Is there a loris in your chorus? Have you ever played bingo with a dingo? In this book you?ll meet little-known animals with habits as odd as their names. The poems, descriptions, and fantastic facts awaken children?s curiosity, and they activities promote reading and comprehension.
— Learning Magazine (Fall 2009)
Glossy spreads introduce 13 exotic animals including the civet, dingo, hagfish, and okapi. A funny, fanciful poem about the creature, illustrated with an anthropomorphic painting, is presented on the left-hand side along with several brief paragraphs of factual information. An attractive, realistic painting depicting the critter in its natural habitat appears on the right. The book ends with a list of hidden objects for readers to find in the main illustrations and engaging enrichment activity ideas for teachers. Though not in-depth, the text is lively and interesting, and the poems (some of which take liberties with spelling and grammar) are fun to share aloud. The intermingling of fact and fancy makes this a good book for helping children to differentiate between science and literature. A supplemental purchase
— School Library Journal (July 2009)
There’s a Babirusa in My Bathtub: Fact and Fancy About Curious Creatures is a children’s picture book filled with amazing trivia about exotic animals, from the hagfish (a slimy bottom scavenger, not really an eel but sometimes called the “slime eel”) to the okapi (a relative of the giraffe that has a zebra-striped behind) to the colugo (a gliding rainforest mammal that is unable to walk). Colorful artwork and playful rhyming poems supplement the incessantly fascinating facts. An excellent book especially recommended for young animal lovers curious to learn more about strange, wonderful, and little-known species!
— Midwest Book Review (June 2009)
There’s a Babirusa in My Bathtub is an amazingly clever book that I will use repeatedly in my classroom. There are endless possibilities for this book which focuses on lesser known creatures around the world.
This is a book to read aloud again and again. Lessons on geography, fluency, vocabulary, poetry, and more are creative extensions that can stem from this beautifully illustrated book. One of the features that I was thrilled to see included was the pronunciation guide which is helpful not only for students but teachers as well! The authors included nine superb teacher ideas in the back of the text (a feature which I, as a teacher, truly appreciated). The students will love the humor, large and colorful illustrations, and fabulous fact section. This book is a true treasure!
— NSTA Recommends – Tracy Alley (December 2009)
Through jaunty poems and informative text, Maxine Rose Schur introduces 13 little-known and fascinating creatures. Michael Maydak provides one small whimsical picture and one large realistic portrait of each and turns the large portraits into ?treasure hunts? by hiding something mentioned in the accompanying poem. This playful approach will tickle curiosity and funny bones alike. Who knew that the multi-tusked Indonesian babirusa likes to box? Or that the Central American kinkajou loves honey as much as Winnie-the-Pooh does? Suggested activities at the end encourage youngsters to try penning their own wacky animal poems.
— Washington Parent – Mary Quattlebaum (January 2010)
Using a combination of humorous poetry, expository text, and both whimsical and realistic illustrations, this unique book introduces thirteen little-known animals. Fanciful poems inspire children to want to know more about the various animals – and the book delivers. Fore example, the silly poem about a babirusa splashing in a bathtub is followed by facts about this tusked animal as well as a realistic illustration of the curious creature in a river in the rainforest. The back of the book includes interactive exercises that reinforce children?s comprehension and vocabulary skills.
— National Wildlife Federation (December/January 2010)
Kids love to learn about exotic animals, and so do I! Written by Maxine Rose Schur, There?s a Babirusa in My Bathtub: Fact and Fancy About Curious Creatures starts out with an adorable poem about unfamiliar animals. 13 unique animals are featured in this book, including introductory poems and fascinating info about each creature, “fabulous facts” and gorgeous illustrations by Michael Maydak.
Have you ever even heard of a Babirusa, also known as a pig deer in its native Indonesia? What about a bat-like Coluga from Southeast Asia? A Hagfish that makes a bunch of slime to make it hard for predators to catch it? And so much more! At the back of the book are two extra pages with fun facts and activities for readers to enjoy, including a list of other rare animals worth researching. There?s a Babirusa in My Bathtub is a great book for both kids and parents to learn about unusual critters. It will surely pique children?s curiosity enough to make them want to learn more about our wide and wonderful world.
— Good Reads with Ronna – Ronna Mandel (January 2010)
This non-fiction book is filled with beautiful painted illustrations and interesting facts about rare and exotic animals from all over the world. . . . This is a perfect book for readers who enjoy more than just facts. The animals are interesting with unusual traits. There is a section for teachers with suggestions on ways to use the book in the classroom. This is the perfect book for extension lessons in comprehension, phonics, graphic organizers, vocabulary, research, and creative writing.
— Lane County ESD Book Review Program (March 2010)
Schur introduces thirteen little known animals each in a beautiful, glossy two-page spread. Animals including the Babirusa, Hagfish, and Matamata, are briefly discussed. Each spread includes a poem, a interesting yet brief narrative, and a fabulous fact about the animal. Teacher activities and a hidden picture challenge are included at the end of the book. Sure to be a hit with children and adults alike.
— New Jersey Youth Services – Michele Sealander (December 2009)
This was a very exciting book, I learned a lot about animals I had never heard of before. My favorite was the dingo. A dingo is like a dog except it doesnt bark, it howls. The weirdest animal was the Okapi (oh-ka-pee); it has a tongue long enough to clean its own ears! There is another one I liked called a kinkajou (King-kuh-joo); it loves to eat honey! Mmm! A kinkajou is a lot like a sloth except they are a little faster. The book says a kinkajou can also be a very nice pet! What? My least favorite animal I learned about is the Tasmanian Devil. They will eat anything dead or alive, even another Tasmanian Devil, ewe!
