Kid Konnection: Animal & Hockey Books!

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week I'm going to share with you two awesome books that are great gift ideas!

Summary: Animal Planet presents the ickiest, stickiest, blobbiest, and oddest animals in the world! Did you know that an archerfish can spit water up to 16 feet? Or that the giant weta is the world's largest and heaviest insect? Animal Planet's fascinating exploration of animal oddities introduces young animal lovers to some of the most astonishing, gorgeous, and obscure animals in the world-including some brand new discoveries! Packed with more than 200 vibrant photographs and fun facts about animals with unusual behaviors, strange appearances, and remarkable stats, this deluxe gift book is perfect for reluctant readers or anyone who loves totally gross and amazing animals. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of books in the Animal Bites series benefits the principal partners of R.O.A.R. (Reach Out. Act. Respond.), Animal Planet's initiative dedicated to improving the lives of animals in our communities and in the wild. -- Animal Planet

ANIMAL PLANET STRANGE, UNUSUAL, GROSS & COOL ANIMALS by Charles Ghigna is an awesome book. I can't even begin to imagine how crazy kids are going to go for this fun (yet educational) book. STRANGE UNUSUAL GROSS & COOL ANIMALS is an oversized book aimed at ages 8 -12, and it's perfect for kids who are interested in animals... or even kids who are interested in gross things!

I think the introduction of the book says it best:

"The world is full of incredible creatures, each one a wonderful oddity.

Some are weird. Some are scary. And some are just disgusting!"

STRANGE, UNUSUAL, GROSS & COOL ANIMALS is divided into the following chapters: Strange Animals, Unusual Animals, Gross Animals, and Cool Animals -- no surprise there, right? But within each section, there are pages devoted to specific animals like a glass frog, a bobbit worm, a proboscis monkey, and tons more! There are also different types of pages in this book that are marked with tabs. There are gallery spreads which explore a theme and featured creatures which give insight into multiple animals that have adapted tot heir environments in similar ways. In addition, there are creature collection spreads which allow readers to compare and contrast different groups of animals and macroview pages which show the minute details of very small animals.

This book is truly amazing! The color photographs are exquisite (if that's the right word for some of these unusual animals), and I know kids are going to devour this book. I can see many readers skimming through the book to see the incredible photos and then going back later and reading the details and fun facts. Because some of the animals are rather startling, it is a lot to take in... but I mean that in a good way!

STRANGE UNUSUAL GROSS & COOL ANIMALS is unlike any animal book I've ever reviewed; however, it's a very fun (and interesting) book and a great gift idea! 

Summary: The puck drops, skates flash, and sticks fly-a hockey game is underway! With a fun mix of Sports Illustrated action photography, simple text, a full glossary of terms, and cool graphics, My First Book of Hockey introduces readers to the basics. Kids (and maybe a few adults, too!) will learn how power plays work, how the three-period game flows, what a hat trick is, what's up with the referee's crease, and more. An illustrated "rookie" character appears on every page, guiding the reader moment by moment, and helping to make My First Book of Hockey an ideal shared reading experience between parents and their young rookies before, during, and after the game. -- Sports Illustrated

Another fun book on my radar is SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS: MY FIRST BOOK OF HOCKEY. This picture book is part of the Rookie Book series and really does a terrific job of introducing kids to the game of hockey. And truth be told, it's probably a great starting point for adults new to the game too!

I have reviewed a few of these Rookie Books in the past and I think they are fantastic! These books make learning fun -- what parent doesn't love that? MY FIRST BOOK OF HOCKEY includes some amazing photos (of course it does, the publisher is Sports Illustrated), but it also has some fun drawings and even cartoon bubbles. I love how the book gives a broad oversight into the game of hockey but also provides a few laughs in the process.

All of the basic hockey terms are defined like the various positions as well as the lingo specific for the game. There are also pages devoted to teaching the rules of the game. Honestly, I think an adult could read MY FIRST BOOK OF HOCKEY and have enough of an understanding of the game to hold their own with a group of fans!

One of my absolute favorite things about these Rookie Books is the little guy that shows up on various pages. He is a cartoon mixed in with the actual hockey photographs, and he always says the funniest little things! For example on the page describing the term icing, he says, "So this isn't about cupcakes?" See what I mean -- too cute!

I think MY FIRST BOOK OF HOCKEY is the perfect way to introduce hockey to kids! Highly recommended!

Thanks to Blue Slip Media for providing review copies of these books.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!


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