If an Elephant Went to School

For those of you with animal-loving little ones at home, I’ve got just the book for you! If an Elephant Went to School, by Ellen Fischer, is an adorable and surprisingly informative story. The book features several different animals and asks about what they might learn if they were to go to school. The prediction is always something that a child might learn at school, and that’s followed up with interesting information about that animal: “If a zebra trotted into a schoolroom, what would he learn? The days of the week? DOUBTFUL. A zebra would learn how to sleep standing up. WITHOUT A PILLOW!” Besides finding out that zebras sleep standing up (I thought that was just flamingos!), the book also reveals that eels can swim backward, frogs catch bugs with their tongues, owls clean and groom their feathers using their beaks, and much more.

In addition to providing some great information on animals, this book is a subtle introduction to what school is like, ending with a kid saying: “If I went to school, what would I learn? How to change colors like a chameleon? NO WAY! I would learn to…READ, WRITE, SHARE, and MAKE FRIENDS. What would YOU learn?” Check out this silly, informative, and fun conversation-starter! And if you like it, you’re likely to enjoy Fischer’s earlier book, If an Armadillo Went to a Restaurant.

A Rock Can Be...

A Rock Can Be…, the latest book from Laura Purdie Salas, celebrates the many forms and uses of rocks. The bright illustrations beautifully depict each two-word description, like “dinosaur bone,” “food grinder,” and “land connector.” These detailed pictures, combined with the light text, will surely spark conversation about how rocks are showcased in each of the scenes.

To further enhance that conversation (and help grown-ups like me, without all the answers!), there’s a section in the back of the book that gives interesting, more detailed information about each of the two-word rock descriptions. For instance, the part about food grinder says: “Many birds, including chickens, swallow pebbles to help digest their food. The pebbles stay in a special part of the chicken’s stomach. When the chicken eats, the rocks jiggle around and help grind up the swallowed food.”

What a fun book for rock lovers and other curious kids!