Animal Awards

I just can’t go past a kid’s book that tells me fun facts about animals. This fascination has led to me knowing the most random and strange little tidbits about all sorts of animals, and I can’t stop. So, here’s another one! Unlike others I’ve read, this one presents awards to the winners in each category.

Each award is granted two pages, incorporating information and illustrations. Beside learning the name of the animal that has won each of these prestigious awards, I also learned the type of animal they were (insect, bird, mammal, reptile, etc), where they live and for how long, and what their diet consists of. Then there’s information specific to the award they’ve won and other interesting facts.

Relevant information about other animals was also included. For example, while the chimpanzee won the coveted ‘Nifty Tool-User Award’, other animals that also use tools are mentioned, including sea otters.

A couple of times there was no overall winner for the category but instead several winners for its subcategories, such as the ‘Family Awards’, where winners were selected for the ‘cool dad award’, ‘mom-of-the-year award’, ‘loyal couple award’ and ‘great-grandmother award’.

My favourite awards were the:

* ‘Enlightenment Award’, which was won by the Deep-Sea Anglerfish. I am fascinated by bioluminescence and I have a soft spot for strange animals that are unlikely to win any beauty pageants.

* ‘Deep Sea Diver Award’, which was awarded to the Cuvier’s beaked whale, who was also awarded my ‘Favourite New Fact Award’ for this marvel: “Its longest and deepest dive recorded so far lasted for an amazing 2 hours and 17 minutes, with a descent of nearly 10,000 feet below the surface of the sea.” The runners up in this category were also given medals.

I usually prefer fact books to include photographs of the animals but I had fun looking at Tor Freeman’s illustrations. The animals were expressive and had character, and I loved the winners pictured with their award on display. Their poses often reflected the attribute that won them their award and the backgrounds were effective, simple enough to place the animals in their native environment but not so detailed that they took away the focus from the stars themselves. I particularly loved the chameleon, who looks very proud to have won its award.

I learned some new facts about some of my favourite animals and encountered a few animals that I previously knew very little about. If this book had been available when I was a kid I definitely would have borrowed it from the library for a school assignment. The information would have made me sound smarter than I was and I’m almost positive I would have traced some of the illustrations to spruce up my assignment as even drawing a legible stick figure has only ever had a 50/50 shot of success with me at best.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books for granting my wish to read this book.

Quaranta premi per quaranta animali speciali: il Miglior Architetto, Il Più Dedito alla Famiglia, la Picchiata Più Veloce...

Una panoramica di talenti incredibili, alla scoperta di animali spesso meno conosciuti ma dalle capacità eccezionali - anche se ogni animale, anche il più comune, è eccezionale in sé.

Un volume pieno di fatti interessanti  e curiosi, un'esplorazione dei veri e propri miracoli della natura. ^^

Lately I'm all into illustrated books that also educate the reader. And this book is no different. As the blurb says you get to read about a certain number of animals and their abilities. The illustrations are charming and I really enjoyed looking at them. They do help to explain and to show fun facts about the animals. All in all I quite enjoyed this read. I'm sure that this book is suited for all ages, so if you like animals and don't mind finding out more about them, then this book is a good fit for you.

Written by Jenkins and illustrated by Freeman, this is a fun and educational book about animal world record holders. Some of the records are less to be desired than others, but are nonetheless interesting. The book covers axolotls to vampire bats, and scores of others in between, but it features only those who are outstanding in one way or another - and their closest competitors. It might be that they live longest - like an estimated 400 years for a Greenland shark! - or that they are the fastest on land - like the cheetah, or the fastest in the air, like the peregrine falcon.

Maybe they have the goofiest mating dance, or can make the loudest noise (from one of the smallest animals, too!). Maybe they dive deeper or travel further, or have the most boring diet. Whatever it is, they're very likely in here. The record holders are not always cute and cuddly-looking mammals either. They could be vertebrates or non-vertebrates, fish, molluscs, birds, insects, mammals, amphibians. They could live anywhere on land or sea, or in the air. They could live in the hot or the cold, the jungle or the plains. But they're out there, and this books tells you what's special about them, and with enough text to educate, without lecturing, and with colorful and useful illustrations.

