The Horn Book Guide

LITERATURE

Davies, Nicola

Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals

108 pp. | Candlewick | October, 2017 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-9160-8 $19.99

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Petr Horáček. Horáček's arresting mixed-media illustrations are the glory of this poetry volume. Davies's observations about each animal are pleasant little snippets, mostly in verse (though not all as songlike as the title suggests). Loosely arranged into categories such as "colors and shapes," "animal babies," and "animal homes," the oversize book serves more as a poetic picture-book celebration of wildlife than a reference work.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin