Small Readers: Llamas by Laura Buller

Are llamas the new sloth? I hope so. Personally, I never got the appeal of sloths and I am realistic that not too many other people will ever recognize the sheer awesomeness that is hyenas. But llamas? They're furry! They have funny faces! Their ears are shaped like bananas! And now you can learn all about them!

A quick overview of llamas moves into their babies, crias, their habits, living in herds, and a few other facts. The second chapter talks about characteristics and history of llamas. They don't smell as bad as other animals, the stories about how they spit are exaggerated, and they are uniquely built to live in the mountains. A spread of facts on the llamas range in South America leads into the third chapter, about the llamas and their relationship with the Incas. The fourth chapter shows how they are used today as pack animals, providers of wool, and guardians of flocks. The final chapter and facts show their relationship to camels and other animals in the camelid family. The book ends with a quiz on llama facts, glossary, index, and a page on reading levels. The book is cheerfully illustrated with lots of cute, funny, and interesting photos of llamas.

With chapters and fairly complex text, even in a larger font, this is a pretty challenging beginning reader, one I'd probably hand to 2nd graders or very fluent 1st graders. However, with the growing number of kids in upper grades who struggle to read, I'm increasing my easy reader nonfiction selection and this will also appeal to those kids, since it doesn't look like a picture book and is about a fun topic.

Verdict: A good choice to fill out the upper level of your easy nonfiction. And, llamas!

ISBN: 9781465484284; Published 2019 by DK; Purchased for the library