Calling all mini wildlife fans! 🌿 If your kiddo loves growling like a tiger or prowling like a panther, J is for Jaguar (2022 Bright Star Kids’ Book Award finalist) deserves a spot on their shelf. Illustrator Jean Claude—who also brought us W is for Whale—uses splashes of emerald green and sunset orange to make these stealthy hunters leap off the page.

Here’s the scoop: Your child will master the /j/ sound by mimicking jaguar “chuffs” (real talk—it sounds like a mix between a cough and a purr). The book sneaks in cool comparisons too, like how jaguars’ rosette-shaped spots differ from leopard prints. Pro tip: Pause on page 6 to play “spot the cub” in the rainforest scene—it’s like Where’s Waldo? but furrier.

Fun flaw alert: One illustration near the end accidentally gives a jaguar stripes instead of spots. Bet the kids’ll catch it before you do!