Do fish go fishing? How animals eat by Petra Bartikova, illustrated by Katarina Macurova

 I, personally, like collections of animal facts. I also like Katarina Macurova's fun illustrations - Upside Down being one of my favorites. However, I've sadly discovered that fewer and fewer of my collections of interesting animal facts, other than National Geographic-style browsing books, are checking out in the nonfiction collection. But they seem to be doing okay in the picture book neighborhoods, so I am now adding my favorites to this collection, to make sure they find an audience.

This collaboration is a fun addition to that subject and a little more organized than I've sometimes found European nonfiction to be. It's the first book in a planned series, "My first books of nature" and a second title, Do sheep count sheep? was released at the same time.

The first spread shows a collection of animals; brown bears, platypuses, elephants, fleas, chimpanzees, moose, hummingbirds, frogs, penguins, hares, and pelicans. Each animal is eating and has a short descriptive sentence or fact with attached to them. It's a humorous presentation - the platypus (in a bathing suit) is trying to tug a fish away from the penguin who says "You're supposed to eat crayfish!" - and sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Each following spread is devoted to one of the animals seen in the initial pages. The animals are shown in both natural and humorous anthropomorphic behavior as they find and eat food. The facts scattered about the pages generally focus on their diet, but may also include random facts of interest. Like most European nonfiction, there are no sources included, but the facts are general and introductory and so I think this works well for the age range. I did notice that the book did not mention that hares are coprophagic, which I would certainly include, but the book does lean towards the cute and funny more than the factual and gross. The text is in a variety of fonts, but other than the italicized speech bubbles most of the text is large and bold.

Verdict: This is not only a fun introduction to a variety of animal diets, it's also a great car ride or waiting room book, something that offers lots of interest for kids to pore over while they wait, finding new details in the pictures and additional facts to share. A fun addition to most library collections.

ISBN: 9788000072838; Hardcover on Baker & Taylor for $15.15

Published October 2024 by Albatros Media; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library