serves on the Auxiliary Boards of the Lincoln Park Zoo and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. In his day job he develops new media strategy for the Bradford Group.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I found this book on the new books shelf, I had to catch myself before uttering a loud squeal that would have certainly garnered me a few "shusshes!" But, come on, how cute is that bengal tiger cub on the cover!? ;-) And if even the sternest of librarians looked at the fifteen little pictures on the back cover (everything from baby hippos to baby foxes), I imagine their heart would melt, too.

The photographs in this book are darling!!! I think my favorites are the baby elephant playing with his blue ball, the fennic fox (those big ears! sooo adorable!), the spotted hyena, and the banded mongoose (named Sasa, though I think "Sassy" would also work--what a face!)

The text is simple enough for the youngest audiences, though the "Get to Know the ZooBorns!" section in the back of the book includes more information such as conservation status (from "least concern" to "criticially endangered"), the zoo in which the animal baby was born, and more information about the baby itself as well as the spicies. I was glad to see this section as it cleared up a few questions I had from the text (i.e., the tawny frogmouth looks like an owl, but it is not!). As usual, even though this is a "kid's book," I learned a few things (such as the hyena is more closely related to cats than to dogs and is believed to be one of the most intelligent animals, comparable to great apes. Since adult hyenas have always kind of creeped me out, I was glad to learn more about them and have such a cute baby to make them more appealing to me!) I also appreciate the care taken in correctly identifying species, such as the Crowned Sifaka, which is a type of lemur. (Thanks to a fabulous episode of the Kratt brothers' "Be the Creature", I already knew a great deal about lemurs. I think it's important when shows and books like this don't dummy down for kids.)

While I personally have mixed feelings about zoos as a whole, I believe all those included here are exemplary and strive to provide the best care for their animals for the sake of conservation rather than profit. As Dr. Paul Boyle, Senior VP for Conservation and Education Association of Zoos and Aquariums (well regarded, I know, from the Jane Goodall book I'm currently reading), states in his Forward, "These babies are much more than sweet, furry faces. By allowing us to study them, zoo animals help us learn how to protect their wild cousins who live in jungles, deserts, mountains, and oceans around the world."


ETA: There is another "ZooBorns" out there with pretty much the same photographs; this is the "for kids" version of that one.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable collection of photographs of various baby animals -- from tigers to hyenas, aardvarks and fennec foxes. The minimal text that accompanies each photo is nice, giving the animals' name (in most cases) and their species (very cool for kids - or adults - interested in animals as some of the creatures herein are not those typically focused on).

The photographs are quite good and almost more "portrait-esque" while still focusing on the specific creatureality (a term coined by the fabulous animal adventurer Kratt Brothers, Chris and Martin, tv series "Kratts Creatures" and "Be the Creature" - highly highly highly recommended! Though, for a slightly older audience than this book's target age range).

I didn't read all of the back matter, but it does go into each animal with a little more detail, both on the species and the individual animal (where it's from, where it's currently residing, etc.)

All in all a very cute book and a visual delight!!

***REGARDING THE OTHER ZOOBORN BOOK***
Please be aware that this book contains many - most - of the same pictures/animals in the other ZooBorns book (with the fennec fox on the cover). I almost purchased this book thinking it was the same set up as the "fox" book but with a different collection of animals and pictures. Instead, where the other book is smaller and with a wider variety of text and pictures, this book is larger and definitely more "kid focused" in text and structure. Both are great, but be aware that the pictures are going to be similar. Though, you will get more pictures in the other book.

[fruitcake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute pictures, but not much else to this book. The descriptions are too minimal to be of much interest.

[Brisni (בריטני)]

A gift from my zoologist bestie for the kiddo. :)

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featuring pictures and facts about real zoo animal babies, this book delighted my four-year-old son.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable pictures. Simple, fun descriptions from the baby's point of view. Extra information in the back.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot of content, but the pictures are adorable.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and sharing it with kids, but I must admit that usually we look at the pictures and talk about the animals but don't really read the words.

[skcocnaH · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Em's Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute❤️

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

cuteness and facts yay

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

There must be a new book genre called “AWW!”, because my library has been getting in tons of books like this. Zooborns is basically just a chance to show off large color photographs of wild animal babies, from the instantly recognizable to the more exotic. Fans of the sort of adorable photography featured on Cute Overload will no doubt want to get their paws on this.

Really, the authors could have included some more facts about the animals within the main text instead of silly filler. A three-page section in the back offers a factual paragraph about each animal, but the wordiness and lack of pictures will probably ensure it’s skipped over by the young reader or the adult reading aloud.

Needless to say, those who are not fans of zoos in principle will want to avoid this one. The beginning of the book includes a message from the American Zoo Association encouraging readers to visit zoos and aquariums, albeit those accredited by the AZA. Zooborns does unintentionally make a point for those who question the priorities of zoo captive breeding programs. Of the 17 “zooborns” profiled, 2 are critically endangered, 4 are endangered, 2 are near threatened, and 9 are “least concern” (common).

