My son's favorite Animal Atlas
343274
My son watches Animal Atlas every single day, and they remain as popular as they were when first purchased a year ago.  The Farm one in particular is his favorite, he just loves the horses and cows and all the other familiar farm creatures.

We own all of the DVDs in the series.  The formula is simple but very effective - great footage of fun wild animals, paired with smart narration and facts about the animals.  Most of the footage is from zoos, farms, animal parks and aquariums rather than the wild, but that doesn't distract from the animals.  The adults enjoy watching them too - even after many, many viewings we still pick up some new facts from time to time.  There are trivia questions sprinkled throughout - my son's attention tends to wander during those moments, but they only last about 30 seconds and then it's back to the animal footage.  His favorite part is the short "blooper reel" of funny animal behaviors at the end of each episode.

Our son inevitably asks for his "mals" at least once a day - this video series has been a lifesaver, and he's learned lots of animals.  He "talks" to the animals and dances along with the parrots and pounds his chest with the gorillas, so it's a pretty interactive experience for him and we feel better having him watch and participate with these vs. just sitting passively like we've seen with some other videos.  I can't recommend these enough and only wish they had more episodes available on DVD!
1562171
A little Armadillo from Texas decides to take a trip to find out where in the world he actually is.  He starts out on foot, mailing postcards back to his cousin in the zoo in Texas.  He travels across plains to cities, further out, meets an eagle who lets him fly higher to see further, onto a rocket ship to go higher, etc.

The words are rhyming, keeping interest of the kids, very lyrical to read aloud.  Each 2-page spread has great illustrations.

This book is obviously most interesting if you are from Texas or Amarillo, but for any elementary child it can serve as a jump point to talk about geography and location, a common thing to teach around 1st grade or so.  The book goes from ground to city to state to country to continent to planet, etc.  That is exactly how we used this book, a fun fictional account to lead us into our study of geography with a 2nd grader and a pre-K child.
499862
My son loves animals so he was happy to sit down and read the book with me last night. I love learning new things as well as my children. My son asked me to look up some more books for tonight. The pictures that the illustrator picked to put in the book were amazing shots. And the author had some nice facts that were easy for my son to understand. So looking forward to reading some more books from this collection.
2310612
We have read several books in this series and love them!  Similar to the others, this book has beautiful, large pictures.  My two year old was so excited clicking through them to see what came next.  He could identify them all, and the short, simple explanations prompted good discussions about each animal.  Having this book on our kindle will be great to always have on hand for him in the car or when we need quick entertainment!  He loved the owl in particular, but this book includes polar bears, wolves, owls, walruses, whales, beluga whales, tarantulas, bats, and more! There are great facts about each animal and multiple pictures of each.  It is clear and succinct.

Please note: I have purchased this at a discount or for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. In order to save time and money, I do as much of my shopping online as possible! I always do quite a bit of research and rely on other peoples reviews when making decisions about what products to purchase. I do enjoy testing these products, but I am fairly opinionated and don't hesitate to critique products for their short fallings or to rate items low when they deserve it.  All opinions are my own! If you find the review helpful it would be great if you would click the "yes" button below!  Thanks!
1506589
My son loves this book and the other two books just like it about Dinosaurs and Snakes.  It's very descriptive, a bit graphic and keeps him completely engaged.  The book features each animal and typically shows it eating or attacking it's prey.  If you grew up on PBS National Geographic, you'll be o.k. with the content and pictures.  It might be a bit much for the very sensitive child, but your average, run-of-the mill boy will absolutely LOVE it.
4456272
When my son was born his whole room was filled with all sorts of board books. Dogs was the first book that I could get him to sit through when he was 6 months old.  The book has great pictures and there are lots of different textures to feel, but what he likes most is watching the tails wag and heads shake with the pull tabs.  What I love most is that the moveable parts are sturdy so he can't tear them when he tries to reach and touch.  My son is over a year old now and it is still his favorite book.  And even after reading it night after night, it is still in great condition.
4434083
If you have a nature loving kid, this encyclopedia is sure to please.  My daughter has 3 or 4 animal encyclopedias and this one is her favorite.  Beautiful illustrations, tons of information and a nearly endless supply of creatures to learn about make this book a winner!
1165883
I bought this as a birthday gift for a 10yo.  I initially bought the Smithsonian's "ANIMAL: The Definitive Visual Guide" which is an ABSOLUTELY  STUNNING book.  The issue with that reference book was that it was TOO BIG and HEAVY.  I wanted something that was a little smaller and more portable, should they want to read it on car rides. I wanted a book with a lot of detail, something that she could grow into as a somewhat advanced reader (she devours Harry Potter); lots of photographs, as opposed to drawings; a nice index, just in case the table of context didn't have a good flow; and a glossary.  The TOC/book is divided by Kingdom, Anatomy, and Behavior (sorry I cannot include a photo). The book is NOT organized alphabetically or by family/species, etc, which really makes it more of a reading or index-dependent book, if they are looking for certain animals.  This does have great detail for a kid, though.  Font is a little small at times. NO MAPS, which is unfortunate (I am a map junky).  Latin names are included for most entires.  Overall, this is a really nice book at a GREAT price!!

