Who Am I?: An Animal Guessing Game
by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page; illus. by Steve Jenkins
Preschool    Houghton    40 pp.    g
11/17    978-0-544-93539-6    $14.99

“Who Am I?” ask seven animals, including a rabbit, crab, monkey, and flamingo. Viewers are first challenged with a set of five or six clues to each creature’s identity, including phrases and accompanying illustrations that describe mainly physical attributes and food sources, plus a few habitats and behaviors (“I have…a long grippy tail, ten nimble toes, eight clever fingers, soft brown fur, and a banana to eat!”). Each statement uses descriptive vocabulary and encourages age-appropriate scientific and mathematical observation: children are encouraged to count, characterize, and identify as they encounter each clue. Turn the page, and an eye-catching cut-paper illustration of the animal in an active pose fills the spread. The use of general terms to label each creature in the main text (“owl”; “crab”) ensures a high rate of successful identifications. Detailed information about the actual species portrayed (the “owl” is a great horned owl; the “crab” a ghost crab) is found in the back matter, where field guide–like details about size, food, habitats, and other facts and features are presented in question-and-answer format.

From the September/October 2017 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.