From the title, you would never guess (unless you read the fine print in the title) what this book is about! This book is not only about dogs nor is it about dessert. It is about how a few animals help humans. My daughter enjoys learning animal facts so actually put this book on her "want" list. We checked this one out at the library. She enjoys surprising people with how much she knows about animals.

Readers learn that dogs help people by guarding their homes. How can they do this so well? Dogs have excellent sight, hearing, and sense of smell. Their voice warns people about intruders. The simple color picture shows us a dog standing in front of a door with his ear cocked. What is a honeyguide? It is a bird that leads humans to honey. The people open up the hive and the little bird gets to eat honey too. The picture shows the bird in front of honeycomb. Silkworms spin silk which helps people make clothing from the silk. The silkworm is encased in a cocoon and spins silk threads from it's mouth in the picture. What about cats? What good are they to humans? Cats can hunt down people's pests including rats, mice, and bugs not only in homes but also in barns. The picture shows a yellow cat holding a mouse by the tail in it's mouth! Can elephants help people too? Yes they knock down trees and carry heavy loads assisting people in Asia. The picture shows a blue elephant with a log in his trunk. Other animals spoken about in this informative book are horses, sheep, water buffalo, and chickens. Each has a picture of the animal doing something helpful to people. Each page before the animal facts are shown, the book asks readers "Do ... make dessert?". Then gives the facts on the next page.

The last two pages have a list of the same animals with how they help people divided up into the different ways they help such as "some animals give people things to wear". The glossary includes words like buggy, pest, and keen. A list gives us other books to check out if we want more information and also websites to visit. An index gives us a handy page number when we are searching for a particular item. This 24 page book has one to five lines of larger text with bright illustrations. The colorful backgrounds of mostly solid colors make the animals stand out. These are cartoon animals, not real animals which I think would have been better for this nonfiction book. My daughter enjoyed that animals like the water buffalo were included as she didn't know what they did to help people. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

What is so good about THIS book?


animal facts presented in a fun way, engaging


What is unique about this book?


how animals help people


Is it worth the price?


yes a wonderful addition to a child's library


There has to be some bad to this book, right?


Real animal pictures weren't used. Silly presentation to a nonfiction book.


Any warnings people should be aware of?


None.


Final verdict:


My daughter enjoyed that animals like the water buffalo were included as she didn't know what they did to help people. Recommended for ages 3 and up.