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Colossal Creature Count: Add Up All of the Animals to Solve Each Scene Review by Lori Hooten
Illustrated by Daniel LimonBarron’s Educational Series, Inc.
800-645-3476
250 Wireless Blvd
Hauppauge, NY 11788
http://www.BarronsEduc.com
The joy of the challenge issued silently in a hidden-picture search is brought to colossal proportions in this charmingly illustrated book of animals and habitats. Illustrator Daniel Limon has brought us a unique and fun look at taxonomy and ecology mixed in with numbers and hide-and-seek.
The introduction finds us reading about Dr. Christopher T. Axonomy and Dr. Michelle E. Cology. These fictional scientists have been counting different species of animals from all over the world, in many different habitats. They have even stumbled across some rare animal species. These scientists are hit with some bad weather, and their notes are messed up. They need help getting their notes back in order.
This is where the reader comes in. Within each habitat, the reader has to find out how many of each kind of animal there are. By counting and recording the findings in the chart on the page, the reader is helping classify and number the animals. Each chart has a drawing of the animals to find, a box to record the number in, and a total at the bottom. After counting, the numbers must add up to the total. If not, some animals have escaped detection and the counting needs to begin again.
There are 18 different habitats drawn to explore. From the Nile River to the Great Barrier Reef, from the Himalayas to the African Savanna, from the Galapagos Islands to the abyss, there are plenty of habitats and animals that inhabit them to learn about.
Do note that these are illustrations, not photographic images, thus there is some artistic license taken in the drawing. It is sometimes hard to correlate the drawn image to an animal you already know. The habitats are not really studiable from these illustrations, though it doesn’t detract from the fun this book provides. The answers to how many of each animal are found in each habitat is located on a picture at the back of the book, allowing a child to self-check if needed.
While the illustrations themselves may not be realistic enough to study, they do provide a fantastic jumping off point for additional study or a fun, final activity for a unit study of one of these animals or habitats. Colossal Creature Count is a fun activity book, suitable for just about any age that enjoys animals or hidden-picture-style books. Colossal Creature Count is colossal fun!
—Product review by Lori Hooten, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2017
