On this page, we cast our eyes over the shelves of our local bookstore (okay, the virtual shelves at Amazon) to find you a selection of the best animal books for kids.
Best Animal Encyclopedias & Reference Books For Kids
For this round-up, we’ve concentrated on encyclopedias and non-fiction reference books.
National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia: 2,500 Animals with Photos, Maps, and More!
If you’re after a hardcover animal book that’s packed full of gorgeous pictures and clearly-presented information, then look no further: National Geographic’s Animal Encyclopedia is just that book.
The editors have ensured that the balance between text and images is just right. Younger kids will flick through the pages looking at the pictures, older kids will dip in and out of the book in order to research their favorite animals.
Criticisms, if any, would be the somewhat overbearing design, and the occasional errors that have been picked up by eagle-eyed Amazon reviewers.
The Animal Book
My brother, who’s a bit of a hipster, recently started singing the praises of Dorling Kindersley books in the same way as, before becoming a father, he would enthuse about the latest indie band. It’s quite amusing hearing it coming from him, but I can see his point. DK books are, in general, beautifully-designed and very readable.
DK’s The Animal Book is no exception. There’s a good balance between pictures and text, with a less cluttered look than many animal books. Whether this translates into the information being better absorbed by the young reader I cannot say, but there’s no doubt it makes for a pleasing read.
As far as content goes, it’s much of a muchness between this and National Geographic’s Animal Encyclopedia. Take a look at their respective designs and decide for yourself which your child would prefer.
The Encyclopedia of Animals
After an introduction to the animal kingdom and how animals are classified, The Encyclopedia of Animals lists species by order, rather than by their common English name. This makes sense, as it results in related animals being grouped together.
The book contains a vast amount of photographs and illustrations. The text is in note and bullet-point form, making it less suitable for reading aloud than some of the other books on this list. It’s also a big and weighty tome; one that will undoubtedly be read on the floor, pages spread open, rather than being held by the child.
The note-form text and well-notated diagrams make finding facts and comparing different animals very easy.
(Update: it appears that this book is no longer available direct from Amazon, although it is still available from other sellers.)
Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide Hardcover by DK
Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide was revised in 2011. It’s always worth checking when an animal book has been published; in the world of science, facts often go out of date. Animals are forever being reclassified and a species’ conservation status often changes – sadly, usually for the worse.
The book’s design and content has garnered many glowing reviews. It is another big and heavy book, but if we’re honest, we’ve never seen kids struggling with a large book – they’re usually lying on the floor or sitting on the sofa with the book open in front of them while reading.
The animals are grouped together by type, and there are also sections on habitats such as forests, oceans and deserts.
The manufacturer’s suggested age range is 10-13 years: we’ve got a feeling more than one adult has this on his bookshelf, or has found himself engrossed in it after the kids have gone to bed!
The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide by Fred Cooke and Hugh Dingle
The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide is a visually appealing and comprehensive guide to the animal kingdom.
Arranged in a similar way to Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide, this book begins with an introduction to the animal kingdom, before moving on to sections on various habitats. Each chapter then focuses on animals in a particular group.
Containing a wealth of information on a wide range of animals and habitats, it’s no wonder that The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide has obtained many glowing reviews from happy purchasers.
First Animal Encyclopedia by DK
Aimed at younger kids (the recommended age is 6 to 9 years; we reckon that kids who are even younger than this would appreciate the pictures and pleasant design), DK’s First Animal Encyclopedia is a visually appealing first ‘proper’ animal reference book.
As its title suggests, the First Animal Encyclopedia is less ‘scientific’ and more ‘fun’ than the other encyclopedias on this list. The information is simplified but not overly so, and there are plenty of facts to catch the eye. A visual treat, and not too expensive.
The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest―and Most Surprising―Animals
Steve Jenkins has carved out a successful career writing and illustrating animal books for kids. The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest―and Most Surprising―Animals, is a light-hearted but fact-filled voyage through the animal kingdom. Its wonderful illustrations may also serve to inspire budding young artists.
Collins Life-Size Birds
This is one for our British readers. Although Collins Life-Size Birds isn’t actually aimed at kids, it’s an extremely well-presented book that will appeal to younger animal lovers. This I know after having given a copy of this book to my animal-mad nephew for Christmas.
Collins Life-Size Birds contains beautiful photographs of both well-known and lesser-known British bird species. As the title suggests, the book’s ‘unique selling point’ is that the pictures are life-sized.
Knowing not only what the birds look like, but also how they compare to other species is very handy in the field. Although you won’t be taking this heavy, hardcover tome with you on your birding expeditions, it’s extremely helpful in identifying the species when you get home. This is an excellent book for young birders.
If you know a wildlife-mad youngster then there are few better gifts with which to present them than a well-written reference book – especially one with big, colorful pictures!
We can still remember the animal books that we grew up with as children. We were spellbound by the pictures and facts that spilled out of their well-thumbed pages.
From the spotter’s guides and animal encyclopedias gifted to us by our parents and relatives we developed a love of animals and the natural world.
If we weren’t reading about animals, my brothers and I would be rooting around the garden in search of creepy crawlies and animal tracks.
Perhaps having access to so much information about animals at our fingertips at an early age inspired our love of nature as adults.
Although we’re not so long in the tooth that the pictures in those old books were in black and white, the presentation of today’s animal books has improved beyond all recognition. The photography and visual design of the reference books in this list are, by and large, stunning.
The animal books on this list are all available on Amazon and are also likely to be stocked–or easily ordered from–your local bookstore.
Many of the books also turn up from time to time in second-hand shops. Of course, the condition of these can vary, but buying second hand is an excellent option for thrifty parents!
Many of the leading publishing companies produce an animal encyclopedia. In fact, some companies (such as DK) produce more than one, aiming their products at kids of different ages.
Animal encyclopedias are probably the best kind of book that you can give any child of reading age who has shown an interest in animals, which is why they feature heavily in this list.
Today’s publications are chock-full of photographs, illustrations and diagrams, making them suitable even for kids with short attention spans or who don’t particularly enjoy reading.
Encyclopedias are also great for introducing the concept of an ‘index’, and for highlighting the importance of the alphabet. If your child wants to find that funny picture of a proboscis monkey again, he’ll have to use the index!
Animal books also provide inspiration for creative kids. Want to keep them occupied for a while? Have them draw an animal from the book, or write a story about one of the animals that they’re interested in!
Having researched what’s available, the books listed above really sprang out at us.
Best Animal Books For Kids: Conclusion
We hope that this round-up of animal books for kids has inspired you to check out some of the titles listed above. Today, the standard of kid’s reference books is extremely high. We recommend that you check out the visual design of the book and compare it to that of your child’s existing favorite books, and make your selection based on that.