Play like an animal! Why critters splash, race, twirl, and chase by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Mia Powell

This fun book combines fiction and nonfiction for a delightful romp through the world of animals and how they play. The story opens with a list of action words and shows three children, one black, one possibly Asian, and two white playing in the woods with a group of dogs, some bouncing bunnies, and a few butterflies. Each following page shows different ways different animals play. The first spread shows collared peccaries and the following spread rhinos playing in the mud. A small inset on the second spread explains some of the reasons these animals wallow. Monkeys play in the trees, ravens and otters play in the snow. "Vault, surf, somersault! Dolphins play in the water." Accompanying this spread is a small boat with the black child from the first picture and a second black child. Elephants, kangaroos, rats and wolves are also pictured tumbling, boxing, and playing tug-of-war.

My favorite spread shows a variety of ungulates (yes, she uses the word!) gallivanting across the page. Gorillas and keas are also included. The final spread shows a group of children, with a variety of skin hues, playing in the mud, leaping, tugging, stretching, and having fun with bunnies and dogs.

Back matter includes a page on the importance of play, for humans and animals, suggestions of physical activities to "play like an animal" and then several pages with thumbnail explanations of more detail about each animal. There are a couple of additional books on animals and playing, at a suitable level for young readers.

This is a simple explanation for younger listeners and so is not necessarily the most detailed or in-depth exploration of the topics. For example, researchers believe that some animals play just for fun, not necessarily out of instinct or to learn survival skills. However, for the age group this is a nice start to the topic and the illustrations are fun.

Verdict: This would make a good storytime choice, especially one encouraging kids to experiment with movement. Curious City has a great STEM game to go along with it, as well as a recording of the author reading the book.

ISBN: 9781541557710; Published April 2020 by Millbrook/Lerner; Purchased for the library