Caramel the bunny is here again, eager to share thoughts on a favorite fact-filled book: The Magnificent Book of Animals, beautifully illustrated by Val Walerczuk and written by Tom Jackson. Sprinkles joins in to capture all the details.
A small brown and white bunny sits next to a large hardcover book titled ‘The Magnificent Book of Animals’
Sprinkles: Alright Caramel, let’s dive into this book. What stands out to you first?
Caramel: It’s a really big book, especially for a little bunny like me!
S: That’s very true! Let’s show everyone just how big it is compared to you.
Caramel the bunny standing upright next to the tall ‘The Magnificent Book of Animals’ to show scale
C: See? I look tiny next to The Magnificent Book of Animals!
S: Yes, I see that. But despite its size, I know you’ve become quite attached to it lately.
C: I really have! I love looking through the pages, seeing the pictures, and learning all the facts about the different animals inside.
Exploring the Animal Kingdom
S: So, which animals does the book feature?
C: Oh, I can list them all! African elephant, red panda, reindeer, gray wolf, mandrill, flying fox, snow leopard, Przewalski’s horse, red kangaroo, lion, polar bear, dromedary, orangutan, okapi, grizzly bear, chimpanzee, arctic fox, tapir, tiger, warthog, beaver, giraffe, koala, zebra, sloth, bison, hippopotamus, gorilla, white rhinoceros, wolverine, ring-tailed lemur, ibex, leopard, duck-billed platypus, striped hyena, and bush baby.
S: Wow, that’s quite a list! I admit, I haven’t heard of all of them. A mandrill, for instance?
C: That’s a kind of monkey.
S: I was also unfamiliar with the ibex, dromedary, okapi, and Przewalski’s horse.
C: Przewalski’s horse is the oldest horse breed! And the okapi is a large animal from Central Africa with an incredibly long tongue – it can lick its own eyes and ears! Sounds a bit gross, doesn’t it?
S: Well, keeping clean is important! What about the dromedary and the ibex?
C: Dromedaries are a type of camel. The ibex is like a goat and lives high up on mountains. One of my absolute favorites is the arctic fox, though. Here I am looking at its page.
Caramel the bunny looks closely at the arctic fox illustration page in The Magnificent Book of Animals
S: Hmm, I’m not sure a bunny would want to get too close to a real fox!
C: You might have a point there. I also really like the African elephant. Here’s the page about them.
Caramel the bunny attentively studies the African elephant page in The Magnificent Book of Animals
Stunning Illustrations and Fascinating Facts
S: So, it seems each animal gets a two-page spread featuring a very realistic drawing and some interesting facts.
C: The drawings are amazing! I don’t understand how Val Walerczuk could draw them like that. It seems impossible.
S: What makes you say that?
C: They look so incredibly real! The eyes look like they’re actually reflecting light, and it feels like they’re looking right back at me!
S: You’re right, Caramel. The illustrations truly make The Magnificent Book of Animals live up to its name. And the facts are captivating too, aren’t they?
C: Definitely. I learned from this book that the arctic fox’s fur changes color! It goes from white in winter to grayish brown in summer to help it blend in.
S: That’s fascinating! It’s easy to see why you haven’t tired of this book, even after reading it so many times.
Caramel the bunny sits contentedly with the open ‘The Magnificent Book of Animals’, showing detailed illustrations
C: Exactly! I want to read it hundreds and thousands of times more! So, we should wrap up this review.
S: Okay. How should we sign off?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
