I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Did you know that a Capybara is the largest rodent? Learn fun facts with beautiful illustrations in this fun picture book.

Illustrations are adorable!! Very cute little capybaras; they reminded me of Bill Peet 's capybaras.

However, the text of the book is a bit clunky. I think this is due, perhaps almost entirely, to being translated from its original Italian. The text also gets long, which might not be the best option for small kids.

This delightful children's book is full of great life lessons, provided courtesy of Capybara. My cubs enjoyed reading it, and it sparked interest in the animal itself. Now they want one as a pet! These gentle giants of the rodent family were the perfect critters to showcase lessons like trying new things, the value of community, and how to be at ease with one's self in solitude or semi-solitude. The art was lovely, with a whimsical nature. Perfect addition to any child's library, and for classroom use.

What can I say, capybaras are adorable, and this one is no exception. The illustrations are the draw here; they're just so sweet and expressive and soft! The text is sweet too, with the capybara telling us about himself in both the factual sense (he's a very good swimmer, for instance) and the "it could happen" sense (he loves opera, and likes to wear a bow tie when he goes to see one). Overall, a cute little contemplative story, and great fun!

#IamaCapybara #NetGalley

Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange of my honest opinion.

Capybaras are one of my favourite animals. And yes, they are a big rodent - but they are extremely kind and cute and got life figured out. You would know this too if you'd read this book.

Not only do you get some facts about the capybara (so very educative), but it's also entertaining. The illustrations are simple and zen - encompassing the true essence of a capybara. Loved it!

This book was very odd. I either expected a book about fun facts about capybaras and their lives, or a cute story about a capybara and adventures he has. Instead I got a weird mixture of both, which also tried to be poetic and ended up being quite boring and confusing. There were some cute facts about how capybaras live and there were some quirky fictional bits that were meant to be cute and funny. However, I found the writing very dry and the way the story was told was a bit uninteresting.

A very cute and charming children's book. The minimalistic illustrations were incredibly engaging (Capybara in a bow tie!) and my kids loved looking at at learning about Capybaras. I'm not sure if it was a translation issue, but at times the text seemed a little stilted arch, and more snooty adult than engaging. But overall this was charming.

The sweetest capybara narrates this book about food, family, and friends of a particularly adorable capybara. The illustrations are simple and beautiful. The writing style is calm, factorial, and has a tone that makes me just want to hug this capybara so hard; I sufficed with my dog though.
I loved this tiny book about an animal that I have never seen or touched. It reminded me of that one song that I learned in kindergarten, "Capy-bara lives on an old gum tree-ee, eating all the gumdrops he can see-ee, stop! Capybara stop!, Capybara please save a few for me"

Anyway, this is an adorable book, perfect for all ages, but especially for the younger kids who I believe should have a well-rounded education in their formative years about all kinds of animals and their needs. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and I'm sure other will as well.
10/10 I highly recommend!

*Thank you to the publishers, Princeton Architectural Press, the author, Michela Fabbri, and Netgalley for my free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Real and Imagined Capybara

Have you heard of a capybara, the largest rodent on the planet? I had not before I read this book. In this minimally but beautifully illustrated picture book, we meet a capybara who shares some of his life, including some capybara facts. However, too, it also had a fictional element which didn't—to my mind—play well with the fact portion. I think I would have preferred the book to go one way or the other, preferably the nonfiction route as this is a little-known animal. It would have been fun if the author had added additional facts at the end or actual pictures of them.

A capybara introduces himself, how to tell him apart from other animals, shares some of his thoughts and his favorite things.

