Every great detective has to start somewhere! This emerging reader series uses cumulative clues and repetition of key words to help curious kids guess which animal the author is thinking of. Every time a new clue is introduced, it is added to the clues tracker on the bottom of the text page to help readers remember the growing list. Each clue is immediately followed by the author admitting which animal is out of the running with a response like But it is not a Velociraptor! in I’m Thinking of a Dinosaur. The common pets of dogs, cats, and fish are eschewed for an adorable coiled green snake in I’m Thinking of a House Pet. Photos (or in the case of dinosaurs, computer-generated art) offer context clues for some of the more advanced words that are trickier to decode. Comparison charts at the end help readers see how the included animals are the same and different. With no more than two sentences on a page, these readers are fun and fantastic. VERDICT Highly recommended for all school and public libraries.
