Close to You: How Animals Bond

Kajikawa's use of poetic, descriptive language coupled with adorable photos will delight both children and their parents. Elementary educators may consider using the text to model the use of interesting verbs and adjectives. Open-ended questions at the end will prompt discussion of caring as a character education trait. Finally, a picture index explaining how baby animals bond with their parents makes this an excellent choice for school or home libraries.

The pictures are absolutely charming and my 3-yr. old niece just loves them. I love to "act out" the various ways of hugging and rubbing noses and so forth, which makes her laugh a lot. She loves helping me read the text to her too - a very cute rhyming verse - and asks for me to read it all the time when I visit with her. Sooo, I am bonding with her while reading a book about bonding. Neat. The author has done a great job of matching photos to text, plus there is that interesting list in the back of the book about animal gestation facts. Also, a list of questions to ask the child about who cares about them and how they show love to others. As I said - it's a warm and fuzzy book. I highly recommend it.

As a former children's librarian, I was always looking for books that were perfect for reading to toddlers and preschoolers, and this book has it all! The photography is entrancing - gorgeous colors and simple striking presentation; the text is fun but lyrical, and it even includes a list in the back of cool animal facts, like age of an animal's independence. This is lovely for a lap sit or group reading.

My daughter loves this book, and I love reading it with her. It is informative and sweet. Perfect for snuggling up with at bed time. Children will also love the photos of real animal mommies/daddies and babies. I recommend it highly.

Close to You: How Animals Bond This lovely book is perfect for the young child's natural interest in animals. The photos are beautiful and illustrate both familiar and unusual animals. My grandchildren loved to see how the parent and baby animal relate, especially the alligator. It is a must-read for kids young and old.