Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Most Important Animal of All

Author: Penny Worms

Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Description:

Seven children champion an animal for the top spot.

Is it the ELEPHANT or the BEAVER, who both create habitats where other creatures can live and thrive?

Is it the TIGER or the SHARK, who are both top predators, or the BAT, who keeps insect populations down?

Is it the tiny KRILL, a food source for many sea creatures, or the BEE, the master pollinator?

Join the children to find out how special these creatures are in this very first introduction to ecosystems.

My Thoughts:

On the first day of school the students discover the classroom has been transformed to reflect nature. The teacher informs them that they will be learning all about animals. Their assignment for the end of the semester is to determine which animal is the most important animal of all. Seven different students make strong arguments for very different animals: elephants, beavers, tigers, sharks, bats, krill and bees. Pages are filled with factual information about how each animal contributes to the ecosystem. In the end, the message is clear that all animals are important and contribute to the world.

This book would be great for a science class, and could generate multiple lessons. I could easily see it sparking a research project where students pick different animals and justify why they are the most important.This book would also appeal to any animal or fact lover outside of the school setting. With an engaging combination of illustrations, photographs and fact captions kids will keep coming back to this book to learn about their favorite animals.