Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Start your kid's National Geo Kids home library with fascinating books [Review & Giveaway]

Little Kids First Board Book: Birds (board book, ages Baby-3)


My thoughts:
 Birds are essential and such beautiful creatures. They flit to and fro bringing beauty and music to our world as well as do their part in creation by feeding on insects. They make the world pleasant for all.

This little board book is a superb introduction for a young child to the world of birds. No only do the photographs  beautifully depict these aviators, the book provides tiny factoids that are easily retained by the young child.

  • Birds live all over the world
  • All birds have a beak
  • Insects, worms, frogs, and snakes are favorite foods for birds. (etc.)

I highly recommend!

About the book: Designed to be the stepping stone to the best-selling National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book series, the Little Kids First Board Book series takes similar big subjects and distills them down to the simplest nonfiction concepts for the youngest audience. Not only will readers learn about a variety of birds, they can also find recurring shapes and patterns in the art, while adults can keep their eyes open for occasional funny commentary from the animals. With their bright and playful design, awesome photography, clear text, and cues to encourage interactive learning, the Little Kids First Board Books take a fresh new approach to make learning about nature and science fun.


So Cute! Puppies (hardcover, ages 3-5) 


My thoughts:
  An adorable book about puppies that provides information about how puppies love their people, love to be talked to, and have a "cuteness" overload, etc. A small, cute, information filled book that is just right for reading to toddlers and kindergartners. 

About the book: From puppies at playtime to rascally ruff-housing, this book is filled with humor and informational sidebars, and pairs super cute puppy photos with imagined inner dialogue that will have the whole family laughing. Perfect for little kids getting acquainted with a new pup at home or kids who love animals in general.


So Cool! Dinos (hardcover, ages 3-5)


My thoughts:
  This is a small book about some big critters. Dinosaurs of various types, sizes, and fierceness. Kids will love this little book and especially those growly boys who are captivated by these ancient critters.

A good introduction book about dinosaurs for children.

About the book: Those sharp, pointy teeth! Those terrifying claws! Those long necks and pointy spines! Let’s face it ... dinosaurs are SO COOL! Blending dinosaur art with silly quips and Informational fact boxes about when dinosaurs lived on Earth, stats about dinos, dinosaur feathers, and more, this is the perfect little reader to get kids’ brains buzzing and keep them laughing while learning.


Little Kids First Big Book of Baby Animals (hardcover, ages 4-8)

ISBN: 9781426371462
$14.99 US | $19.99 CAN
National Geographic Kids

My thoughts: I think this is an absolutely adorable book that will give parents, grandparents, and caregivers a fabulous tool to teach young children about animals. While the focus is on baby animals, the adults of the same animals are pictured and information about the baby and adult given.

The book is arranged by environment:
  • "Introduction & Baby Basics"
  • "Grassland Babies"
  • "Water Babies"
  • "Mountain and Desert Babies" 
  • "Forest Babies"
  • "Polar Babies"
  • And then... map, parent tips, glossary, etc.
Little Kids First Big Book of Baby Animals has a fantastic array of photographs that capture anyone's attention whether a young child or an older person. And the instruction within these 100+ pages is first rate and so very valuable.

While this is an informational book teaching the types and differences of animals and what the babies are like, the book also has a correlating question for the young child to ponder. Examples: After the Beluga Whale... "What are some of the different sounds you can make?" After the Artic Wolf... "How many people are in your family pack?"

I highly recommend this book and consider it a treasure and a must-have for libraries - home, school, and public.

About the book: Newest addition to the best-selling series! From panda cubs and prairie dog pups to beluga calves and fuzzy flamingo chicks, meet more than 40 animal babies from every corner of the globe and find out how these wee wild ones are born, where they live, what their families are like, how they get their food, and how they learn to do things on their own―all the things that are important to young humans, too!

Features include:

  • A map that shows where these animals are found in the wild
  • Questions in each chapter that encourage interactive learning
  • Simple text for reading aloud or for beginning readers
  • Engaging photography of real animals in their habitats
  • Parent tips that extend the experience beyond the book

Expertly vetted, the National Geographic Readers series has drawn high critical praise from the likes of School Library Journal ("Highly Recommended") and Booklist (“Reliable in format and solid in execution, this series works well to introduce children of varying levels of reading comfort to nonfiction and research formats.”). 

