978-0762478781 | Running Press Kids
Learning the names of familiar animals is a skill young kids develop over time. “This is a dog. That’s a cat. This is a lion. That’s a tiger.” Year by year, as children move from toddlerhood through preschool and beyond, they come to know more and more about the animal kingdom.
But there are some animals that remain confusing. They look just enough alike that it can be hard to distinguish one from another. What’s the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? How is an alpaca different from a llama? Enter Karen Jameson’s newest nonfiction for young readers: A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA: And Other Mistaken Animal Identities, illustrated by Lorna Scobie.
With short rhyming couplets that name one defining attribute, this inviting picture book makes matching the look-alike with its proper name easy for all, including for the youngest reader. A short paragraph rounds out the reader’s knowledge with a few more nuggets of additional information making the book a delightful entry point to learning more about animal characteristics and attributes.
Karen was kind enough to answer a few questions:
DIANNE: You’re no stranger to writing nonfiction. As a former classroom teacher, you have a great handle on the kinds of kid-friendly information that kids are interested in and you’re skilled at approaching each topic in a slightly different way.
KAREN: Thank you! It’s a joy to create fun, accessible nonfiction books for curious kids!
DIANNE: What sparked the idea for A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA And Other Mistaken Animal Identities? What led you to choose the rhyming format that you ended up with?
KAREN: A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA was inspired by a nature walk. I was walking along when an animal suddenly zipped in front of me, prompting the question of whether I’d just seen a chipmunk or a squirrel. Further up the trail, I paused to identify a plant and debated over whether it was a weed or a thistle. And so it went. All this reminded me that when I was teaching, my students often approached me with these types of questions. Frog or toad? Alligator or crocodile? Hmmm…Could this be a picture book? YES! Though the squirrel and chipmunk ultimately didn’t make it into the book, there were plenty of animal pairs to choose from in this quick dip into animal look-alikes.
The rhyming, question and answer format evolved from my own questions on that walk. Is it animal A or animal B and how can you tell? That became the basis for the main text. The nonfiction sidebars are written in prose and invite readers to pause and take in the facts.
DIANNE: I’m sure some animals were high on the list because kids routinely confuse them – frog vs. toad, hare vs. rabbit. Others were less obvious choices. Clam vs. oyster, for example. How did you ultimately decide which animals to include and which to leave out?
KAREN: You’ll probably laugh when you hear this! A lot of the choices I made were ultimately because I was able to come up with a good rhyme for that animal pair.:-) Some, like the aforementioned squirrel and chipmunk, were difficult to rhyme, proving too clunky. I was also drawn to those with interesting facts, such as the clam moving around on one foot. Since this is a book about “easy” ways to tell animals apart, I left out any pairs that needed a longer, more complicated explanation.
DIANNE: One of the things that makes A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA so much fun is the striking, colorful way Lorna Scobie has captured the essence of each creature. Her work is vibrant and full of life and adds a layer of eye-catching energy to the project.
Do you have a favorite spread to share with readers? Was there an favorite animal fact that you discovered while doing your research that you knew you’d have to include?
KAREN: Lorna’s art is very engaging! A combination of saturated color and playful animals, it’s the perfect complement to the “punny” text. There are so many details to explore in the illustrations, too. She thought of everything, including animal silhouettes on the endpapers – an additional opportunity for readers to identify animals.
I love them all, but the hare vs rabbit spread is especially delightful! The energetic hare bounding in to start off the book, leads us right to the page turn reveal! The juxtaposition of hares above ground and rabbits below is a visual masterpiece, concisely illustrating the difference between the two.
© Text by Karen Jameson, illustration by Lorna Scobie
The llama and alpaca- who love to spit – were high on my favorites list! So, I was thrilled that they ended up on the cover AND in the title!
DIANNE: What’s next? Do you have more nonfiction books in the works?
KAREN: I’m excited to share that I have three more nonfiction projects in the queue and others in the works. The first, WAKE UP, WOODLANDS, is the companion title to WOODLAND DREAMS, and my second collaboration with the amazing illustrator, Marc Boutavant. and Chronicle Kids. Look for it to hit stores in spring 2024! I can’t say much about the other two at this point, but suffice it to say that more animal fun awaits.
DIANNE: I can’t wait for these newest nonfiction projects, and look forward to WAKE UP, WOODLANDS next year around this time!
Thanks for stopping by stopping by ReaderKidZ!
To learn more about Karen and all her other books, visit her website HERE.
