AUTHOR: Elizabeth Carney
ISBN-13: 9781426307553
Publisher: National Geographic Society
Publication date: 1/11/2011
Series: National Geographic Readers Series
Pages: 48
Sales rank: 46,171
Age range: 6 - 8 Years A Level 3 book in the "National Geographic Readers" series targeted to kids who are reading fluently
Product dimensions: 5.80 (w) x 8.80 (h) x 0.20 (d)
Format : paperbook
Rating : 5 stars
Synopsis
Chocolate or vanilla? Creamy peanut butter or crunchy? Cats or dogs? On some matters in life, every kid must take a stance. Ever since the first youngster in history had a pet, cats vs. dogs has been a hotly debated issue at recesses and lunch tables worldwide. Which one's better? Smarter? This reader presents the facts in fun and informative fashion. Kids will love the stimulating Level 3 text as they decide the answer to this question for themselves.
My thought
The two most popular pets in the world are dogs and cats. Each person who owns one thinks their pet is the best. It all starts with the ancestors of these domestic animals—whose was the scariest? In this case, cats win hands down since a wolf would be no match for a lion or a tiger—the big cats. But never fear, dogs have the most sensitive noses with twice as many scent cells as cats. When it comes to hearing, cats are the winners—they can hear a mouse scurrying and their hearing is three times greater than that of humans. Cats communicate with their tails and so do dogs, but dogs win here because they have more ways of using their tails to communicate. Dogs also communicate better in general and are more social. Cats are cleaner and sleep more than dogs. They are both smart and each makes a wonderful pet. Terms are defined on the pages in inset boxes and additional facts are often offered. The layout uses excellent photographs and has paw prints running across the top of every page; a bit busy but still appealing. There are also jokes interspersed throughout and most are puns. For kids who are looking for a pet or want to know more about one that they have there is plenty of useful information in this book.
There are a lot of contests in the book like Senses, Diet, Communication, and Behavior. The book tells you what each animal can do or is like. At the end of each little chapter, there’s a box that tells you who’s the winner–cats, dogs, or a tie.
Cats won a lot and dogs won a lot. It’s really a tie, so in the Final Showdown it shows that there’s not really one winner, there’s two…it’s a tie.
This book contains senses, diet, communication, fun facts, and behavior of cats and dogs. The real pictures will engage young readers. Younger children will love the facts on each page. They will use this information in their life and watch their cat or dog do the things mentioned in the book.
Delicious quote from book: “Find out which animal has the smoothest moves, the best hearing, and can do the smartest tricks. No matter who your favorite is, one thing is for certain: Fur will fly in this battle of the pets!” pg.5