National Geographic Readers: Mythical Beasts (L3) (paperback, ages 7-9)


My thoughts:  This National Geo Kids publication was a bit of a disappointment for me. While it contained interesting bites of information, and while it drew some connection between mythical beasts and creatures that really exist, it failed in making an impact on me.

I found it cluttered in presentation and lacking in connectivity. It does, truly, have good and interesting information. I just didn't quite enjoy it as much as usual NG books for kids.

About the book: Calling all fans of unicorns, dragons, sea monsters, and fantastical beasts! This Level 3 reader explores animals that are mistaken for mythical creatures, critters that are almost too weird for reality, and other creatures with incredible abilities.


National Geographic Readers: Bling! (L3) (paperback, ages 7-9)


My thoughts: An interesting little book that presents the types of rocks and their formation and how some are truly gem stones.

As an introduction to geology, I found it adequate though the book's title Bling! is somewhat misleading. True, gems come from rocks. But the title seems to indicate more about gem stones than rock formations.

Still a nice presentation and good facts.

About the book: In this Level 3 reader, discover fascinating facts about the incredible rocks and minerals under our feet and deep in Earth’s crust. Budding geologists will love reading about how rocks form, learning the names and features of the coolest rocks and minerals, and exploring rare and beautiful gemstones. 


GIVEAWAY
All 6 National Geographic Books to 1 Winner
Begins April 13
Ends May 9 @ 12:01 a.m. EDT
Open to USA addresses only.
DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary copies to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. Winner's copies are provided and shipped directly to the winner by MMPublicity or Publisher. Chat With Vera is not responsible for lost or misdirected prizes.

8 comments:

  1. "Find (1) other think of interest on this website and comment on it in comments on my review."

    Kids.nationalgeographic.com has neat "nature boom time" videos!

    ReplyDelete
  2. "(1) Do you provide your child (or child you have some influence) with fiction or non-fiction books?"

    I like to think we have a good bit of influence, and holidays and birthdays are always a time for books as gifts, both fiction and non-fiction!

    "(2) Which do you prefer for yourself - fiction or non-fiction?"

    I like both!

    "(3) Do you have a SPECIFIC Nat'l Geo Kids book you RECOMMEND?"

    "Tales From the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love, and Betrayal" is a wonderful book, with all sorts of classic tales!

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1. Yes, we always have non-fiction as well as fiction books for children.
    2. I enjoy non-fiction but usually read fiction books.
    3. I think kids especially enjoy the National Geographic Kids Almanac for each year.
    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  4. My grandson reads both fiction and nonfiction! We love National Geographic Books.

    ReplyDelete
  5. (1) Do you provide your child (or child you have some influence) with fiction or non-fiction books? -- ficition great niece loves her books

    (2) Which do you prefer for yourself - I usually go with ficition I read a wide range of books. I have books by favorite authors that I reread

    (3) Do you have a SPECIFIC Nat'l Geo Kids book you RECOMMEND? at least 3 years my great great nephew told me while visting from TN that he wanted me to sent him dinosaur books BUT not baby ones. So I buy the Natl Geo dinosaur books thru amazon so they remember which one's I have boutght. When he first got them he made his mother her grandmother read to him but now he is reading a lot of them himself.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I read you CBD review and posted there and on instragram. YES PLEASE HAVE A GIVEAWAY. I would love to have a strong one for my hands and knee.

    ReplyDelete
  7. influence) with fiction or non-fiction books? Both.

    (2) Which do you prefer for yourself - fiction or non-fiction? Nonfiction.

    (3) Do you have a SPECIFIC Nat'l Geo Kids book you RECOMMEND? National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks

    ReplyDelete
  8. DID NOT enter the contest but I was reading about it "Trees take care of humans by helping create clean air for us to breathe, providing shade from the sun, giving us beautiful scenery, and much more." This is a great thing for kids to learn early in life.


    National Geographic Kids Almanac 2023 - I think this is going to be a great books for kids to learn from I will be ordering a couple of these for my great niece and great great nephew

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment here at Chat With Vera. If you need to contact me directly, please use the "Comment Me" email associated with this blog and posted in the sidebar.