Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A funny and unique way to impart an important message.In a rare and fresh perspective, animal children try to convince their mothers that humans are just like animals: cuddly, cute, unique, and interesting to look at. However, the animal mothers tell their young that humans are dangerous. People are loud, messy, and nosy. People are "such strange creatures." Most importantly, animal families cannot keep people as pets because "people are wild," and "all wild creatures should be free." Gorgeous colored pencil and watercolor illustrations feature a diverse cast of humans as well as elephants, frogs, butterflies, and seals, among other animals. The colors are rich and vibrant, and the images will be easy to see from a distance during a read-aloud, although there are so many details, points of view, and textures in each illustration that readers will also want to spend some time up close with them. The many landscape-layout double-page spreads show off each animal's habitat. The endpapers highlight that both animal and human children enjoy many of the same activities. Animal facts in the backmatter encourage readers to explore and research on their own. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Wildly brilliant! (endangered species map) (Informational picture book. 3-6)

ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

People get a wake-up call from birds, bugs, beasts, and other wild creatures in this colorful picture book written from the animals' points of view. Each time a human family wanders into the territory of a different species, a young animal asks its mother, "What is that?" and hears the reply "That's a person," followed by safety warnings, necessary because "people are wild." They're loud, messy, smelly, nosy, and strange. But the young ones point out that they're also "just like us" ddly, cute, unique, and fun to watch. In the illustrations, the children and young animals are constantly watching each other, fascinated. But when a young elephant wants to keep a little girl, the mother elephant nixes the idea, explaining that "People are wild. And all wild creatures should be free." The conversational narrative reads aloud beautifully, perhaps echoing words that children have heard from their own parents. Created with colored pencil and watercolor, the artwork features pleasing color combinations and softly shaded forms within varied natural habitats. A fresh perspective on people and animals.

Kirkus Reviews

A funny and unique way to impart an important message.In a rare and fresh perspective, animal children try to convince their mothers that humans are just like animals: cuddly, cute, unique, and interesting to look at. However, the animal mothers tell their young that humans are dangerous. People are loud, messy, and nosy. People are "such strange creatures." Most importantly, animal families cannot keep people as pets because "people are wild," and "all wild creatures should be free." Gorgeous colored pencil and watercolor illustrations feature a diverse cast of humans as well as elephants, frogs, butterflies, and seals, among other animals. The colors are rich and vibrant, and the images will be easy to see from a distance during a read-aloud, although there are so many details, points of view, and textures in each illustration that readers will also want to spend some time up close with them. The many landscape-layout double-page spreads show off each animal's habitat. The endpapers highlight that both animal and human children enjoy many of the same activities. Animal facts in the backmatter encourage readers to explore and research on their own. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Wildly brilliant! (endangered species map) (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Nonhuman narrators give voice to animalian perceptions of people in this empathic solo debut, which asks readers to reflect on their commonalities with wild creatures. Meganck’s colored pencil and watercolor spreads show humans of varying abilities and skin tones observing and being observed by animals in unique habitats. “Mama, what is that?” asks an African elephant, trunk pointing at two light-skinned people across the savannah. “Don’t get too close” warns an Anthony’s poison dart frog near a pair of brown-skinned human legs. Throughout, the juxtaposition of text and illustrations offers subtle humor: a human child eating a drippy ice cream cone (“so messy”) contrasts with an Iberian lynx being licked clean by a parent; a family of hoatzins—also known as stinkbirds—eye a diaper-clad human baby (“so smelly”). Conservation-oriented back matter further emphasizes wildlife appreciation, including a map of the featured species’ territories and endangered status. Ages 3–6. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

PreS-Gr 1 Until very recently, humans saw themselves as above other species, in a position to observe and analyze their behaviors and lives, as scientists or as tourists. This easy-to-read book turns this notion on its head as a variety of mother animals and their children comment upon human behavior. The mother creatures warn their offspring not to get close to humans because they are "loud," "messy," and "smelly." The animal children see their similarities with people, stating that people are "funny," "cuddly," and "cute." The story ends with a baby elephant asking to keep a young child. Her mother refuses, saying that "all wild creatures should be free." Among the 14 animals featured are Iberian lynxes, Parson's chameleons, giraffes, Asiatic black bears, and Monarch butterflies; the end pages include an informational paragraph with intriguing facts about each as well as a map indicating where the creatures live (unfortunately, there is no informational paragraph for the beautiful large white birds, perhaps Marabou storks, found at the beginning of the book). Meganck's colorful illustrations are the highlight, even though such human and animal interactions would never occur in the wild. The expressions on the human children are delightful, exuding joy and curiosity, and the animal expressions range from concerned to calm. The simple text will be accessible to emerging readers. VERDICT This early reader book will appeal to children who love animals and provides a perspective missing from shelves on the animal kingdom. A welcome addition.Sally A. James