[Danielle Rapoli]

Summary/Review: This book is a great source of information for younger children, especially in kindergarten or first grade. The books uses picture of real baby animals and on the same pages the babies introduce themselves with both their species and name. The give a sentence or two about themselves and students can look at the pictures to see differences and similarities among them. Additionally, the back of the book gives extra information on the species for readers who want to learn more. As an extra feature, at the bottom of each page students can see the silhouette of the animal being spoken about. The can predict which animal will be talked about next. Uses in classroom: 1. Introduction to an animal unit 2.Students could use this as a start to find an animal for a report. 3. Further research can be used on the zooborns.com website Paired Books: Zooborns All Ages Quote: 1CListen! Do you hear that? 1D

[Avery Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

ZooBorns is an adorable book. My favorite part about this book is the fact that all of the pictures are of different animals that one might not see in a typical zoo. For example, I have never seen a pygmy hippo in a zoo around Western Washington, especially a baby hippo. I also liked the fact that the authors named all of the animals in the book because it could create a meaningful connection between the text and the children reading it. The pictures were also adorable, at the perfect angles, that showed each baby animal at their best. I read this book to my roommate and she swooned at every picture, much like a kid would if this book was read to them. I really enjoyed this book and I think kids would too.

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes what you need in life is a board book full of adorable baby animals. I'm not sure if the fennic fox, the pygmy hippo, or the ocolot is the cutest!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

ZooBorns is a picture book featuring baby animals from zoos around the world. Each page has an adorable baby, along with a little blurb about.

My son loves animals. As soon as I saw this book, I had to pick it up. He loves going through it. And of course, his favourite picture is the baby elephant on page 1.

I will admit to loving the book too. Since my son just wants to look at the pictures, I sat down with it by myself and read through each of the blurbs. The back few pages as more information about each animal, which zoo it is from, and the endangered level of the species.

I would definitely recommend this book to young children who like animals.

[Jasmine Stanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this in a bookshop for a measly $3.95 and was immediately drawn to the adorable tiger cub on the cover. I grabbed it for my 5 year old daughter and have been reading her snippets. She loves the book, so much so she took it to school for news. She is currently intent on drawing every animal in the book and loves it even more! This book has amazing photos and I really liked that there was a mix of your standard zoo fare (tigers, elephants, zebra etc.) and some more unusual animals as well. Highly recommend for anyone who adores animals or has a young girl. Be warned you will spend a large amount of time squeeing when you read this!

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the library because I figured my 1 year-old would enjoy looking at the big pictures of cute baby animal faces, and I was right. He wanted to drag this all around the house with him (since he doesn't walk yet, though, I had to put the kibosh on that; crawling+library books don't mix). I wish there was a bit more of a story or more non-fiction content about the animals. There is some more detailed info about each animal at the end, which an older child might have patience to read.

[Christyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this book get's 4 stars simply because of the cuteness factor - it's adorable! I mean pictures of baby animals are about as cute as it gets. Each picture is accompanied by a few sentences introducing the animal by name (in most case) and species. The text with the picture's are simple and large allowing for easy reading for kids (or if they can't read yet, for their parents to read to them). There are also some interesting facts about each specific animal in the back of the book. Overall, very cute and a wonderful visual pick-me-up!

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, but I absolutely hate the majority of the text. It has that corny, unfunny, talking-down-to-kids text that really only makes sense when you're reading to, like, literal babies. It just irks me to see that stuff in kids books because it just comes across as condescending. But I'd say what the kids liked about this book was that the animals were cute. I did get out a globe so we could place each animal, but the information wasn't always available on the same page.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just cute pictures: this introduces youngsters to some unusual and endangered animals such as a Fennec Fox, Ocelot, and Okapi. Extra information about each species in the back matter explains the level of threat, the zoo where the baby was born, and engaging details that make each special.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly adorable photographs of newborn animals will bring “ooohs” and “ahhs,” but the clear text provides interesting information on animals ranging from an asian elephant to the tawny frogmouth (a bird with a very large mouth). “They call me Radar Ears, and I'm a fennec fox. My big ears help me hear yummy insects crawling across the sand.”

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned William could identify and say "Elephant" with this book. I just shared the pictures and animals names with them. Both kids found it interesting. Many of the animals Natalie didn't know, so she couldn't possibly guess from the baby pictures. She did enjoy guessing though. And, I thought it funny she said the hyena was a cat, when the text says they are closely related to cats.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as cute as the version I read about a week ago, but not nearly as informative. Much less info, and for a younger age (even more so than the other). Not a complaint, though, as it is obviously a children's book. And the first animal pictured was our own Beco the elephant, from The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. I've had the pleasure of watching him grow up in person.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable photographs of zoo babies are visible with each turn of the page. An easy to understand paragraph with the animal's name, species and a few facts about them accompanies the amazing photos.

For older children (or caregivers!) there are a few pages in the back that tells the reader a little bit more about each animal featured.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I thought: Simple text and gorgeous photos introduce young readers and listeners to baby zoo animals. I can't wait to use this in my zoo story time. My favorite photos are pygmy hippo and wombat.

Story Time Themes: Zoo, Baby Animals

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The baby animals are cute, which is a given. The text was too cutesy for me. I think the book could have benefitted from including actual information about the animals within the "story" instead of tucked away in tiny blurbs at the back of the book.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for oohs and aaahs. Each two page spread introduces one baby animal and provides one or two interesting facts about itself. This would be a great way to introduce an animal unit or animal research. Great for K-2.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photography! Great text that could appeal to many ages - especially with the glossary in the back with more information about the animals.

[Thia]

cute baby animals, nonfiction