We puff ourselves up with human achievements, and often forget that these animals were first in the field (and elsewhere!). I commend this as a worthy read.

I just learned that there is an earth worm in Australia that can grow over 10 ft. I am torn on how I feel about this.

What a great book. Taking a book about animals and turning it into an awards ceremony is fresh and fun. It was full of interesting information on a bunch of different animals who won awards in different categories.

All of the informs provided was written in an easy to follow way and the illustrations were cute and colourful.

Anytime I get a title from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens I know it's going to be great. That is the expectation I have from this publishing company. They publish great books for kids that are fun, creative, educational and have great illustrations. This one is no different. It isn't my favorite of theirs that I have reviewed (although I really like the idea), but it is still a great pick for a young person's library.

Featured on each page is a particular animal that is "the best" at something. For instance, a spider wins the "spinning award", the poison dart frog wins the "beautiful but deadly" award and the Giant Panda wins the "fussy eater" award. I think each page is full of great pictures and very interesting facts as to why that animal wins the award. I learned about things I never knew about or heard about and that's what I love about children's non fiction.

The illustrations weren't my favorite, but that is pure personal preference versus any lack of quality.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens and Tor Freeman/Martin Jenkins for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book!

Review Date: 08/08/19
Publication Date: 09/03/19

This is a cute book! I like how it is organized. It gives a lot of great facts about different animals. Kids will enjoy reading and learning about the animals in this book.

Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Animal Awards. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The Animal Awards is a fun children's book with props given in such categories as the tallest, the amazing architecture award, and the air speed record. As the awards are handed out, the author gives some pertinent facts about each animal. The animals are categorized as to type, where they are located, and how long they live. Children will learn many interesting facts about the animals contained within these pages, as well the parents or teachers that may read to younger children.

It may seem like a silly idea, but the animal awards are an effective tool in getting children interested in animals and their amazing achievements. The artwork is very simplistic and whimsical, with the animals not always being anatomically correct. I wish that the illustrator had taken more time to complete each animal in a more realistic manner, giving children a clear picture as to the animal's shape and size. Overall, The Animal Awards is a clever book and one that I would recommend to children and their parents.

I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Company through NetGalley.
Clever method to provide informative text about a wide variety of animals. Freeman presents awards to animals who meet the criteria in 34 categories. Each award is presented on a page spread. Information is presented in short bullets, captions and short paragraphs. The illustrations are done in cartoon format and bring each animal to life.
Elementary readers will enjoy the fun pictures and the simple to follow text while learning about all sorts of animals.

A cute educational, yet fun book about different animals showcasing their individual talents and giving each one a specific award. (Fastest, long tongue, marvellous mane etc.) The artwork is fun, yet also shows the educational information clearly. The child definitely needs to be a good reader as there is quite a lot of reading and some bigger words, but would be great for that kid who is interested in the science of animals.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Animal Awards uses the entertainment awards ceremony in an innovative way: to present a natural history of unusual animals who would probably not be in a collection together, or maybe not in a book at all.

Using categories such as “The Amazing Egg Award”(ostrich), “The Best Bouncer Award” (kangaroo), and “The Magical Healer Award” (axolotl), Freeman introduces fifty animals, insects, and sea creatures.

The book is entertaining and informative with engaging text and charming illustrations. Each “award” spread has a description of the animal on one side with basic information: category (e.g., bird, reptile, insect, or mammal), habitat, lifespan, and diet. In describing why the animal has won the award, Freeman offers a brief profile of the creature with interesting facts. On the facing page, an illustration or series of illustrations exhibits additional facts. In the illustration of the tortoise, for example, winner of “The Centenarian Award,” the illustration compares the lifespan of the tortoise, Greenland shark, black coral, and ocean clam. The illustration page for the lion, winner of “The Marvellous Mane Award,” has four smaller drawings showing what life is like in a lion pride.

