Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal! - Story Snug
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Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal!

We’ve been reading the Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal! in preparation for National Non Fiction November.

Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal! is a large sturdy hardback with fantastic computer-generated illustrations.

The front cover shows a variety of animals, some more familiar than others, and has shiny embossed text. It’s a cover that invites you to openย the book!

A clear and colourful contents page introduces you to the different sections of the book. First the general question ‘What is an Animal?’ is answered and Evolution, Extinction and The Animal Kingdom are explained. Then we are introduced to the six main sections. The book includes Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals and the first double spread of each section defines the meaning of the word and gives general facts about the particular species.

It’s unbelievable how many different animals are included in Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal! There are lots that we hadn’t even heard of! Have you ever seen a Naked Mole Rat or a Sloth Bear (‘described as more dangerous than a tiger’)? There are also more familiar animals, penguins, giraffes and a whole variety of frogs including our favourite, the Tomato Frog. We like the fact that a thumbnail picture of each animal is shown next to an adult man, a hand or half a thumb, this gives us a clear idea of how big or small each animal actually is. We’ve learnt some amazing facts: Did you know that a male seahorse gives birth? Or that an adult lion’s roar can be heard up to 5 miles (8km) away? Or that Long-Horned Grasshoppers have their ears on their knees?! We’ve also been introduced to lots of new vocabulary and a glossary at the back of the book explains general terms including a wide range of animal related nouns and concepts, for example plankton, fertilization and nectar.

The illustrations are absolutely amazing and many take up a whole double spread with a large picture of a particular animal. I find the picture of the Sea Lamprey with its horny teeth fascinating and I love the Red-Eyed Tree Frog. My daughter spends ages studying the close up of the tarantula with its eight eyes (I’m not so keen on that one!). Her favourite section is the reptiles, as a huge snake lover she was fascinated by all the different snakes and particularly the pictures of the Emerald Tree Boa, we were both amazed by how it changes colour. Many pages also show several different varieties of an animal from a particular family, e.g. different types of owls or rabbits. You can see examples of the illustrations on the Dorling Kindersley website.

This would be a brilliant present for a young animal lover but we have also sat down several times as a family to enjoy this book. We’ve all learnt some amazing (and sometimes quite gruesome!) new animal facts.

Age Range: 9 +

Author: John Woodward

Thank you to Dorling Kindersley for sending us Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal! This would make a great addition to a school library and is an invaluable resource for browsing at home.


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20 responses to “Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal!”


  1. Acorn Books avatar

    DK do some brilliant non fiction books. They’re always really well laid out and manage to get so many facts in. I think my boys would love this when they are a bit older. #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      The number of facts and the variety of animals included in this book are amazing!


  2. Marina Ilieva avatar

    Oh, so nice! I love encyclopaedias about animals and this one looks gorgeous. Thank you for this review. ๐Ÿ™‚ x #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal is way more detailed than any animal encyclopedia I’ve come across before ๐Ÿ™‚


  3. suz avatar

    That looks a beautiful book. I’ve not met a bad DK book yet.
    Thanks for sharing.
    #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      DK books are brilliant, they just seem to get better and better!


  4. Verily Victoria Vocalises avatar

    This book looks brilliant – and Grace would adore it! She would like to be a veterinary nurse when she grows up ๐Ÿ™‚ #TriedTested


    1. Catherine avatar

      There’s a wealth of information for a veterinary nurse in this book, wherever in the world she ends up working!


  5. Sarah MumofThree World avatar

    This looks brilliant! I would definitely like to dip into this myself too, the natural world is so fascinating!


    1. Catherine avatar

      You can easily while away the time reading all the fascinating facts ๐Ÿ™‚


  6. Yet Another Blogging Mummy avatar

    This looks a fab book. My boys would enjoy this. And I’m sure there is plenty in there that I don’t know. #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s definitely a book that Father Christmas could bring for the whole family ๐Ÿ˜‰


  7. jane Warren avatar

    Thanks, Catherine. I think I’ll pick one up for my daughter’s nursery.


    1. Catherine avatar

      This would be a wonderful book for a nursery, the children will be enthralled by the pictures ๐Ÿ™‚


  8. Natasha Mairs avatar

    I love learning about animals and so do the kids, this looks like a really great book #Readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      We have learnt so many fascinating facts from this book, it really is amazing!


  9. Sarah - let them be small avatar

    Oh my! This looks AMAZING – totally want this for myself let alone the children. I love the DK books so much.
    Thanks for sharing- have promptly added to the wish list


    1. Catherine avatar

      This is a fantastic book for all the family! Thank you for sharing the post on Twitter ๐Ÿ™‚


  10. chantelle hazelden avatar
    chantelle hazelden

    The illustrations on the front cover alone look fantastic!! Thanks for sharing with #ReadWithMe


    1. Catherine avatar

      The illustrations are amazing and this book is packed with so many fantastic facts.