NONFICTION

Do Hippos Brush Their Teeth?: How Animals Care for Their Bodies

by Etta Kaner (text) & illus. by Jenna Piechota
Owlkids. Mar. 2024. 32p. Tr $18.95. ISBN 9781771474931.
COPY ISBN
Gr 1-4–The cartoonish illustrations and the expressively goofy animal characters belie the serious nature of this fact book. The title question is just the opening, and the answer is “no.” “No” also answers other questions about how animals care for their bodies. For children wondering if whales get a good night’s sleep, they do not; they take power naps all day long. Do pheasants take baths? That question end with a resounding “Yes!” because the birds bathe in dust. The questions end with a child squeezing out some SPF under the hot sun. With such a direct approach, the questions and answers are bound to have a lasting impact on curious children. The material, in bites, is memorable and the funny illustrations are a bonus.
VERDICT Such smooth nonfiction, this book is the perfect bridge between softer fact-based information and some of the lengthier volumes on science for emerging readers.
Reviewed by Kimberly Olson Fakih , Dec 20, 2024

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