In addition to providing a natural history of these interesting animals—also including penguins, elephants, bats, terns, bullfrogs, cheetahs, jellyfish, and so many more—the book sensitively discusses extinction and threats to endangered populations.

This is a great book for children that uses humor to convey a wide array of interesting factual information. Although some of the vocabulary or concepts may require the help of a parent, teacher, or guardian to understand on first exposure, I think this is a book that kids will return to again and again for the fun facts and absolutely adorable and informative illustrations. It would be a wonderful gift and addition to a school or home library.

Fresh, fun and full of facts, The Animal Awards will have kids cheering and learning about some of the world's most spectacular species!

With each spread dedicated to intriguing facts about the worthy winner and some cool, cartoon style illustrations of the animals honouring their golden medals, this engaging children's book makes for a perfect addition to any child's bookshelf.

Who is not enamoured with award shows? The Emmy's? the Oscars? Wow! "The Animal Awards" gives the most prestigious animals accolades for their amazing talents and some unusual skills.

This non-fiction, educational, extremely interesting book celebrates the best and finest in the animal kingdom. 50 superstar animals are documented and kids will love to find out why they are voted the best.


Here are a few examples of the categories offered and the winners:

* The Fabulous Display Award goes to Great Bustard
* The Nifty Tool Award - The Chimpanzee
* The Soil Improvement Award - The Earth Worm
* The Family Award - Emperor Penguin
* The Marvellous Mane Award - The Lion
* The Best Bouncer Award - The Kangaroo
* The Shocking Award - The Electric Eel
* The Co-Operation Award - Honeybee, Naked Mole Rat, Gray Wolf, Clownfish and Sea Anemones
* The Spinning Award - The Spider --- just to cite a few.



The cartoon style illustrations enrich the informative text and the winner sports a well deserved gold medal around it's neck as it rises into the spotlight above the runner-ups who have similar talents also. Each Star has a two-page spread with a lovely introduction by the author then more in-depth information on diet, location, and other intriguing facts. The premise of the book is fun and refreshing and I know kids will love it. It is presented in a way that is easy to follow and is full of facts and tidbits that will engage the reader and teach them why that animal was the winner.

This book would be a perfect addition to a classroom and/or an elementary school library. I personally learned a lot from the book myself and I highly, highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for an early copy of The Animal Awards by Martin Jenkins. This book is full of facts and information about different animals presented as a list of awards. Each award lists the award name, animal name, where it lives, what type of animal it is, what the animal eats, where it lives, and lots of other information. Some examples are the Fabulous Display Award goes to the great bustard, the Soil Improvement Award goes to the earthworm, and the Tangliest Tentacles Award goes to the lion’s mane jellyfish. Sometimes there were groups of animals winning an award such as the disguise awards.

This book was a lot of fun to read and you could learn a lot while reading it. It would be a great book to read to a child really interested in animals and/or really inquisitive and eager to learn.

This book is laid out like an awards show.

It shows the award, names it’s winner or the top nominees, and describes the animal and their characteristics. For instance, the Earthworm in the winner of the Soil- Improvement Award. It shows that earthworms eat plant roots and organic matter. When they eat, they take in minerals. They poop what is called “cast”. That cast is rich in chemicals that plants need in a form they can absorb.

This book is very informative. It uses awards to teach about a variety of animals and their characteristics. The illustrations are colorful and drawn with humor.

I recommend this book as a good way to teach about animals in a fun and entertaining way.


I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting a review.

This book is a gem in that it’s simple but done very well. Each page has an animal, with a paragraph or two about it, a cute illustration of the animal, some illustrations of cool aspects of their body/lifestyles, and then 3 or 4 cool facts about them at the bottom. What I love about this format is that it makes non-fiction accessible and this book could be used for so many purposes within the classroom. A simple browsing book, or a resource for a mini project where each kid gets an animal. It could also be a fun morning read to do an animal a day!

Loved this. And the idea of giving each animal an award for what they are awesome at is also fun and social/emotionally relevant:).

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5!

