A Llama Is Not an Alpaca: And Other Mistaken Animal Identities

by Karen Jameson (Author) Lorna Scobie (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Combining scientific facts with the art of poetry, this is a humorous and educational picture book about animals that look alike.

How do you tell a llama from an alpaca, an alligator from a crocodile, or a dolphin from a porpoise?

The animal kingdom is full of creatures that look so similar to others that they are often confused for each other. A Llama Is Not an Alpaca pairs rhyming animal riddles with factual responses to both teach and engage young readers as they compare and contrast features of commonly misidentified animals. How many will you get right?!

Select format:
Hardcover
$17.99

Kirkus Reviews

A promising premise sloppily handled.

Publishers Weekly

Employing puns, rhymes, and light interactivity, Jameson and Scobie probe the features that distinguish perceived animal look-alikes. Spreads encourage debate as subjects are introduced in a quiz format ("Puffin? Penguin in the sky?/ Which seabird can really fly?"), and page turns reveal the answers with playfully explanatory prose ("Waddle, waddle! Weighing just over a pound, puffins are light enough for flight"). Comparisons vary in difficulty and range across species pairings, which include hares/rabbits, clams/oysters, frogs/toads, as well as the titular llama/alpaca. Scobie uses soft-edged, scribbly graphic techniques to showcase friendly looking species as they mingle and gaze with big googly eyes. When the motley group comes together in a final smile-filled scene, it's to celebrate the reader's savvy and reinforce the wildly informative fun on display. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"A guessing game for readers who are a little hazy on the differences between turtles and tortoises, dolphins and porpoises, and other often confused animal cousins."—Kirkus Reviews
Karen Jameson
A former teacher, Karen Jameson holds a master's degree in education. She's the author of Moon Babies, Woodland Dreams, Farm Lullaby, Where the Wee Ones Go, and Shine, among other titles. Karen has published a number of nonfiction science articles in AppleSeeds and Ask magazines. She has won a special mention picture book poetry award at the SCBWI CenCal Writer's Day and is the recipient of the Sue Alexander Grant.

Lorna Scobie grew up in the depths of the English countryside, climbing trees and taking her rabbit for walks in the fields. She is an illustrator and designer, now based in south-east London. Growing up surrounded by nature has heavily influenced her illustrations and her work often revolves around the natural world and animal kingdom. Lorna draws every day, and always has a sketchbook close to hand when she's out and about. She illustrates her work by hand, as she enjoys the spontaneity and also the "happy mistakes" that can happen along the way.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780762478781
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Running Press Kids
Publication date
March 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF003140 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Mammals
JNF051100 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Environmental Science & Ecosystems
JNF016000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Curiosities & Wonders
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Stories in rhyme
Identification
Indentification

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!