ORANGUTAN HATS AND OTHER TOOLS ANIMALS USE

Animal behavior and ingenuity on full display!

Beginning with a definition of a tool while providing historical background regarding human observations of animals’ use of tools, this fascinating selection then jumps into a nicely structured explanation of tool use by a large variety of animals throughout the world. The sections are broken down by type of use (hygiene, health, defense, obtaining and eating food, comfort, and play), which include subsections regarding specifics. The section on health, for example, is broken down into sunscreen, tick removal, antiseptic, pain relief, and burn cream; paragraphs within each section focus on the actions of different animals: Elephants make their own sunscreen from straw, grass, mud, and sometimes vomit! Realistic full-page and spot illustrations with a bit of whimsy (check out the macaques flossing their teeth) appear in each spread while straightforward text explains how each animal uses each tool. This is an unexpectedly complicated topic, and readers may not be familiar with all of the concepts mentioned (youngsters may not understand what a developmental activity is, for instance, here used to describe the importance of play), but a glossary is included, and the wealth of information mitigates concerns over the few ideas that are not explicitly defined. Overall, it’s an excellent choice for research or pleasure reading that will likely lead children to observe the animal world on their own.

Readers will devour this dynamic and informative explanation of the inventiveness to be found within the animal world.