Fur, feather, fin all of us are kin by Diane Lang, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis

This joyous, rhymed celebration of life on earth explains animal classes in a way that children can understand.

The book begins with mammals, from whales and bears to a spread of diverse families in a variety of skin-colors, national dress, and family configurations from two moms to a single dad. The next spread explores birds, with feathers and eggs and the following full-page spread shows a snowy owl in full flight, pouncing on a lemming. Next comes amphibians, with careful drawings of their metamorphosis, then reptiles in both wet and dry habitats. Arthropods includes undersea creatures and various bugs, butterflies, and spiders. A stream of "normal" fish are followed a spread of weird fish like eels, seahorses, and rays. The next class is the somewhat odd "water dwellers" including octopus, jellyfish, and a giant squid and sperm whale. Then I learned a new word, which I can't wait to teach to the kids, "detritivores" which includes worms, slugs, and millipedes. A final spread celebrates the place all life has on earth, finishing with a scene at the beach featuring the dark-skinned family who appeared in the first pages.

The rhyming text probably has a specific name, but I just call it "not irritating". "More water dwellers live offshore,/ in tidal pools, on ocean floor./Some cling to rocks, while some float free,/our sandy, salty family." Laberis' colorful art is neither too cluttered nor too minimalist. Readers can easily identify specific species and animals and enjoy the colorful, exciting diversity of life on earth in her illustrations.

Extensive notes fill in the story, explaining food webs, the different classes (the choice of "water dwellers" and "detrivores" makes more sense if you read the notes) and also points out that the rhyming first two lines of each class make a great memory device - teachers take note! There is a quick list of ways you can help the environment, and here is one of the things I really liked about the book - they're almost all things kids can actually control/do. Unlike many books which suggest things like biking instead of driving, or shopping choices that kids don't make, this one has reminders about not feeding wild animals, simple recycling, cleaning up trash, and not putting trash down storm drains. There are a couple books and websites recommended as well.

Verdict: A beautiful and informative book; recommended.

ISBN: 9781481447096; Published May 2018 by Beach Lane Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium