Sometimes the cover of a book is deceptive.  And, I think this may be one reason why selecting e-books can be so challenging.  The cover of this book appealed to me, and the title suggested to me that I and my kids might learn something.  Sadly, I was disappointed.  Their response?  They liked it well enough – but I wonder how much of that was the novelty of a picture book on the iPad.

So, here’s the cover that attracted me:

The premise of the book: “Conceptualized after years of imaginary story telling every night at bedtime. Picking an animal together, the author would tuck her children into bed and create a story where the animals lived and what their world was like all through a child’s eye.” (from the author’s website: http://www.wheredoanimalsgo.com).

But, I was disappointed with the cartoonish drawings, and the tortured rhymes, which do little more than anthropomorphize the animals described.  On one page, birds “soar through the skies to find their nests, where they finally relax, and give their wings a rest”?  And, yet, it seems to me a completely reasonable question, both from a child’s eye, as well as an adult’s, to wonder, what do birds do when it’s raining??  And, i’m sure it’s likely to be information that is available.  Maybe I’m too much of a scientist at heart.

So, I don’t recommend this book as a great work of children’s literature, or a pleasing collection of pictures.  But I feel badly about bashing a book which is being sold as a fundraiser for what is likely a very worthy cause: The Painted Turtle is a year-round camping facility and program that gives children with medical conditions the chance just to be kids and have fun in a safe camp environment.

There is a link to donate to the Painted Turtle without purchasing the book.  An option I may consider.