READER’S NAME: Jenny (Jeanette) Lockington

“Nacimientos bestiales” (“Animal Births) is a little gem of a book for children about beginnings of life in the animal world.

Beautifully detailed drawings and gentle, story-like observances of surprising animal species reveal the astonishing and affirming diversity of the natural world. Facts about the mating, birth, and growth of emperor penguins, land tortoises, seahorses, red kangaroos, blue whales, monarch butterflies, and common frogs are engagingly stated, simply and clearly, and illustrated in lovely colors and textural images of the animals and their habitats. Adults as well as youngsters might be touched by interesting behaviors in the animal world that subtly reflect on human interactions also, from shared responsibilities as parents to planning, adapting, dependence, self-reliance, and changing with growth.

“Nacimientos bestiales” would translate easily and delightfully for publication in the U.S., as children would love to learn more about these sample species offered as friends. It reads like a storybook while presenting accurate scientific truths. Families would turn to this calm and assuring look at animal natures again and again, at bedtime and at other times for soothing sharing together. Its focus on new beginnings also sets the stage for a world of possibilities to come.