Also by Aaron Reynolds: Pirates vs. Cowboys Metal Man Buffalo Wings   Also illustrated by Dan Santat: The Secret Life of Walter Kitty Otto Undercover #4: Toxic Taffy Takeover Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Dan Santat Ages 3-8 40 pages Chronicle August 2013 Hardcover     Carnivores is high on my list of favorite read-aloud books. Lion, Great White Shark and Timber Wolf are ostracized by the other animals because of their bad reputations. Grown tired of name-calling and rejection, they agree to alter their eating habits to become vegetarians. When their attempt to blend in leaves them looking foolish and feeling hungry, a wise old owl convinces them to face the truth: they are meat-eaters, and they should be proud of it. I found myself reading this story very slowly because I didn’t want to miss any of the humor in the writing or in the illustrations. After I was finished the book, I went back and re-read it three times—I liked it that much. Reynolds (Creepy Carrots) and Santat’s (The Adventures of Nanny Piggins) story has a refreshing, unique take on self-acceptance. Plus, they remind us it’s cool to be different.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2013 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)