Miow! (Big Cats (Eye Wonder) - Dorling Kindersley)

Member Name: wendybull

Product:	Big Cats (Eye Wonder) - Dorling Kindersley
Date:	13/03/08 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent photos adn very well set out

Disadvantages: Nothing

My son does enjoy being read fictional stories at bedtime but an even bigger love of his is animals, so it came as no surprise when the books he brought home from the school library for us to read together, were animal information books.

This book was one of these and we have since gone on to buy our own copy from Amazon at a really reasonable price.

Out of all the animals the Big Cats of the wild are one of my sons favourites and this book is really jam packed with every type of big cat you could think of. It covers all the usual suspects like lions and tigers but also talks about more elusive big cats like the snow leopard and the lynx.

What I like as a parent in this book, is that it has clear and defined sections for me to read. Each little snippet of information is written in an easy to see block of text, with not too much information being thrown at me. Each little segment has its own title which helps me to pick and choose which parts to read when.

Another reason I like this set up within this book is because my son is not a confident reader and at age 6 he is behind some of his classmates when it comes to reading, so to find a book and subject that he is enthralled with, means I can read to him and easily show him the part I am reading. This enables him to follow my words on the section of page we are reading and hopefully, after time, begin to recognise some more unusual words and also some of the more familiar ones.

Also there are some stunning photos accompanying the text. I really do think they have found some excellent shots and as I read to my son you can see his eyes drinking in every detail that has been gloriously printed on the page.

The subjects it covers are really interesting as well and I have found myself learning new facts that I find amazing and really interesting as well as we have read through the pages of this book. It covers things such as habitats and this is something that my son seems especially interested in. He soaks this information up like a sponge and you can often hear him talking to his friends or mine about where certain animals live in the world.

Some of the pages show the big cats hunting and taking down deer and such like. There is also one shot of a pride of lions feeding on a Wildebeest, however none of the photographs are particularly graphic and unless your child is really very sensitive the fact that another animal has been killed, I don't think there would be any issues in letting them read or look at this book.

With 45 pages of big cat facts and photos this is not a book you could read all in one sitting, although my son would happily sit for the length of time it would take as he loves it so much, however, a few pages each night of me reading and then allowing my son to look at it for a while before he settles down for bed is incredibly satisfying for him and I love the fact that he knows more about these animals than a lot of adults.

If you find your child has a love for animals, especially the lions and tigers etc, then this book is definitely worth investing in for the excellent child friendly layout and word structuring and the amazing colourful photos.

Highly recommended.

Summary: Recommended x