ANIMAL FACT/ ANIMAL FABLE

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 1979. ANIMAL FACT/ ANIMAL FABLE. Illus. by Diane de Groat. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 9780517537947.


PLOT SUMMARY
Seymour Simon examines popular myths about animals and determines whether they are true or not. The format of the book is a guessing game. A myth is listed with a humorous cartoon depicting the description of the myth. The reader must turn the page to learn if the myth is fact or fable.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Everyone loves to play games. Seymour Simon is a former science teacher and it is obvious he's learned to incorporate games into teachable moments. There are twenty animal myths examined in this book. Simon begins each fact or fable quiz with the myth printed at the bottom of the page and a humorous cartoon of the myth above the statement. Students could determine as a group or by themselves the answer before they turn the page. The following page uses bold lettering to begin with "FACT" or "FABLE", followed by the explanation. Simon keeps his explanations very simple so that children of a younger age could understand it. Even though this book was written in 1979, the answers are timeless. Children of all ages love to read and learn about animals. You can open the book anywhere and begin reading. I can see students reading this again and again until they get all the answers correct!

Children love to read books that are funny. The cartoon drawings by Diane de Groat are so outrageous, kids can't help but laugh when they read the myth page. The drawings de Groat uses on the answer pages are totally different. They are actual representations of the animal, many depicted in their natural habitat. The answer page is washed with color and the text is printed on top of the illustration. The large print is easy to read and does not detract from the painting.

PERSONAL OPINION
I enjoyed reading this book myself. I too played it as a guessing game. There are many non-fiction books about animals that get bogged down in the detail. The simple explanations make it easy for any age to read and understand. I can see a child reading this book and sharing it with others to see if they got the answers right.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
"The best kind of book, one that entertains while it educates."

CONNECTIONS
Students could take one of the twenty animals from the book and find five facts not listed in the book about the animal.
The teacher could prepare a Fact and Fable game. One separate note cards write the word FACT and FABLE. Take the myths from this book and write them on individual note cards. Put them in a pile face down. Students would draw a card and determine if it was a fact or fable and place it in the correct pile. Another student or the teacher could use the book to tell them if they were right or wrong.
The class could brainstorm other animal myths and research them as a class to determine if they were fact or fable.

Students who liked this book might like:

Bryant, Mark. THE CAT NAME COMPANION: FACTS AND FABLES TO HELP YOU NAME YOUR FELINE. ISBN 9780806516714

Meltzer, Milton. HOLD YOUR HORSES! A FEEDBAG FULL OF FACT AND FABLE.
ISBN 9780060244774

Miller, Karen and Sergio Ruzzier. MONSTERS AND WATER BEASTS: CREATURES OF FACT OR FICTION? ISBN 9780805079029