Touch and Explore: Pets Hardcover – Touch & Feel, April 4, 2017

There are all kinds of animals in this book and one of them just might be your pet! Some kids have dogs and cats, but those who live in apartments might not be able to have them. Say, how about that guinea pig, “the little furball?” It’s easy to see that he has little ears, whiskers, and lots of fuzzy fur. What you can’t easily see are those “four long teeth in front for chewing hay and grains.” They are furry cuddlebugs, but don’t “forget that [they] need to move and get exercise” because they ♥ to eat!Some people enjoy having birds around because they are not only smart, but fun. The canary has a “hard beak” and “little feet covered in scales.” One interesting thing is the fact that you can hold them in your hands, but, as the canary in this book exclaims, “don’t cover my head!” In this book you’ll be able to touch and explore all kinds of facts about several animals including the cat, dog, guinea pig, hamster, fish, canary, mouse, and rabbit.This is a fun, fascinating book that’s similar to the TouchThinkLearn series for the younger child. This particular board book not only has offers up the tactile experience that will awaken the sensory system, but it’s also a learning experience. It’s not set up in the manner of the curriculum-based nonfiction book, but takes a more casual approach. There are a couple of “doors” in the cat and dog sections along with a tiny one in the back.For example, we learn from the kitten’s mouth that “I am like an acrobat. People say I always land on my feet.” When we open the door, we find her curled up in her bed and learn that she often will “sleep longer than you do.” In the back of the book is a marvelously vibrant two-page spread of a pet store, a store that just might prompt the very young reader to learn even more about pets!•► CERTIFICATIONS:ASPIAASTEn71TOUCH AND EXPLORE:Touch and Explore: SafariTouch and Explore: The OceanTouch and Explore: DinosaursTouch and Explore: PetsTouch and Explore: FarmTouch and Explore: Baby AnimalsThis book courtesy of the publisher.

My 18 months old reads it daily, awesome book, I love the pastel colors!

Toddlers are obsessed with this book.

My daughter loved this book but I found some of the depictions and descriptions of animals questionable. The book displays a Guinea pig in an exercise wheel which is not appropriate. I have 26+ years of experience with Guinea pigs, and it is generally considered abuse to put them in exercise wheels. They are not good for the Guinea pig’s spines, and they tend to be too large to fit properly in wheels or balls. I do not like the depiction of a Guinea pig on a wheel in this book and worry it might give people the wrong idea of what is considered appropriate for them. It would have been better to depict a Guinea pig munching on hay. One of the pages also depicts a tortoise (specifically a big eared slider) and not a freshwater turtle.

This latest addition to the Touch and Explore series once again gives our youngest readers a perfect introduction to non-fiction. Kids who open these sturdy board pages will get the chance to feel a furry hamster, guinea pig, puppy and kitty. They can pat a hard turtle shell, pet a mouse and stroke a cuddly rabbit. The textures don't vary all that much. Aside from the hard shell turtle, all these animals present as furry little friends. There are a few flaps to lift to learn more information, and a final trip to the pet store to gaze at a really pretty, iridescent iguana.The best thing about this series and this book, is that it combines a solidly entertaining visual and textural experience with some actual facts about each animal. Sure they are pretty basic facts,but they still provide an informational core that is uncommon in books of this type. This series and this volume are all excellent purchases for any toddler or young preschool collection. The surprisingly sturdy construction will ensure that this book will be around for many repeat reads. An enthusiastic recommend.*received from publisher for review purposes.

I did not like the book at all. The “touch” was all the same material and not all the animals were “touchable”. I also thought the book was boring.

My daughter received this book as a gift. It’s very sweet, but I was alarmed to see that the page about guinea pigs depicts a pig on a hamster wheel. This is absolutely not safe for these animals and they are not supposed to use wheels. I worry about a child or parent reading this book and assuming it’s factually correct and adding a dangerous wheel to their pig’s cage, especially since the book stresses that guinea pigs require exercise (which is a strange thing to emphasize, in my opinion as a pig owner of 7 years!). I am frankly shocked that this book made it to publication with such a big error intact. The page facing this one is about hamsters — why not put the wheel on that page where it belongs?!