Title: Alpaca Ranch Fun!
Author: Jack Rotifer
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7651-2
Pages: 46
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book / Educational
Reviewer: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
Author Jack Rotifer has created a picture book using the curiosity of three Yorkshire terriers who are taken around Aunt K’s farm to learn about different animals – especially Alpacas, but also a sled dog and a tortoise.
Separated into 5 sections, the first brings the readers introduced to the three Yorkies – Jigle, Jaywok and Joi Daisy. They meet some newborn Alpacas where the personified animals’ conversations express the curiosity of the dogs who have never seen Alpacas before. The narrative of the book combines dialogue between the dogs and Aunt K, lending to many facts and understandings of the unique characteristics of these animals from South America. The Alpacas live high in the Andes Mountains, about thirteen thousand feet altitude, where it is always very cold, so they grow a coat of fur known as fiber to insulate their bodies. They get haircuts, known as shearing, like what they do to sheep, which doesn’t hurt the Alpacas and results in one of the finest fibers which can be spun and knitted mostly into sweaters, hats, and scarves. These story elements show the young readers just how valuable many diverse animals are to the survival and enjoyment of the farmers and human caretakers.
The story then jumps into a quick chapter about Betty, the sled dog. They learn about the Iditarod race which occurs in Alaska annually, a race of 938 miles from Anchorage to Nome. Betty likes the Wyoming Pedigree Stage Stop Race because it is simple and less demanding. Betty wanted to just become a house pet with a family that loved her.
The book reverts to a chapter on grooming of Alpaca fiber before ending with a story about a sulcata tortoise named Cory, a breed which comes from Africa. “My relatives in Africa live on the edge of the Sahara Desert,” Cory says. “They burrow underground during the hot part of the day. We are herbivores.” All of this information is very educational for the readers, as they are exposed to new vocabulary and the diverse lives of other species of the animal kingdom.
Alpaca Ranch Fun! by author Jack Rotifer brings many facts and animal knowledge in a very entertaining and picturesque fashion, making this book a wonderful experience and a fine addition to any family library. Children will want to be read this many times which can be paused between chapters and continued at a later date or time. Perhaps someday, when the children reading this book may actually get an Alpaca sweater for a gift, I am sure they will remember the inquisitive nature of Jigle, Jaywok and Joi Daisy as being an introduction to this amazing fiber used to knit their sweater and appreciate it even more.
Alpaca Ranch Fun! Has a wonderful blend of colorful illustrations, and educational value. This book would be particularly well-suited for young animal lovers and those interested in farm adventures.
