Carnivores

Written by Aaron Reynolds
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Published 2013

Do you sometimes feel a little left out when you bite your friends?
Is it hard not to nibble on your neighbors?
If so, you might be interested in Carnivores.

Lion, Shark, and Timber Wolf are frustrated by how nobody wants them around. It’s not like they eat everybody… just some. They can’t help it, the herbivores need to be more understanding.
The first solution is to be vegetarians but it’s difficult and they feel like they might need to rethink their strategy.

This is hilarious to read out loud. The writing voice seems like it can’t comprehend what the problem is, why is the prey so upset when everyone gets eaten? Why can’t they all hang out together?

The art, especially the animals’ expressions, enhance that sense of not-quite-innocent confusion.

It’s a good funny story for any kid, but if you have a fan of wolves, sharks, or big cats then they will love this. I’d recommend for ages 3-6 for reading together, but older kids would enjoy reading on their own as well because they could catch more of the finer points of the humor.