Module 11- SLIS 5420

Let’s Save the Animals
By Frances Barry

Barry, F. (2010). Let’s save the animals. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

Summary

Many animals around the world are endangered. This colorful, lift-the-flap book has colorful illustrations that show some of these special animals and why they are endangered. At the back of the book, there are two pages of ways to help protect and save the animals, such as conserving energy, not littering, and respecting wildlife.

Impressions

This is a very basic book for younger children that explains the concept of endangered animals in a gentle way. It gives just enough facts to create understanding, but not alarm. The pictures in this story are colorful and attractive to the reader, and the flaps offer an additional interest to children. It has a “go green” edge to it, with the suggestions for recycling and keeping the earth clean and healthy. The students on my campus really enjoyed this book, and it was chosen as one of this year’s 2x2 books.

Reviews

Each spread highlights an endangered animal, such as the Amur tiger and giant panda. A flap in the middle of the spread, when flipped, reveals the same animal in a different pose. The concept worked well in Duckie's Rainbow (2004) and Duckie's Ducklings (2005,both Candlewick) because the flipping of the page enhanced the visualization of what Barry was trying to show: for example, actually creating a rainbow. The flaps do not work that way here; they merely provide a novel way of presenting the material.

Dean, K. (2010). Let's Save the Animals: A Flip-the-Flap Book. School Library Journal, 56(7), 55.

Each oblong spread in this eye-catching and informative book features endangered animals rendered in matte paper collage. Large flaps show animals engaging in multiple activities (a polar bear is seen "strolling across the ice," then "diving into the Arctic Ocean"). The playful expressions of Barry's lively animals make the final spreads all the more stark, as they reappear in black die-cut silhouettes. A page turn, and they're "gone forever." End-pages help answer the closing question, "How can I help?"

Let's Save the Animals: A Flip-the-Flap Book. (2010). Publishers Weekly, 257(9), 52.

Suggestions for Use

Read this book to younger elementary aged students during the time frame of Earth Day. Have students make a list of all the ways they can help to “go green” and help save the animals and the earth. Ask students to get their families involved in some of these things.