This clever picture book introduces the concept of animal characteristics by highlighting how there can be both differences and similarities within a group. For example, the zebra gallops, the bumblebee flies, the lemur leaps and the tiger prowls — “But look closer now … We all have STRIPES!” And so it goes. Again and again, readers will be surprised to find that a group of four seemingly different animals all have one trait in common — whiskers, horns, shells and the like — for a total of thirteen traits in all. Observant children will notice that one of the animals from each group also appears on the following spread with three new animals that have a different characteristic in common. Finally, all forty of the featured animals are shown together, and readers are asked to search for those with specific characteristics not already covered in the book — for example, those with spots, those who live in the ocean or those with six or more legs.

Author Heather Tekavec has discovered a fun and interactive approach to helping young children begin to explore the ways animals are classified. Pippa Curnick’s playful and engaging illustrations of the animals in their habitats are all scientifically accurate, keeping the experience both enjoyable and informative. The searching activity also works to enhance visual literacy. With a detailed glossary included, this is an ideal book for introducing early lessons on the characteristics of living things and for starting discussions on the ways all creatures are like and unlike one another.