I think if I would let another child read this book, I bet they would learn a lot too. I thought the artwork was pretty good. I liked the colors they used with the animals and their habitats. Theres a Babirusa in My Bathtub is a very exciting book.
— Kids Reader Views – Madeline McElroy (age 8 ) (August 2009)
My son has recently taken an interest in animals outside of domestic/farm animals and very much enjoys hearing “fun facts” about them. So he really liked this book. I like that it is well written – not only are the poems fanciful and engaging, but the information about the animals is also written in light-spirited way with some humor. This appeals to adults and children alike. The book is sturdy and the presentation is attractive. I think the title was a very smart choice – it makes the adults smile and children giggle, thereby everyone is interested in looking at it further. This topic could have been presented in a very dry way, but the author has managed to avoid that entirely while still being educational. Lastly, the suggestions at the end of the book for further activities/games are more than just filler. I found them to be easy to do, fun, and a good complement.
— iParenting Media Awards Reviewer (August 2009)
The added educational activities in the back of the book are a wonderfully thought out addition. The children really enjoy them. This book provides a fun, interesting and educational concept of uncommon creatures. The book is made well with strong pages to resisit tearing and colorfully illistrated.
— iParenting Media Awards Reviewer (August 2009)
Most kids love to read about animals, but have you ever even heard of the babirusa, the tangalung, or the matamata? And you may have heard of the jerboa, the dingo, and the loris, but how much do you know about them? Author Maxine Rose Schur, an award-winning travel essayist and the author of several critically acclaimed children’s books, including historical novels, biographies, and picture books, combines humorous poems with factual narrative about all kinds of little-known animals from around the world. Her expository text, along with Michael S. Maydak’s fanciful yet realistic pictures, which get the reader “up close and personal” with the animals, will stimulate the curiosity of children and encourage both in wanting to read and in learning about science.
In addition to the fun for children in reading the stories and looking at the pictures, there are two pages of interactive exercises in the back of the book which will help teachers and parents to reinforce comprehension, fluency, phonics, phonemic awareness, graphic organizing, and vocabulary. Some youngsters might even be motivated to write their own poems about well-known animals in imitation, while others might be stimulated to do further research on some strange animals not described in the book (Schur provides a list of 26, from A to Z). Because it both reinforces the basics of reading and develops a passionate interest in nature, There’s a Babirusa in My Bathtub is not to be missed. By the way, if you did find a babirusa in your bathtub, what do you think that you should do?
— Stories for Children Magazine (June 2009)
“When all the animals were in the ark/ The good Lord said to Noah,/You’ve got the dog; you’ve got the frog,/But where is that little jerboa?” Thirteen clever and humorous poems feature little-known animals and their odd habits and habitats. In addition to the little Jerboa, the Babirusa, Civet, Colugo, Dingo, Hagfish, Kinkajou, Loris, Manatee, Matamata, Okapi, Tamandua, and Tasmanian Devil are featured with lush illustrations depicting their unusual environments. Endpapers contain tips for teachers and parents to promote reading and comprehension, with an emphasis on fluency, phonics, and vocabulary.
— The Children’s Hour (March/April 2009)
A baker’s dozen of exotic animals are introduced in this intriguing title. Organized alphabetically from babirusa to Tasmanian devil, each double-page spread features a poem, a short expository text, a “fabulous fact” and a striking painting that includes a hidden object or objects mentioned in the poem or text. . .
— Kirkus Reviews (March 15, 2009)
What It Is:
This book combines poetry and expository text to explore some of the world?s most fascinating but little-known animals, such as a tangalung, matamata and jerboa. Presented in alphabetical order, the animals are depicted with striking paintings of the exotic creatures in their native habitats around the globe. A “fabulous fact” on each animal is also included. Additional enrichment activities for use at home or in the classroom are provided at the conclusion of the book.
Why You Should Carry It:
This unique book will appeal to all animal lovers, who will enjoy both the catchy poems as well as the additional factual information provided on each animal and its habitat. It?s an especially good book for teachers and parents who are homeschooling their children since it encompasses both science and language arts through the combination of poetry and short factual essays on each animal.
What Kids Think: A group of 7- to 10-year-olds enjoyed both the poems and learning about these exotic creatures, which appeal to children?s love of everything weird, grotesque and dangerous!
— TD Monthly – Margo Tanenbaum (September 2009)
Maxine Rose Schur uses creativity to connect narrative and expository text throughout Theres a Babirusa in My Bathtub! Her use of poetry spawns the imagination of children about little-known animals. The book awakens the natural curiosity of children and inspires them to deeper levels of understanding in both reading and science. And for teachers she provides activities that reinforce phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development.
— Just One More Book (justonemorebook.com) (February 2009)
Maxine Rose Schur uses creativity to connect narrative and expository text throughout There’s a Babirusa in My Bathtub! Her use of poetry spawns the imagination of children about little-known animals. The book awakens the natural curiosity of children and inspires them to deeper levels of understanding in both reading and science. And for teachers she provides activities that reinforce phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development.
— Diana H. Brown, Director, National Reading Initiative (October 2008)