I like the minimalist illustrations in this and the idea of introducing kids to capybaras. I don’t know if something was lost in translation, but this felt odd to me. It was a weird mix of real facts about capybaras with very fictional activities and thoughts of this certain capybara. I think it would have been a more useful book if it had just focused on the facts. Because how many informational picture books on capybaras have you seen lately? On the other hand, as is, it is a perfect book to have kids pick out fact from fiction/fantasy elements and see if they can tell the difference. For that reason I'll bump it up from a 2 to a 3. Hand this to capybara fans, imaginative readers, curious readers, and kids learning fact from fiction.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I am so pleasantly surprised by the quality and care that went into creating this publication. Marketed for children, but I think everyone will love it. In this book, we follow the musings of a capybara as they tell us about their favourite hobbies and about their friends. This book was informative and absolutely charming. This capybara presents their species with a casual conversation about what they like and what they are often doing. The atmosphere of the book resonates with how I imagine a capybara would really be if they were writing a book about themselves: friendly and relaxed. I will recommend this to anyone that wants to foster a love for animals in their children and will be buying a couple of copies as gifts for sure.

Thanks so much to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for asking for my opinion!

I am a Capybara is such a delightful book. The illustrations are wonderful, sweet and warm. The book is written and illustrated by Michela Fabbri and through each fun little image you fall further and further in love with Capybara. He knows who is and he wants you to know who he is too. He has a best friend who looks nothing like him on the outside, but they have so much in common on the inside. He looks strong and tough - did you know he's the largest rodent? Yet, he loves nothing more than closeness and snuggles with those that he loves.

I do love books that are fiction, but also give the reader so many facts as you go through. You learn so much about Capybara's as you explore this magical book. It's a gentle and graceful book that will be cherished on your bookshelf.

Thank you #NetGalley and publisher for the electronic review copy of this beautiful book. #IamaCapybara

When I saw the title and cover of this book, I knew I wanted this one! I've always loved less known, bit odd looking animals and the capybara is one of them. I Am A Capybara gives a lot of facts about this animal most children will not know yet, combined with a sweet story about a capybara who looks tough, but also is very sweet and loves to cuddle!

I am a Capybara is a short and sweet picture book for the youngest readers written and illustrated by Michela Fabbri. Originally published in Italian in 2018, this English translation published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2020 is 40 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

The art is whimsical and appealing (see cover), and the text is simple and easy to read. It's written in free verse in short sentences which will allow smaller children to follow along with the reading and allow older kids to practice reading on their own. The text flows very well and it doesn't read as if it's been translated.

This would make a super choice for classroom/public library, home library, or gift. Really cute and I liked that the narrator (a capybara) has a very philosophical attitude about life and his own capybara-ness.

That capybara are relatively little known animals will give an opportunity for further learning by searching for and learning about them and other creatures' natural habitats and ranges.

Four stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Loved the simple illustrations and how the bird made an appearance throughout the panels. Simple story with a lot of great information. I would definitely purchase this for my library's collection

This book called my attention as I have seen capybaras in Rio de Janeiro, you can see them in some parks. Such curious animals! I like the drawings in this book and the capybara who is introducing itself to us is quite captivating. I would love to see the capybara going on an adventure with the bird. This book can be
used (in school or at home) to prompt children to introduce themselves to others.

Simple charming illustrations accompanied by a narrative that is just the right amount of silly and altogether extremely sweet. This book shows the differences between capybaras and animals they are often mistaken for, as well as all the traits both in their anatomy and personality that make them such special critters. Adorable!

Very simplistic drawings (which there is nothing wrong with.). Pretty straightforward title. You get to learn about the Capybara which is the world's biggest rodent. Had I not read the book I would not know this so I can say with complete honesty that this title has changed my life and allowed me to grow as a human.

Very informative. I would not recommend as a read-aloud, however as a fun book for students that will probably delight. Yup.

This book is a charming story about one of the world’s more interesting and lesser known rodents.
I loved that it provides interesting facts while not overwhelming young readers with information. The illustrations match the minimalist text perfectly.
It is a great book for readers who enjoy books about animals or nonfiction that doesn’t read like a textbook.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Michela Fabbri and Princeton Architectural Press through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this book was cute; I enjoyed the mixture of Capybara facts and fiction. I think kids will have fun learning about the world's largest rodent while the Capybara mixes in some funny costumes and thoughts.