Animal Teachers by Janet Halfmann illustrations by Katy Hudson. Blue Apple Books, Maplewood, NJ 07040.

“Did you ever try to bite your toes?” It’s the question asked after explaining how baby chicks peck at everything, including their toes. A young child may not remember biting his toes as a baby, but chances are Mom and Dad have a photograph of it.

Animal Teachers shows how animal parents teach their babies how to do things. The first page is “Food Lessons”, where we find baby chicks biting their toes. Mama has to teach the babies that toes are not food. The text asks: “Who taught you what’s good to eat?”

Each page has a parent animal teaching their baby an important skill. Then the question is posed as to who taught the child a similar skill.

“Shouting Lessons” is a particularly fun page. Prairie dog parents give their babies shouting lessons so they can be distinguished from all the other babies. “Do you yip? Can you bark? Or shout? Or yelp? How do you make yourself heard?” Kids will have a great time trying out all the different attention-getting noises they can come up with.

Did you know that penguin parents give their children singing lessons? I didn’t. Mama cheetah gives her baby running lessons. “Are you a fast runner? Have you ever chased something? Do your parents ever run after you?”

The questions on each page will undoubtedly lead to a spirited dialog between reader and child, and Katy Hudson’s big, bold illustrations perfectly depict the loving relationship between animal parents and their babies. This book is sure to charm both the child and the adult reader.