I kept the Smithsonian ANIMAL book for our family as it is an AMAZING book. CRAZY amount of detail and wonderful layout. It is just not portable...a great reference book!
4388129
I would recommend this atlas over any of the atlases recommended by my school.  The labeling is clear, and the pictures are really nice.  It was especially great for horse and ruminant anatomy.  Also good for helping picture organs in 3 dimensions.
1880965
My son was not very interested in this book the first few times we read it to him, but it quickly became one of his favorites.  I enjoy the beautiful illustrations and the easy way the repetitions flow.  My son enjoys hearing me make the animals bark, meow, and squeak and the grandma snore after each respective line.  I am glad we bought this book.  We read it before almost every nap and bed time.
4242217
Durable, great animal sounds and variety of animals. My son loves this book and reads it over and over.
2734688
I first discovered this book at the library years ago and it quickly became my nephews' favorite.  Now my own son loves it.  While the book doesn't have much plot, it is excellent for young children who love animals.  The illustrations are beautiful and it's great for the kid who already knows the animals at the zoo--a big step up from elephants, giraffes, and penguins.
1012582
My 2 year old was so excited to get this book that he made his dad stop the riding mower so they could meet the UPS man to get his box. He kept saying Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site until I took him inside and read it to him. We read it every day, several times at bedtime, and he still loves it. Wonderfully illustrated and good quality for the hardback edition. Ben and I give it 4 thumbs up. -- updated 9/18/15 -- This is still my sons favorite book. The rhymes are apparently easy enough to remember, because my son has the majority of the book memorized. I will read one line from each page, and he can tell me the rest of the lines each time. I would definitely recommend this book for any toddler that is interested in construction vehicles. His favorite is the Excavator.
1492900
I have 2 boys ages 6 and 4 and they absolutely love this book.  They love animals and this book has nice big photographs for them to look at.  The reading is a little advanced for them but I enjoy sitting down with them as well.  They love it so much the book is starting to fall apart (they are a little rough at these ages!).  If your child is fascinated by animals, I highly recommend this book.
1128169
My son loves this book. The imagery is beautiful and fun. Each time we read the book, we discover new bugs tucked in the pages. I love how each bug world ties together at the end, as it shows the child exploring its own backyard.
1609067
I loved this! My son sat on my lap and pointed at the pages and said the colors. It was so nice to see animals used.
857866
My son adored this book.
In addition to Pond, we also had the companion book, Forest - we loved both. Because of these books, his second word was "owl." I started reading them to him when he was maybe 5-6 months old. He would study every picture carefully, and as he got older would turn the pages back and forth, looking from one animal to the next. The rhyming text is enchanting.
Now I'm buying them again for my newborn nephew. Can't wait to introduce him to them!