This book is a great stepping stone to introducing informational texts to younger grades. The content is at the level of younger grades but it is laid out as a informational text. I love how the text is comprehendible by young students but also is full of content. This would be a great book to have in any classroom library. I have found the national geographic is great for any students who have very specific interests, as national geographic books have a large variety of specific informational books. This would be a great book to keep in a classroom library!! ( )

This book was about meerkats and it was telling us what Meerkats do everyday. Meerkats dig holes underground, so it's like a home but if it's an emergency like there is a predator arrives then they dig a hole so they can survive. But meerkats always protect each other and each animal has its own job. Like babysitting there are some meerkats that have to babysit some a baby.

Meerkats are really cool because i didn't know that an animal can eat a scorpion. It's also really cool because they also stick together. I really like Meerkats because they work as a team. I wish i could have a meerkat for a pet. I like how the book told us the animal and what the like to eat. I would give this book a three and a half star because there were some things i didn’t like. So on one of the pages it said that babies need milk, and just thought that was just nasty. But what I did like about the book was that the group of meerkats work as a team and protect one another. ( )

a detailed description of meerkats: where they live, what they eat, how they survive, what their babies look like.
4 books

Summary: Meerkats sports a host of beautiful color picture, which National Geographic is known for. Each page offers facts or descriptions, which assist in offering children a better understanding of the Meerkat. The larger text makes reading easier for the children. The book also features jokes and key vocabulary.
Media: photographs
Genre/Critique: This is an example of and Informational book, with fun facts, and an inviting format of photos and text. ( )

In my opinion, this is an interesting, informative book on meerkats. I liked the book because the colorful illustrations are appropriate to the story and enhance what is being said within the text. As the book shows a meerkat’s claws and demonstrates how it digs holes in the ground, the text says, “How do meerkats find most of their food? They dig for it!” The reader will see the picture of the claws and of the meerkat digging the hole and will understand the content of the text. Next, I liked the book due to the engaging, organized information. Every time the book introduced new vocabulary words related to meerkats that a younger reader may not know, the book has a chart listed on each page of those words and their definitions. For example, the sentence in the book states, “A meerkat’s home is under the ground. It is called a burrow.” There is a chart on the bottom of the page that defines burrow as “a hole or tunnel that an animal digs to use as a home.” Also, the book uses clear language and writing that is paced well. Since the book is geared towards young readers, the text consists of short sentences, filled with basic words, and often offers pronunciations in parenthesis to help the reader. When talking about the roles that meerkats possess, the text says, “Guards watch for predators (PRED-uh-turs).” Through the short sentence and added pronunciation, young readers can move through sentences in a smoother manner to gain better understanding of the book. It offers just enough information in small sentences in order for the reader to keep a steady reading pace. Overall, the main idea of the book is to give background information and facts on meerkats in order for the reader to learn about the habits, attitudes, and actions of this type of animal. The point is to teach the reader that meerkats belong to the mongoose family, enjoy digging, have designated roles, live with family, protect one another, and like to eat beetles and scorpions. ( )