This book was received as an ARC from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was too adorable to pass up. I know our kindergartners and first graders will go crazy for this book and will love every page and the names of the animals and awards. Some of the animals caught my attention and this book will also be great for the classrooms inspiring teachers to create new projects for the kids and display them for the parents. The illustrations done in the book were extravagantly brilliant that anyone will want to take a look at this book and we can't wait to share this with our library and schools.

We will consider adding this book to our J Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Making up spurious awards to give to animals is actually a great way to deliver some really good nature information here, and a host of trivia alongside it. A thread of spider silk that could loop round the globe would still only weigh one pound; chameleons' tongues can stretch at a speed of sixteen feet a second. Sometimes the artwork is a little too cartoonish, and some of the writing a little cutesy (labouring the "elegance" of the giraffe), but on the whole there is a lot here, from deep-diving whales to mention of fish-eating bats, and from hand-standing skunks to chimpanzees using five different tools in their honey-gathering. It won't give the young reader a big picture about biology, life sciences and evolution, but in having so many small-scale images the end result will be pretty impressive learning. Four and a half stars.

4.5 stars

The animals chosen and the information on each were an enjoyable read. I liked that the first page is the general info while the next page is more illustration of the animals with more short info's.

The only problem I had with this book is that the info under the portraits are the same info in the paragraphs.

Another thing is that I'm really picky with the artstyle (do excuse me for that, I used to watch a lot of anime). Sometimes it looks cute but other times it looks quirky but not really my type of artstyle (it kinda gave me the Simpsons artstyle somewhat). This is the first time I see a hand drawn art in a book but the colors chosen was nice in most of them.

Overall, it was a good and enjoyable read. I really liked the way the illustrations were arranged and the full on art pages.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

<em>The Animal Awards</em> by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Tor Freeman is an adorable children's book that presents various facts about animals in a rather clever way. Instead of merely offering this educational information, it does so through giving each creature an award for various aspects of their personalities. From the Nifty Tool award to the Shocking award, each animal has something amazing to showcase for the world.

I loved the concept for this book as any entertaining way to provide facts is going to be worthwhile for a child to read. And <em>The Animal Awards</em> does a pretty brilliant job of engaging its readers whilst teaching them. The information was dense, but not so much that it would be daunting to read, which I also appreciated. I know very well how some children can take one look at a book and think that it's just too much to read.

It also offered the opportunity for adults reading along with children to prompt them to guess at which animals might win each award, something that I personally think will build a lot of entertainment. But this also builds critical thinking skills as well. I even learned a few things from this book that I hadn't known before, which is always something I'm ecstatic to see in a children's story. And I loved the fact that it wasn't always one animal mentioned in each section, but rather other animals were referenced in relation to each award.

The illustrations work well within the book. I imagine they will keep young readers engaged, especially when the majority of the animals are cute to look at. At times they did seem a little too goofy for my taste, but I feel as though the majority of the intended audience will appreciate it.

A book with a wonderful concept for how to present educational information, <em>The Animal Awards </em>is definitely one for the shelves of classrooms and homes. I could certainly see it on the shelves at my work.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

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This is one of the most gorgeous, eye-catching children's books I've ever seen. My son is two and is OBSESSED with animals. He loves seeing pictures of them, watching them on tv, and especially seeing them in real life. This book is absolutely fantastic for introducing him to a wider range of animals and we will definitely be adding it to our collection.

The Animal Awards by Martin Jenkins is beautifully illustrated book about animals. Any kids would love this book. The pictures are bright and the animal description is funny and creative.

This book is so much fun!
Arranged as an Animal Olympics, each animal presented is the best at something.
The useful information and fun facts throughout make this a great overview of several species of animals, which could easily lead into greater study on any or all of the subjects.
A great addition to any library!

4.5 rounded up - so so good. Absolutely love the concept of the awards in this book, so clever and fun! I would absolutely buy this book for a child interested in different animals. The only possible minor draw back, is the big wall of text on each page, might cause an issue keeping the attention of some kids. Maybe some funky fonts or different text bubbles/boxes etc would have been better for visual stimulation and to break up the text.