Kids Coffee Table Books Animal Edition

It was not that long ago that I wrote about defending coffee table books and how they could benefit your kids. Felt like it was as good a time as any to get back to that idea. Summer is here so I need to think about keeping the enrichment going while they are out of school. Am I going to buy a whole new collection of coffee table books, just for my kids, no. But I think some selective purchases here and there won’t hurt.

Here goes, the animal edition of coffee table books for kids. Kids love animals, of course. I’m thinking introducing them to all sorts of animals is a good thing and also starting to have some of the slightly more difficult conversations, such as protecting animals, extinction and caring for our planet. This is all going to be the lite-version.

Best one yet, which is very kid friendly is National Geographic Photo Ark. An effort to document all the worlds animals by Joel Sartore (instagram). Obviously the book does not have every animal, but it does have a really wide selection that is sure to thrill every kid, and adult.

Atlas Obscura Wild Life, is a really fun addition to the Obscura series of books. Weird and wonderful stuff. A good amount of text which means probably best to be read with kids. Although good to leave on a table and bookshelf for them.

Peter Beard is one of the all time great wildlife photographers and his books are truly amazing, although some of the images can be a bit intense? Raw? Too real. Dead animals, dusty Africa, the kill and then there is his dabbling in fashion. Beard is very much an adult photographer in the sense that some of his image might be borderline for kids. Still, having a Peter Beard book around is definitely going to get your kids to ask questions and be curious. Check out his author page at Amazon to pick and choose what might be best for your library.