• Age: 2 to 4
• Grade: p to 2

Featuring playful illustrations and small vignettes of text, Animals and Their Families crosses continents and habitats to introduce children to nearly three dozen land-, sea-, and tree-dwelling animals including gazelles, penguins, owls, and more. Each spread is rich with information and will help a child explore the animal kingdom in many simple and accessible ways. A new creature is introduced in silhouette, while the facing page shows that same creature in its natural habitat, playing with, caring for, or teaching its young. All members of the animal family — male and female, adult and baby — are illustrated in warm colors and identified by the proper term. Small bits of text share the sound each animals makes, where it lives, and what it eats with young readers. Animals and Their Families is a must-have book for any young child curious about the animal kingdom. 

Barbara Nascimbeni is an Italian-born illustrator who studied in Milan. She has done work for publishers internationally and her books are translated into many languages. She now divides her time between Hamburg, Germany and Sorède, France.

Barbara Nascimbeni's profile page

Lesley Zimic's profile page

• Runner-up, Parents' Choice Award, Books: Picture Book category, Silver
• Commended, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy

The soft, gentle illustrations and the super sturdy page stock make this book attractive for little ones to 'read' on their own. A good choice for the preschool animal bookshelf.

Booksforkidsblog.blogspot.ca

Animals and Their Families transcends national boundaries and is an excellent learning experience.

Children's Bookwatch: The Midwest Book Review

A fun book that takes children across continents and shows them nearly three dozen animals and their families.

Resource Links

Simple in scope and polished in execution...illustrations lean toward the anthropomorphic (smiley faces and rosy cheeks abound), giving the book ample charm.

...cute and entertaining but also teaches something...a beautiful book!

YA Books Central

Nascimbeni's affectionate animal portraits give this [book] loads of visual appeal...the handsome art, sturdy book construction, kid-centric topic, and simplified presentation of information gives this a number of uses.

Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

[Children] will enjoy viewing the rosy-cheeked creatures and trying to name the animals when they reappear in silhouette on the endpapers.

School Library Journal

An innovative approach to discovering and celebrating animals of all kinds.

CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials