Reviewed by Kylie Buckley
Australia’s Baby Animals is a highly engaging and visually pleasing nonfiction picture book that introduces a young audience to a myriad of baby animals. The animals are represented in five categories according to their biome: earth babies, sky babies, tree babies, river babies, and sea babies. Each double-page spread includes illustrations and information about 6-10 baby animals, including their common name, scientific name, and a small paragraph of fascinating facts for each.
The beginning of the book hosts pages that will introduce an early childhood audience to a range of tier 3 vocabulary, building them a base of knowledge before delving into the main text. For example, instead of a bland alphabetical glossary on the last page, this book includes a visually pleasing double-page spread of words and their definitions that are helpful for readers to understand before proceeding. The first few pages also explain classification types, vertebrates, invertebrates, as well as biomes.
Australia’s Baby Animals has been created by the talented Melbourne-based author and illustrator Jess Racklyeft. Her text gives readers an insight into a diverse array of newborn Australian wildlife while her stunning watercolour spot illustrations allow children to visualise these animals and consolidate their understanding. The format is equally advantageous for browsing or reading from cover to cover.
Australia’s Baby Animals is a companion book to Australia: Country of Colour (CBCA Honour Award: Eve Pownall Category) which celebrates Australia’s animals, plants, and landscapes.
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