ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Showcasing 14 contemporary (mainly American) picture-book illustrators, this handsome volume asks the title question and devotes a double-page spread to each artist's answer. Carle leads off with a lovable memory of Fiffi, his green bean chasing cat, illustrated in his signature style. Mo Willems amuses viewers by drawing a snake that has swallowed his favorite, leaving readers to imagine what the "Amazonian Neotropical Lower River Tink-Tink" actually looks like. A spotted, yellow leopard leaps across a brilliant red background, while Lucy Cousins explains why she loves the animal. Each page brings a different visual style and verbal accompaniment, which might be reflective, fanciful, and/or amusing. The back matter includes biographical paragraphs and photos (often childhood snapshots) of the contributors, including Nick Bruel, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellogg, Jon Klassen, Tom Lichtenheld, Peter McCarty, Chris Raschka, Peter Sís, Lane Smith, Erin Stead, and Rosemary Wells. Pair this enjoyable collection with Patricia Aldana's Under the Spell of the Moon (2004), which introduces illustrators from around the world.

Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Eric Carle and his friends bring a consideration of What's Your Favorite Animal? to the pages of this fine-looking book. Each of fourteen illustrators gets a double-page spread to devote to his or her favorite. Grown-up picture book enthusiasts will appreciate this souvenir of the artists in their singular styles; children will enjoy perusing the spaciously designed pages to decide their own favorites.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Cause-related anthologies are challenging to do well, but this one (benefiting the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art) succeeds admirably--on multiple levels. The investment of 13 popular illustrators allows Carle to present a portable gallery of animals and a marvelous array of approaches, media and layouts that even the youngest viewers can access. The only thing missing is ethnic diversity among the artists. Accompanying the assemblage are brief poems, captions or anecdotes conveying why these are favored choices. Peter Sís relays the Czech ritual of watching the Christmas Eve carp swimming in the bathtub and the tearful parade of neighborhood children releasing their dinners into the river; his flying fish transports three feline kings bearing gifts. Chris Raschka's hand-lettered, existential musings are paired with his portrait of a lowly snail building a dazzling shell. Older children with a book background will have fun recognizing the work of familiar illustrators: Lane Smith's textured, green pachyderm; Lucy Cousins' heavily spotted leopard rendered in searing yellow; Erin Stead's understated penguins. They will also enjoy Bad Kitty's antics as he jealously breaks into Nick Bruel's octopus story and the duo's "shameless flattery" of the volume's compiler. The book opens with Carle's collaged string-bean–loving cat and concludes with photographs of his museum. This menagerie offers picture-book lovers of all ages a glimpse into each creator's style, personality and brand of humor. (biographies, photographs, websites) (Picture book. 4-8)

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

Answers to this classic kid question arrive courtesy of 14 top illustrators including Lucy Cousins, Jon Klassen, Chris Raschka, and Lane Smith; the contributions range from meticulously rendered artwork to quick, funny sketches, along with commentaries that can be elegiac, nostalgic, silly, and even meta. Carle creates one of his signature collages to evoke Fiffi, a black cat who shared his apartment in Greenwich Village. Mo Willems asserts that his favorite animal is -an Amazonian Neotropical Lower River Tink-Tink- (drawn as a bump inside a big, hungry snake), while Rosemary Wells muses on the five positions favored by the white terrier who shares her bed. Nick Bruel breaks down the fourth wall-and probably a fifth and sixth wall, as well-as he argues with his narcissistic antihero Bad Kitty over his animal choice (-Okay then Kitty. What-s YOUR favorite animal? MEATLOAF?-) and then tries to flatter Carle into giving him an octopus. A varied and engaging omnibus that offers real insight into the lives and personalities of these artists. Royalties benefit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

School Library Journal (Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Baby/Toddler From Tom Lichtenheld and Lucy Cousins to Mo Willems and Chris Raschka, renowned children's book artists and authors share the particular appeal of their chosen creature and lovingly illustrate it in their signature style.