Saturday, February 20, 2010

Meet The Howlers! by April Pulley Sayre


April Pulley Sayre has created a wonderful book about howler monkeys that will be a huge hit with children.  Most children love monkeys, and this book reinforces that love through an exploration of a typical howler monkey family.  The roles of the father, mother and children are discussed in a fun, rollicking way that will leave children amused while increasing their knowledge.

Each set of pages has a catchy rhyme about what is happening on those pages.  Topics include care of the young, food, living conditions and utility of the howling sound the animals make.  For older children, there is also another section that gives scientific facts about the topic.  This combination of rhyme and fact makes the book usable for a wider age range.  Parents can introduce the book to a young child through the rhymes and as the child gets older, interest in the scientific facts will increase. 

The illustrations are done by Woody Miller and are absolutely enchanting.  The howlers are seen swinging in the trees, sleeping, resting, eating, and in several memorable illustrations, howling.  The images make the howling seem like enormous fun; viewing them makes the reader want to join in and howl along. 

This book is recommended for children from two to ten.

No comments: