- Non-Fiction
- Ages 4–8
- Nature
The Big Book of Beasts
Part of the The Big Book of... universeOpen the collection
A big, beautifully illustrated tour of the world's wildest animals, from bears and tigers to armadillos and the Tasmanian devil, with facts from nature expert Barbara Taylor. The second title in Yuval Zommer's Big Book series.
- Best for4–8
- FormatNon-fiction
- Length64 pp
- Read aloud~26 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
Tone
- Warm
- Whimsical
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Big Book of Beasts brings some of the grizzliest, hairiest and most fearsome animals in the world to life across Yuval Zommer's whimsical, oversized spreads, with facts drawn from nature consultant Barbara Taylor. Young readers first learn what makes a beast a beast — a wild animal that cannot be tamed, each with its own way of defending itself — before meeting specific creatures including bears, tigers, wolves, sloths, hyenas, warthogs, baboons, cheetahs and armadillos, each on its own richly detailed page. Thematic spreads roam wider still, looking at mythical beasts, Ice Age beasts, the beasts that live on your street, and how to help animals in danger of extinction. Every page is scattered with searchable details and short, memorable facts. The large format and picture-book charm make it a natural read-aloud for a four- or five-year-old, while the facts and search-and-find challenges reward older children reading alone. It is a browseable, returnable first reference for any young animal-lover.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best shared aloud from around 4, when the search-and-find spreads and read-aloud facts land hardest, and read independently by curious 6–9s. A browsing-and-poring book rather than a bedtime read.
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- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 4–8
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Wild animals
- Nature facts
- Beautiful illustrations
- Spotting book
- First reference
Avoid if
- Wants single story arc
- Prefers sparse pages
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in science
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A strong anchor text for an animals or habitats topic in KS1/lower KS2, with labelled facts and search tasks children can use to practise retrieval and write their own animal reports.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The beasts are exactly the fierce, strange and hairy ones children want to know about, and Zommer's crowded spreads hide creatures to find on every page. The facts — who hunts, who hides, who could bite — are the kind kids love to reel off.
- Being a detective
- Secret world
Why parents love it
A big, handsome book that reads aloud to a four-year-old and holds up as a fact source for a curious seven-year-old, with expert facts from Barbara Taylor. The art is beautiful enough that adults enjoy it too.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Educational for adult too
- Conversation starter
About the author & illustrator
Yuval Zommer.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
