explore the world with Jeff Corwin :: review

When I was in college, I babysat for a family who homeschooled and one of their boys was fascinated with animals. We spent a lot of time outside playing with bugs and lizards and anything that creeped or crawled. And when it was time for bed, they were allowed one short TV show and one book. They had a selection of shows recorded on VHS (you remember those, right?) and there were always tears shed when the siblings couldn’t decide between Going Wild with Jeff Corwin and Bear in the Big Blue House. Fast forward a handful (or two) of years and my kids are the homeschool kids, one of which is fascinated with all things science. The boy loves facts and can rattle off an incredible amount of information about space and marine life and paleontology and Star Wars.

Although my children had never heard of Jeff Corwin before now, they all enjoyed looking at his Explorer Series pocket guides. Each guide gives an introduction to the species and then information about the species’ anatomy, senses, and behaviors (such as how they hunt, feed, sleep, reproduce and socialize). The guide also gives tips on what to do – or what NOT to do – if you encounter one of these animals in the wild. And they also go into some detail about threats that these animals face and what kinds of conservation efforts are being done to help keep these animals safe. In the center of each guide, there are drawings of various animals within the species. These drawings show the distinctive features of each particular animal and lists a few stats about the animal – like where the animal lives and it’s height, weight, and life span.

My kids really love these and it may sounds silly but my favorite thing about them is that even though they are small and flat enough to fit in a coat pocket, they are folded so that you can give them a spine if you want. We have so many small books that go on a shelf and don’t get looked at because you can’t see the spine when you’re trying to pick what to read next.

I’m also really impressed with how much information they packed into such a small space. It’s certainly too much to take in during just one read-through, but it’s a great resource tool that you can refer to often when talking about the different animals.

Jeff Corwin Explorer Series :: $7.95 each
Series covers Wild Cats, Wild Dogs, Primates, Snakes, Sharks, and Bears.

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