Humans and Animals

Selected by the Reading Rockets for their Summer Reading List 2022 Ages 6-9.

"HUMANS AND ANIMALS: WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON is an intriguing collection of information about the way that animals and people are similar." ―YA Books Central

"This is a book of comparisons between humans and animals with a heavy hint for humans to remember that we are not as special as we think we are. The book is divided into 15 sections that highlight our similarities: We Farm, We Have Families, We Play, We Communicate, etc. Within each section, the left page looks at humans and their endeavors within the subject and the right page looks at various animals and how their actions play out. For example, We Communicate discusses, on the left page, how humans use oral language, facial expression and written language to communicate. On the right side of the book, we learn about birds using various songs to woo their spouse or horses who use facial expressions to let others know what they’re feeling, while koalas use a highly developed sense of smell to send and receive messages. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and boxy. Callout boxes line up examples from the text and add to the theories. Any child who loves reading about animals will appreciate this book, especially those who enjoy reading about or studying animal behavior. School libraries should buy this book to have on hand for behavioral studies. Public libraries should purchase for kids who love to browse nonfiction." ―Youth Services Book Review

"As members of the animal kingdom, humans have quite a lot in common with all creatures great and small. This illustrated nonfiction book demonstrates many parallels between humans and animals in a way that’s highly entertaining and engaging. As the author explains in the book's introduction, scientists have made advances in observing and documenting the similarities between different species. The sections that follow show several examples on each double-page spread, organized by themes that include play, work, communication, and more. Each section explains human behaviors, followed by how different animals engage in the same behavior. For instance, humans are playful, and so are kittens, chimpanzees, and dolphins. The use of small text blocks within each section ensures that they are packed with a lot of content, and gives the opportunity to provide a diverse variety of examples. All classes of animals are represented, including mammals, birds, fish, and others. The boldly colored illustrations are cartoonish and even humorous at times, serving as an exciting backdrop to the book’s information. Seeing so many similarities will help children to develop respect and empathy for all kinds of living critters." ―Children's Literature