School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-These delightful series additions engage children's curiosity by revealing the roles animal parents play in the lives of their offspring. The creatures mentioned include fish, penguins, and beavers (Daddy), and lizards, camels, and kangaroos (Mommy). With simple text ranging from two to nine lines per page, the books introduce a few fascinating facts: sea horse fathers give birth; mice are born blind, deaf, and hairless; a female spider carries as many as 200 eggs. Children will enjoy the bright, cartoon illustrations. Each of these compact books ends by explaining that human beings spend the most time being cared for by their parents. Behaviors that mothers and fathers teach children are mentioned in both titles.-Olga R. Kuharets, Broward County Libraries, Fort Lauderdale, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Reviewed with Fred Ehrlich's Does a Duck Have a Daddy?0 PreS-Gr. 1. Titles in the attractively formatted Early Experiences series, from the publisher established by children's author Harriet Ziefert, use facts about animals as an entree to introducing ideas about human culture and biology. As in Does a Hippo Say Ahh? 0 and Does a Tiger Open Wide?0 (both 2003), which deal with health and hygiene, these books also share a theme: parenthood. Biologists may blanch at Ehrlich's tendency to make blanket statements; for example, the contention that "human daddies spend more time with their children than any other animal father" may confuse children whose own family arrangements do not reflect this generality. However, sensitive commentary by an adult will help facilitate understanding, as will Bolam's cheerful, straightforward illustrations of monkeys, penguins, camels, and other critters tenderly interacting with their offspring. Keep these in mind for future Mother's and Father's Day sharing or as a gentle segue to introducing the facts of life. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2004 Booklist
